Chemical Engineering

Have you ever wondered how basic utilities in your house are made? How is the soap formed and how it is different from that used in the dishwasher? The answer to many such questions lies in the study of chemical. While chemistry aims to explore the chemical components of our world, its interdisciplinary combination with engineering focuses more on developing efficient materials. It incorporates the principles of varied areas such as physics, chemistry, economics, etc. for designing and producing chemicals and resources for our efficient and sustainable use. This blog brings you a comprehensive guide on what Chemical Engineering is, careers offered in this field as well as its top courses, colleges, scope in India, and more!

What is Chemical Engineering?

The matter in the world in infinite and vast. In very basic terms, Chemical engineers use chemical formulations along with physics, math, biology, and economics for the production, design, and transformation of energy and materials. Apart from this, engineering is widely applicable in plastics, polymers, and synthetic fibre industries which involve chemical reactions and engineering in their manufacture. It is also used in the dyeing of fibre, production of pulp, paper and foodstuffs. With the growing advancements and problems in the world, this field also plays a crucial role in space exploration and can be helpful for sustaining our environment.

What do Chemical Engineers do?

Chemical engineers, in general, devise and design chemical production processes. Chemical engineers’ primary responsibilities include designing and troubleshooting processes for the manufacture of chemicals, fuels, foods, medicines, and biologicals, to mention a few. They are commonly used by large-scale manufacturing operations to boost productivity and product quality while cutting costs. Chemical engineers have an impact on the creation of practically every item produced on a large scale. Here are some examples of usual tasks:

• Ensure that all health, safety, and environmental requirements are followed.
• Investigating ways to enhance manufacturing processes
• Equipment layout design and planning
• Working with hazardous substances requires including safety practices.
• Monitoring and improving the efficiency of manufacturing processes
• by calculating the cost of production

Business and management chemical engineers frequently visit research and manufacturing plants. Interaction with others and team cooperation is essential to the success of chemical engineering projects. engineers operate in factories, research labs, and pilot plant facilities. They operate close to large-scale industrial equipment, both indoors and out. As a result, personal protection equipment is frequently needed of them (e.g., hard hats, goggles, and steel-toe shoes).

Where is Chemical Engineering Used?

Chemical engineering is most commonly used in large-scale manufacturing operations, where the objective is to increase efficiency and product quality while lowering costs. Chemical engineers used in the aerospace, automotive, biomedical, electronic, environmental, medical, and military sectors to create and enhance technological goods such as

• Fibers, textiles, and adhesives with extreme tensile strength for automobiles
• Implant and prosthesis materials that are biocompatible
• Optoelectronic devices films

Chemical Engineering Subjects

This area of study involves anything and everything related to mass and matter. As the world unfolds with its inventions and discoveries, newer themes are constantly being added to this subject which makes it a broad discipline.

• Catalysis and Reactions of biofuels
• Biomolecular and Biomedical Engineering
• Biochemical Engineering
• Cellular Engineering
• Computing and Simulation
• Electrochemical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Thermodynamics
• Materials
• Polymers and Complex Fluids
• Petrochemical Engineering & Technology
• Sustainable Environmental Engineering
• Microfabricated Systems

Chemical Engineering Courses

Chemical Engineers are sought-after across varied industries like , energy, refined oil industries, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, electronic device fabrication, environmental engineering, etc. Take a look at the most popular undergraduate, postgraduate and doctorate programs in this field:

Level	Courses
Undergraduate	Bachelors/BE in Chemical Engineering Bachelors in Chem. Technology Engineering BSc Chem. Eng. (Environment and Energy) BSc Chem. Eng. (Chemical and Biomolecular) Bachelors in Industrial Chemical Engineering Bachelor of Chem. Eng./Bachelor of Mathematics Bachelor of Engineering Honours (Chem. and Biomolecular)
Postgraduate	Masters in Chem. Eng. MSc in Petroleum Engineering MSc in Chem. Eng. and Business MSc in Chem. Eng. and Materials Science Masters in Nanoscience, Materials and Processes Masters in Chem. Eng. for Energy and Environment MSc in Chem. and Materials Engineering
Doctorate	Doctor of Philosophy (Chem. and Material Engineering) PhD in Chemistry and Technology of Foodstuff PhD Research in Chem. Eng. PhD in Chem. Eng. and Analytical Science

Chemical Engineering Skills Required

There are certain technical skills that you must have.

