15 Best Universities for Chemical Engineering

Welcome to Process Industry Forum's chemical engineering university guide. We've found 15 of the best universities in the world who have courses which will help you on your journey to become a Chemical Engineer.

What areas can you specialise in during your degree?

Pharmaceuticals: If the production of medicine on a large scale is something that interests you then look no further. You’ll learn about the filtration, crystallisation, and thermodynamics as well as getting an overview of the current challenges facing this sector.

Food: Chemical Engineering in the Food Industry could involve the new packaging of products, preparation methods, flavour improvements, shelf life, appearance, hygiene and nutritional contents of food.

Petrochemicals: Creation of new materials out of petroleum and natural gas. ‘Primary’ petrochemicals include propylene, methanol and benzene, while examples of end products made using petrochemicals are soaps, plastics, fertilizers, synthetic materials and paints.

Environment: Chemical Engineers are also involved in monitoring the impact of industry on the environment, and how to develop processes to reduce damage. This could involve developing more energy-efficient technology, producing cleaner fuels, converting pollutants into non-harmful substances, and recycling materials.

What type of job can a chemical engineering degree get you?

Manufacturing and refining industries are where you will find the majority of Chemical Engineers. They will mainly be involved with the design and implementation of systems to mass-produce materials or products.

If an engineer is deemed to have leadership qualities then it is possible for that person to move up to be the plant manager or even a company executive.

Research-based roles are also available, plus the skills developed during a chemical engineering degree are transferable to a wide range of careers in the financial, legal and environmental sectors.

Following on from four years work in the sector, Chemical Engineers are illegible to apply for official chartered status from the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE).

One

University: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

MIT

Entry Requirements (UK):

  • Four years of English
  • Maths, at least to the level of calculus
  • Biology, Chemistry & Physics
  • MIT internal exams
  • Interview by one of 3000 MIT graduates

Location: Massachusetts, United States

Student Satisfaction: 96%

Undergraduate Female/ Male Ratio:  50% Male, 50% Female

University Website: http://www.mit.edu

Two

University: University of California, Berkeley (UCB)

Berkeley

Entry Requirements (UK):

  • Undergraduate applicants must submit scores on an approved test of mathematics, language arts and writing — either the ACT Plus Writing or the SAT Reasoning Test.

Location: California, United States

Student Satisfaction: 83.8%

Undergraduate Female/ Male Ratio: 47% Male, 53% Female

University Website: http://www.berkeley.edu/index.html

Three

University: Imperial College London

Imperial CL

Entry Requirements:

  • A*AA - A Levels (Math at A* & Chemistry A)

Location: London, United Kingdom

Student Satisfaction: 78%

Undergraduate Female/ Male Ratio: 64% Male, 36% Female

University Website: http://www3.imperial.ac.uk

Four

University: University of Oxford

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Entry Requirements:

  • A*AA (Including Maths & Physics)
  • Each applicant must successfully complete interview process.

Location: Oxford, United Kingdom

Student Satisfaction: 93%

Undergraduate Female/ Male Ratio: 47% Male, 53% Female

University Website: http://www.ox.ac.uk

Five

University: University of Cambridge

Cambridge

Entry Requirements:

  • Must acquire 4 or 5 AS Levels with AAAA
  • At least three A Levels with A*AA
  • Each applicant must successfully complete interview process.

Location: Cambridge, United Kingdom

Student Satisfaction: 92%

Undergraduate Female/ Male Ratio: 48% Male, 52% Female

University Website: http://www.cam.ac.uk

Six

University: The University of Tokyo

University-of-Tokyo

Entry Requirements:

  • High level of qualifications from College or equivalent (BBB)

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Student Satisfaction: 82%

University Female/ Male Ratio: 80% Male, 20% Female

University Website: http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/

Seven

University: ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)

eth_hg

Entry Requirements:

  • German language fluency
  • Admission without entrance examination
  • Admission conditional upon passing 'reduced entrance examination' (4 exams)
  • Admission conditional upon passing 'comprehensive entrance examination' (8 exams)

Location: Zurich, Switzerland

Student Satisfaction: 91%

University Female/ Male Ratio: 70% Male, 30% Female

University Website: http://www.ethz.ch/index_EN

Eight

University: Birmingham University

birmingham

Entry Requirements:

  • AAA - A Levels (Including Chemistry & Maths)
  • 360 UCAS points

Location: Birmingham, United Kingdom

Student Satisfaction: 84%

University Female/ Male Ratio: 40% Male, 60% Female

University Website: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/index.aspx

Nine

University: Princeton University

princeton-university

Entry Requirements:

  • The SAT and Two SAT Subject Tests or the ACT Plus Writing Test
  • 3 Essays set by the university

Location: New Jersey, United States

Student Satisfaction: 79.5%

University Female/ Male Ratio: 52% Male, 48% Female

University Website: http://www.princeton.edu/main/

Ten

University: Stanford University

stanford uni

Entry Requirements:

  • Official documents that note your grades, marks, or any predictions are required and must be sent directly from your school as part of your application. There is no need to have your marks converted into an American GPA.
  • While there are no courses or minimum scores required to secure admission to Stanford, we recommend completing the necessary coursework to apply to a university program for a bachelor's degree in your home country.

Location: California, United States

Student Satisfaction: 86.2%

University Female/ Male Ratio: 51% Male, 49% Female

University Website: http://www.stanford.edu

Eleven

University: Yale University

Yale-University-007

Entry Requirements:

  • Common Application and Yale-Specific Questions
  • Two Teacher Recommendations
  • School Report (includes Transcript and Counsellor Recommendation)
  • Standardized test results, including either
  • the SAT and Two SAT Subject Tests or the ACT Plus Writing Test

Location: Connecticut, United States

Student Satisfaction: 85%

University Female/ Male Ratio: 50% Male, 50% Female

University Website: http://www.yale.edu

Twelve

University: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

ucla

Entry Requirements:

  • Students who have attended school under the British system must present five GCSE/Ordinary-Level examinations and at least three Advanced-Level examinations with superior grades.

Location: Los Angeles, California, United States

Student Satisfaction: 76.2%

University Female/ Male Ratio: 45% Male, 55% Female

University Website: http://www.ucla.edu

Thirteen

University: California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

Caltech001

Entry Requirements:

  • There are no automatic cutoffs for any criteria that we might consider, and every application submitted for admission to Caltech is read to get a good sense of who you are and whether you would be a good fit for the Caltech community.

Location: California, United States

Student Satisfaction: 76%

University Female/ Male Ratio: 56% Male, 44% Female

University Website: http://www.caltech.edu

Fourteen

University: University of Minnesota

minnesota

Entry Requirements:

  • Coursework through high school graduation. (Admitted students typically exceed the subject requirements)
  • Grades
  • English language proficiency test score
  • ACT or SAT scores

Location: Minnesota, United States

Student Satisfaction: 87%

University Female/ Male Ratio: 44% Male, 56% Female

University Website: http://www1.umn.edu/twincities/index.html

Fifteen

University: The University of Melbourne

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Entry Requirements:

  • AAB - A Level

Location: Melbourne, Australia

Student Satisfaction: 78%

University Female/ Male Ratio: 50% Male, 50% Female

University Website: http://www.unimelb.edu.au

 

Sources:

http://www.topuniversities.com/courses/engineering-chemical/guide

http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/2011/sep/05/top-100-universities-world-chemical-engineering-2011

http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2012/engineering-chemical

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-314026/The-university-sex-ratio-table.html

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