Chemical engineers change the world. From oil and gas to electronics and chemicals you’ll be using things designed and made by chemical engineers every day. Traditionally, chemical engineering has been about fuel, but now it’s much more than that. There are still many chemical engineers working in power production, however many graduates now go into the sustainable and ecological areas of the industry. During this course you’ll be trained to ensure the safe and profitable production of the chemicals and materials required to create products such as clothing, food, medicine, transport and home entertainment systems.

What you’ll learn

This course is designed to develop your engineering skills, in the context of a firm grounding in chemistry. To ensure this, you will share your first year with chemists, giving you a good grounding in the subject before gaining a deeper insight into the industrial processes.

In later years you will specialise at a more advanced level in the core engineering topics as well as studying business, management and sustainability, designed to further develop your problem-solving skills. There will also be a focus on computer modelling skills with a strong emphasis on process simulation.

You have the option to spend a year on placement in industry in your third year. Many students take advantage of this option and find the experience extremely beneficial both for their development as an engineer and their final year performance.

In addition to the traditional oil and chemical-based industries, you will be well equipped to go into a wide range of careers including food production, pollution control, environmental protection, energy and resource conservation, waste recovery and recycling, medical science, health and safety, research, management and consultancy.

Our graduates have a strong record of finding suitable positions, reflecting the fact that the UK is a major contributor to the global chemical industry. Some of the companies our graduates have gone on to join include: Procter and Gamble, Stone and Webster, BP, ExxonMobil, Kodak, Price Waterhouse Cooper, Unilever, AMEC, British Energy, Kappa, Mowlem, BT, Corus and Pfizer.

Accreditation

All our chemical engineering courses are accredited by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), which puts you on the path to acquiring Chartered Chemical Engineer status. This course fully meets the academic requirements for Incorporated Engineer and partially meets the requirements for Chartered Chemical Engineer status.