• Pharmaceuticals and Plastic engineering
• Microfluidics
• Environmental Science
• Materials and Metallurgy engineering
• Separation Processes
• Inorganic Chemical Technology
• Semiconductor Device Fabrication
• Process Dynamics and control
• Polymers and Paper engineering
• Modern Methods of Separation
• Molecular engineering
• Management and Economics of Chemical Processes
• Organic Chemical Technology

Chemical Engineering Entrance Exam

Most universities provide admission based on entrance exams and publish their own deadlines. Admission to Chemical Engineering courses is based on a list of transcripts and entrance exams and the admission is finalized by a personal interview. Some entrance exams are listed below:

Exam Name	Exam Date
MHT CET	July 14, 2021
OJEE	June 17, 2021
BCECE	April 28, 2021
Assam CEE	September 20, 2021
UPSEE	June 15, 2021
KEAM	July 24, 2021
KCET	July 07, 2021

Top Universities For Chemical Engineering

As a field that requires heavy practical expertise and knowledge, you need to excel in your theory and laboratory subjects to gain an in-depth understanding of molecules and their applications on an industry level. To help you find the right academic institution for your chosen degree program, here are the top-ranked Chemical Engineering colleges and universities as per the QS World University Rankings 2020:

Universities	QS World University Rankings 2020
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	1
Stanford University	2
University of Cambridge	3
The University of California, Berkeley (UCB)	4
ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology	5
University of Oxford	6
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)	7
EPFL	8
National University of Singapore (NUS)	9
Imperial College London	10

Eligibility Requirements

Though the actual course requirements might vary as per the course and university, here are the major eligibility requirements:

• For BE/BTech/BSc programs, candidates must have completed 10+2 in science stream from a recognized board. For applying for undergraduate programs in this field in India, you will be required to provide scores of Engineering entrance exams like JEE Mains, AIEEE, etc.
• For master’s degree courses, you must have a bachelor’s degree in the discipline or a related field and Indian universities also require GATE scores for admission.
• If you aspire to study a degree in this field abroad, you will have to submit Language Proficiency scores such as IELTS/TOEFL/PTE, etc. along with SAT or ACT for bachelor’s degree courses or GRE scores for master’s degree and PhD programs in this field. Apart from this, a Statement of Purpose and Letters of Recommendation are also required by universities abroad.

Chemical Engineering’s Scope in India and Abroad

Chemical engineering is one of the disciplines concerned with the design and processing of industrial chemical manufacture. Chemical engineers are in high demand in the area of Chemical Engineering, and the scope of the course is expanding as more applicants express interest in pursuing it since it allows students to experiment with novel materials. Chemical is an excellent degree for those interested in a career in applied chemistry. It is one of India’s oldest branches, offering work possibilities in the commercial, public, and government sectors. This course provides professional chances, and the breadth of the course continues to expand, creating work opportunities in the sector.

Careers in Chemical Engineering

This field provides lucrative job opportunities in many interesting and diverse sectors. The most sought-after careers include

• Analytical Chemist
• Energy Manager
• Environmental Engineer 
• Manufacturing Engineer 
• Materials Engineer
• Mining Engineer
• Lecturer
• Project Managers 
• Agrochemist
• Oil refineries

Average Salary

The remuneration package for Engineering experts is determined based on the candidate’s performance and how well he or she performed in the interview. It is up to the company to decide how much the applicant should be paid depending on their overall performance.

Job Profile	Average Annual Salary
Market Analyst	Rs. 4 to 7 Lakhs p.a. (Approx.)
Chemical Engineer	Rs. 3 to 6 Lakhs p.a. (Approx.)
Site Engineer	Rs. 3 to 5 Lakhs p.a. (Approx.)
Quality Manager	Rs. 7 to 9 Lakhs p.a. (Approx.)
Energy Manager	Rs. 6 to 8 Lakhs p.a. (Approx.)

Chemical Engineering Upcoming Trends

According to the studies, chemical engineering has seen a significant transformation in the last few years. New themes in the discipline are also appearing as a result of the progress that is occurring in numerous fields. Engineering must be brought to the forefront because of the fascinating research it does. With anything new that comes into the market, the trends and themes in the Chemical Engineering course change as the demands and requirements change. Professionals must ensure that they adapt to numerous changes and trends to succeed in their careers and improve them daily. The following are some of the impending trends:

• Rapid Globalization
• Digitalization
• The Circular Economy
• New Business Models
• Expanding Health-related Biotechnologies 

FAQs

Thus, we hope this blog helped you discover the aspects and details of chemical engineering. It is surely a rapidly growing and important field that requires many innovative minds. If you aim to study for an Engineering degree abroad, our Leverage Edu experts are just a click away from helping you find a suitable course and university as per your requirements and career aspirations. Register for a free session with us today!