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

Optional year in industry
Study this course with an optional work placement year, at no extra cost. Alongside this, you can gain valuable experience and engagement with the sector through our shorter work placements, internships and work experience opportunities. Visit tees.ac.uk and the Student Futures webpage for more information.

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

• Financial awards: you may be eligible for a number of scholarships and awards. Visit tees.ac.uk for more information.

• Guidance and support: 100% of BEng (Hons) Chemical Engineering students agreed that they have received sufficient support, advice and guidance in relation to their course (National Student Survey 2025 tees.ac.uk/source).

• Maths support: strengthen your maths with a free online Mathematics for University course before you start your course. Visit tees.ac.uk for more information.

• 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.

• 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.

• Quality teaching: we are ranked 1st for Teaching Quality for Chemical Engineering in the Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026, (34 institutions were ranked, tees.ac.uk/source).

Employability
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.

Qualified graduates 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.

Course Modules

Access course information through Teesside University’s website using the course page link provided (or visit www.tees.ac.uk).

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• Chemical Engineers, Institution of
• Engineering Council