Chemical Engineering

Chemical Engineers make a real difference to everyday life. Our multidisciplinary course provides the training.

What chemical engineers do

Who makes new products such as biodegradable polymers, non–alcoholic beer and artificial hearts? Who invents methods for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and toxic gases? Who designs the equipment to produce ultra low sulphur diesel? And who develops processes for obtaining medicines from biological organisms?

"I enjoy the way that the Chemical Engineering course combines scientific principles, traditional industrial practice, and modern innovation." – Rebecca

Chemical engineers invent, design and operate industrial processes that convert raw materials into valuable products. Example products are food, pharmaceuticals, plastics, cleaning products, drinking water, fuel and electricity. These products are relevant to almost every aspect of our everyday lives.

The products are made by processes that change the chemical, biochemical or physical state of substances. Chemical engineers need to understand how such transformations happen at both the molecular scale and the industrial scale. They need to know how transformations can be achieved economically, safely, and in an environmentally–friendly manner.

Chemical engineers are very much in demand demanding both more sophisticated products and more sustainable processes.

What we’re offering

The Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at Cambridge enjoys a reputation for excellence in its teaching and research, regularly topping national league tables . Our teaching staff includes a healthy proportion of Chartered Engineers, many of whom have industrial experience.

Our course provides a thorough grounding in chemical and biochemical engineering, while also providing training in personal and transferable skills. The aim is to produce graduates that meet the needs of today's process industries and who have the ability to cope with scientific advances when they occur.

The Department has excellent facilities that support the teaching and research activities of undergraduates. We have an extensive network of computers equipped with modern applications used by practising engineers. These include CAD tools, process simulators and design packages.

We have strong links with industry and the course is supported by a consortium of 10 industrial companies. These companies provide input on course content and assist with some of the teaching. Our industrial links also mean that there are plenty of opportunities for vacation placements with some of the world’s top companies.

How we teach it

Chemical engineers spend their first year at Cambridge studying either Part IA Engineering or Part IA Natural Sciences. The Natural Sciences route enables you to study three science subjects and mathematics, and is ideal preparation if you like pure science and want to understand how things work at a fundamental level. The Engineering route gives you a broad background in different engineering disciplines and is ideal preparation if you like applying science to real–world problems.

From your second year, you're based within the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology. You're taught primarily through lectures, which are supported by projects, laboratory classes, supervisions and coursework. Each week you typically attend 11 lectures and have two supervisions. You also undertake fortnightly projects.

Our course concentrates on the scientific principles behind modern chemical and biochemical engineering. These skills are complemented by a series of lectures and exercises that teach design. How to design individual items of process equipment, and how these may be integrated to make a chemical plant, are important aspects of industrial practice. Process design involves using scientific and engineering principles to make sensible decisions amidst uncertainty

It’s possible to graduate with a BA degree after three years. However, virtually all of our students stay on for a fourth year that leads to the BA and MEng degrees. The aim of the fourth year is to develop a deeper understanding of the discipline and to study some specialist subjects. You choose advanced topics from a range of options according to your interests, and undertake an original research project.

What we’re looking for

You need to have an understanding of mathematics and the fundamentals of chemistry and physics. You also need an enquiring mind and an interest in applying science practically to solve real–world problems.

After Cambridge

The four–year course (leading to the MEng qualification) is accredited by the Institution of Chemical Engineers. This means that after graduation you can apply for Chartered Engineer status once you have four years of relevant experience (eg in industry) without taking any further exams.

Within Chemical Engineering there are many well–paid career opportunities. You might work as a field engineer, be part of research teams, or occupy senior management positions. You might travel all over the world if you work for a multinational company. Chemical engineers can also secure jobs outside the discipline because of their broad range of skills. About 50 per cent of our graduates go into the chemical, process and food industries; 20 per cent go into finance and management; and 15 per cent go into further education and research.

Course outline

Year 1 Part IA Your choice of route Chemical engineers spend their first year studying either Engineering or Natural Sciences. These routes provide equally good preparation for becoming a chemical engineer, and are taken up by a similar number of students. Year 2 Part IB Introduction to the core The second year contains lectures on: fundamentals – fluid mechanics, mass and heat transfer, thermodynamics process operations – reactors, separators, biotechnology process systems – safety enabling topics – mathematics, economics Depending on your choice of first–year subject, there are additional lectures and practical work on either chemistry or engineering. You're assessed on these topics at the end of the year by four three–hour written exams. Throughout the year, you also take laboratory classes on fluid mechanics and undertake regular assessed project work. By the end of the year, you perform the mechanical design of an item of process equipment such as a heat exchanger. Year 3 Parts IIA Continuation of the core The third year contains lectures on: fundamentals – fluid mechanics, heat transfer, thermodynamics process operations – reactors, separators, bioprocessing process systems – process dynamics and control, heat integration, environment enabling topics – materials, statistics You perform further assessed project work throughout the year, and sit four three–hourwritten exams at the start of the third term. After the examinations in the third year, you undertake a Design Project that lasts five weeks of full–time work. This project is carried out in groups of about six students, and concerns the design of a modern industrial process. You take into account all aspects of engineering design, including specification of equipment and control procedures, and consider safety aspects, environmental impact and economic performance. As such, the Design Project brings together all the taught subject matter whilst giving you the opportunity to work in a team on an unfamiliar open–ended problem.

Year 4 Part IIB Choice of advanced topics You take a compulsory paper on Sustainability in Chemical Engineering, and choose six further advanced topics. These optional papers change every year and reflect the research interests of academic staff. Past examples have included biopharmaceuticals, modern metrology, electrochemical engineering, and particle technology. You also choose two 'broadening material' papers. These are on topics that are useful to chemical engineers without being part of the discipline, such as a foreign language or entrepreneurship. In addition, you undertake a research project that might involve experimental, theoretical and/or computational work. Some projects support ongoing research activities within the Department, while others are 'blue sky' investigations leading to new research programmes. Several are sponsored by interested companies and successful projects sometimes lead to students becoming authors of publications in scientific literature.