Chemical Engineering (with Foundation Year and Optional Year in Industry)

Optional year in industry: The year in industry option will help you gain valuable work experience which will help you enhance your graduate employability prospects. During your placement you develop transferable skills such as communication, negotiation, teamwork, leadership, organisation, problem-solving, being able to work under pressure, self-reliance and commercial awareness. At the end of your work placement you return to complete your degree and prepare to enter employment with improved confidence.

Our work placement officer and the University’s careers service are available to help you find and apply for your work placement. Advice is also available on job hunting and networking.

Course overview: This course includes a foundation year - ideal if you need additional preparation or if you don't have sufficient grades to join Year 1. The modern world needs competent engineers who can design and operate industrial processes in a green and sustainable way. This degree provides cutting-edge and sought-after knowledge and expertise within sustainable chemical and process engineering.

As a skilled professional, you develop processes to reduce hazardous and life-threatening emissions to the environment, improve energy efficiency and optimise the use of renewable resources and raw materials. You develop sustainable solutions that protect the environment, assuring sound use of resources in line with the UN’s sustainable development goals, focusing on energy, water and climate action.

Top reasons to study this course

1. Financial awards: you may be eligible for a number of scholarships and awards.
2. Maths support: strengthen your maths with a free online Mathematics for University course before you start your course.
3. Industry links: we have long-term industrial links and joint projects with the top employers, offering you significant opportunities to gain practical experience and work on industry-focused projects.
4. International visits: you have opportunities to travel internationally through student mobility visits or spending a semester studying abroad with one of our partners in countries such as China, the Czech Republic, Spain and Malaysia.
5. Professional accreditation: this degree is accredited by the Institution of Chemical Engineers, under licence from the Engineering Council. It fully satisfies the requirements for Incorporated Engineer (IEng) status and partially satisfies the requirements for Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.

After the course: Our graduates work across sectors including; pharmaceutical, energy, recycling, battery production, pulp and paper, cement, fertilisers, chemical, food production, biochemical production/biotechnology, and consultancy companies. As the world transits to sustainable and green technologies many new areas have emerged that need chemical engineers, these include hydrogen-ammonia economy, biofuels, emission mitigation, and novel materials. The sector-wise distribution of chemical engineers employed in different sectors such as oil, gas, nuclear, water, manufacturing and pharmaceutical.

You are qualified to work within research and the development of innovative and sustainable products and processes, production and process technologies and advanced technical support. Typical roles involve process engineers, sustainability managers, production in-charge, waste/energy managers, waste minimisation specialists, energy monitoring consultants, research scientist, environmental or carbon management officers, and government advisors.

The course trains you to start your own company or join a start-up. As a chemical engineer, you are trained to draw on resources and ideas from a variety of fields, making you adaptable, creative and able to thrive in a fast-paced start-up environment.