Courses in chemistry have been taught at the North Carolina State University (NCSU) since the school was opened in 1889 as the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts (A&M). During President George Tayloe Winston's tenure (1899-1908) the curriculum in applied science was changed to chemical engineering. In 1899 a program leading to a degree of Chemical Engineer was introduced.

Winston Hall (named for George Tayloe Winston) was completed in 1910 to house chemical, civil and electrical engineering. In September 1924, the Department of Chemical Engineering was formed by Dr. E. E. Randolph, and this reflected the increasing importance of chemical research in North Carolina. In 1925, the department awarded its first Bachelor of Science degrees and, three years later, its first Masters. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, the department continued to grow, and in 1948 the Engineer's Council for Professional Development (ECPD) gave the department a two-year provisional accreditation. Two years later, full accreditation was awarded.

The department began the 1950s by moving from Winston to Riddick Hall. In 1954, James K. Ferrell, who later became the University's Dean of Engineering, received N. C. State's first Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, and growth continued apace throughout the remainder of the twentieth century. On September 16, 2004, the department inaugurated a new era as the officially renamed Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. This was followed by the opening of the Enginnering Building I in January 2005 on N. C. State's Centennial Campus. Today the department includes strong multidisciplinary programs in biotechnology, catalysis, electronic materials, polymers, molecular thermodynamics, colloid and surface science and pollution prevention.