What is Chemical Engineering
By: Kylie Cameron
What do Chemical Engineers do? What kind of education do they need? What kind of jobs can they have? What does the Job Outlook look like? Well, we’re here to answer these burning questions!
Chemical Engineering Overview
Chemical Engineers work to develop and design chemical manufacturing processes and to plan and test production methods. They also set safety and health standards for chemical usage. Some of the things that chemical engineers produce and make include: plastics, paper, dyes, medicines, polymers, fertilizers, petrochemicals, and sometimes even foods! A Chemical Engineer can most often be found in an office space or a laboratory, but sometimes they can also be found plants or refineries. In 2021, the median annual pay for a Chemical Engineer was $105,550!
Chemical Engineering Education
Chemical Engineers need at least a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering to become a Chemical Engineer but for some more advanced positions or higher up positions, a masters in Chemical Engineering is valuable.
According to USNews, some of the best schools to study for your undergraduate in Chemical Engineering are:
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- University of California, Berkeley
- California Institute of Technology
- Stanford University
- University of Texas at Austin
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- University of Delaware
- University of Wisconsin — Madison
Jobs in Mechanical Engineering
Though Chemical Engineering sounds like one would be refined to a laboratory job, Chemical Engineers can fulfill a multitude of different jobs such as:
- Process Design Engineer
- Environmental Engineer
- Plant Process Engineer
- Process Safety Engineer
- Technical Sales Person
- Environmental waste management
- Chemical Plant Technical Director
- Petroleum Engineer
- Project Engineer
- Product Engineer
- Process Safety Engineer
- Operations/production
- Material Engineer
- Mining engineer
- Water engineer
- Nuclear engineer
- Petroleum engineer
- Biotechnologist
Mechanical Engineering Outlook
In 2021, the job outlook for a Chemical Engineer from 2020–2030 is 9%, which is exciting for any prospective Chemical Engineers or any current Chemical Engineers!
