Chemical Engineering

Chemical engineering at Aberdeen addresses not only how industrial processes are designed and operated but how they can be made more sustainable and how the global challenges of climate change, energy transition, and human health can be approached through chemical engineering expertise. The discipline is concerned with the design and optimisation of processes that convert raw materials into the products society depends on, from fuels, pharmaceuticals, and food to polymers, advanced materials, and renewable energy systems. It combines chemistry, physics, mathematics, and engineering in a rigorous applied discipline.

This five-year, full-time MEng programme at the University of Aberdeen includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study chemical engineering in a different national and academic setting. The extended five-year duration allows for the greater depth of study and research engagement that an integrated Masters programme provides, taking you beyond the standard undergraduate curriculum into more advanced engineering analysis and project work. You will study process design, reaction engineering, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, separation processes, and the dimensions of sustainability and responsible engineering that are increasingly central to the profession.

Chemical engineers are in demand across a wide range of industries, including energy, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals, food and drink, water treatment, and environmental engineering. The MEng qualification meets the academic requirements for chartered engineer status with the Institution of Chemical Engineers, and Aberdeen graduates are well placed for careers in the oil and gas sector given the university's location and connections. Roles in process design, plant management, research and development, safety engineering, and sustainability consultancy are typical destinations.

Further postgraduate research in chemical engineering, process engineering, or sustainable energy is an option for those drawn to academic or advanced technical careers.