Save lives, clean up the planet, and make everyday life safer and easier. Join the community of professionals who combine engineering and chemistry to make the world a better place. It will be the most rewarding decision you ever make.
Would you like to become a "universal" engineer, with the ability, versatility, and knowledge to solve difficult problems for a wide range of industries? If so, chemical engineering is the degree for you. Countless fields rely on chemical engineers, from environmental to energy to medical.
Literally everything around us is made up of chemicals. With your love of engineering, chemistry, and math, along with a desire to make a difference, you will transform chemicals and raw materials into useful, valuable, and often lifesaving forms.
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The Department's Unit Operations Laboratory (UO Lab) is one of the best in the nation, with two pilot-plant set-ups, numerous bench-scale processes, and a state-of-the-art process simulation and control facility. With the UO Lab, students have the opportunity to learn in a real-world chemical-processing work environment. Get access to two fully automated pilot plants: a three-story distillation column (solvent recovery unit) and a two-story batch reactor.
At Michigan Tech, the student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers is a great way to get involved. Check out the chapter's activities, which bring together undergraduate and graduate students, plus faculty, staff, and industry leaders.
Undergraduate research opportunities are plentiful. As early as your sophomore year, you can gain valuable experience working with a faculty mentor in diverse research thrust areas such as:
- Sustainable Construction Materials and Resource Recovery
- Alternative and Renewable Energy
- Bioprocessing and Biomanufacturing
- Food, Water, and Air Quality and Security
- Medical Sensors and Diagnostics
- Pharmaceuticals and Vaccine Manufacturing
- Sustainable Chemistry and Manufacturing
- Advanced Materials and Polymers
- Waste Recovery and Recycling
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90%student participation in co-ops, internships, or Enterprise
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3semesters of student experience in our state-of-the-art UO Lab
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manybench and pilot-plant-scale unit operations experiments
Tomorrow Needs Versatile Chemical Engineers
With a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, you could design processes that involve chemical or biological transformation in large-scale manufacturing plants, ensuring those processes are operated safely, sustainably, and economically.
You could also play an important role in protecting the environment—inventing cleaner technologies, calculating environmental impacts, and studying the fates of chemicals in the natural world.
Chemical engineers have contributed to major scientific breakthroughs, including the following:
- Chemotherapy with reduced side effects
- Vaccines that ward off epidemics
- Cleaner sources of energy
- Earth-friendly plastics
- Greener chemical processes
- Innovative consumer goods
- Rapid blood-typing
- Medical microdevices
- Rechargeable batteries
- Seawater desalination
Chemical engineers enjoy an average starting salary that is consistently among the highest in the nation. Regional, national, and global corporations recruit our graduates, with a 98-percent placement rate within six months of graduation.
Be Career-Ready
Students who graduate with a BS in Chemical Engineering are prepared to transition directly to entry-level jobs in industry; however, an advanced degree is desirable for research positions. Students interested in progressive career options should explore our graduate education to work in academia, research, medical school, or advanced industry.
Career Opportunities for Multifaceted Chemical Engineers
- Chemical production or manufacturing
- Mineral processing and mining
- Pharmaceuticals
- Biotechnology and bioprocessing
- Sustainable engineering
- Food production
- Consumer goods
- Alternative energy
- Process safety
- Environmental cleanup
- Design engineering
- Consulting
- Medical school
- Law school
Engineering Enterprise Concentration
Pursue an Enterprise concentration as part of your degree by taking part in Michigan Tech's award-winning Enterprise Program. It's a great way to enhance your undergraduate degree with client-based teamwork. Enterprise is when students work in teams on real projects, with real clients, in an environment that's more like a business than a classroom. Choose any one of 20-plus Enterprise teams on campus to invent products, provide services, and pioneer solutions. Apply the skills learned in your major and gain some valuable new skills. Tackle real-world design projects for industry sponsors or take part in a national competition (or both). This concentration adds courses in business and entrepreneurship.
