The BEng (Hons) in Chemical Engineering (with placement year) is shaped by the ongoing needs of industry, while focusing on the traditional disciplines of oil, gas and petrochemical production.

You’ll get the knowledge and hands-on experience you need to operate in a range of industry sectors, learning in a research-informed, multidisciplinary environment. 

Your studies will give you a deep understanding of fundamental and advanced technical principles such as:

• fluid mechanics
• thermodynamics
• mass and heat transfer
• chemical reactions
• process control
• safety, health and environment

You’ll also gain practical experience with analytical tools, and the competencies required to apply this knowledge in industry.

The placement year in industry enables you to build contacts whilst developing your skills and professional confidence.

Chemical Engineering at Bradford has extensive links to industry. Our Lecturers are actively working on research projects with industry, with recent research projects linked to leading pharmaceutical, oil, gas, petrochemical and advanced material engineering companies.

Depending on your level of progress, transfer to our MEng programme is possible at the end of either your first or second year. The MEng programme involves an additional academic year of more in-depth study.

Our BEng Chemical Engineering (with Placement) received 100% overall satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2021.

Programme options

We also offer a 3-year version of the BEng programme without the 'sandwich' placement year in industry.

You may also be interested in our MEng Chemical Engineering programmes. We offer a 4-year version of the MEng and a 5-year version with sandwich year. These programmes give you a Master's level degree on graduation, with the additional year enabling further study of the technical and managerial aspects of chemical engineering.

The chemical and allied industry is expected to grow more rapidly than the average for the whole of manufacturing industry. This, when coupled with the increasing appreciation of the value of chemical engineering in many areas such as the foodstuffs and pharmaceutical industry, metals extraction, medical science, and environmental protection, means your prospects as a graduate are bright. Recent graduates have gained employment at organisations including:

• Unilever
• Lorien Engineering Solutions
• SUEZ UK
• Pladis Global
• IMI Precision Engineering
• British Sugar
• KPMG

Starting salaries of graduates in chemical and process engineering are relatively high, and later career chemical engineers are amongst the best paid of the engineering specialisms.