Chemical engineer education requirements

Q: What job can you get with a chemical engineering degree?

You can get a job as an environmental or healthcare engineer, biotechnologist, or food scientist with a chemical engineering degree. This field is expected to grow by approximately 6% within the next few years. Environmental engineers work to combine their knowledge of engineering, soil, biology, and chemistry to innovate and solve environmental problems. On the other hand, healthcare engineers take part in the research and development of new medications, procedures, and overall healthcare processes. Biotechnologists study the genetic, chemical, and physical parts of things. By doing this they are able to create and improve products for industries such as agriculture, medicine, and conservation using biological organisms. Food scientists use many of the same skills involving chemistry and biology to study food. They study the nutritional content of foods. They also use their research to discover new food sources and constantly work to make processed food safer and healthier. Chemical engineering requires study with width and depth in many types of math and sciences. These will be the major focus of your educational experience. Most chemical engineers can get a job upon graduation. However, it is recommended to obtain a graduate degree as well to advance your career.

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a chemical engineer. Chemical engineers usually study chemical engineering, chemistry, or engineering. 78% of chemical engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,708 real chemical engineer resumes to see exactly what chemical engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for chemical engineers are the Purdue University and the Purdue University.

There are also many online chemical engineer courses to help get the education required to be a chemical engineer.

There are certain chemical engineer certifications that you should consider. These chemical engineer certifications include Certified Chemical Engineer (CCE) and Engineer In Training Certification (EIT).

What education do you need to become a chemical engineer?

What degree do you need to be a chemical engineer?

The most common degree for chemical engineers is bachelor's degree, with 78% of chemical engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 13% and master's degree degree at 3%.

Bachelor's, 78%

Master's, 13%

Associate, 3%

Doctorate, 3%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a chemical engineer?

You should major in chemical engineering to become a chemical engineer. 75% of chemical engineers major in chemical engineering. Other common majors for a chemical engineer include chemistry and engineering.

Chemical Engineering, 75%

Chemistry, 10%

Engineering, 2%

Business, 2%

Other Majors, 11%

Most common colleges for chemical engineers

Chemical engineers often get their degrees at Purdue University, University of California - Davis, and University of California, Santa Barbara. Here are the most common colleges for chemical engineers in the US based on their resumes.

Chemical engineer common college	Percentages
Purdue University	7.81%
University of California - Davis	7.50%
University of California, Santa Barbara	5.63%
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville	5.63%
Drexel University	5.31%

Show more common chemical engineer colleges

Best majors for chemical engineers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Chemical Engineering	75.1%
2	Chemistry	10.4%
3	Engineering	2.4%
4	Business	2.2%
5	Biology	1.2%

Show more common chemical engineer majors

Best colleges for chemical engineers

The best colleges for chemical engineers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

A chemical engineer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for chemical engineers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become chemical engineers.

1. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

2. Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$52,930

Enrollment

5,030

3. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

4. Case Western Reserve University

Cleveland, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$49,042

Enrollment

5,131

5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

6. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

7. Clemson University

Clemson, SC • Private

In-state tuition

$15,374

Enrollment

19,564

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

9. Stevens Institute of Technology

Hoboken, NJ • Private

In-state tuition

$52,202

Enrollment

3,420

10. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,620

Enrollment

27,730

20 best online courses for chemical engineers

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3. Process/Chemical Engineering - BOOTCAMP 2021

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The only course with over 10 hours practical knowledge about main process equipment Design, Control and Safety...

4. Advanced Process Control & Safety Instrumented Systems SIS

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Learn how the main process equipment such as chemical reactors , pumps , compressors & heat exchangers are controlled...

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Welcome to “Engineering and Product Design Processes!” In this short course, you will learn how engineering design processes and product design processes are carried out. After the course, you will be familiar with the steps in both design processes. You will also be familiar with the main goal of each design process, as well as their similarities and differences...

6. Unit Operations in Chemical Engineering

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7. Aspen Plus - Basic Process Modeling

4.3

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14. Design of Water Treatment Systems for Beginners

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Learn how to fully design a water treatment system for small to medium scale projects...

15. Process Mining with Celonis

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Learn and practice how to combine data science and process mapping techniques to visualize processes with real data...

16. Process Capability Analysis

4.7

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17. Text Mining and Natural Language Processing in R

4.7

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Hands-on text mining and natural language processing (NLP) training for data science applications in R...

18. Process Flowcharts & Process Mapping - The Advanced Guide

4.7

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Enhance your process flowchart knowledge advanced symbols, concepts, and best practices! - ECBA/CCBA/CBAP endorsed...

19. Aspen Plus - Intermediate Process Modeling

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Learn how to model more Complex Industrial and Chemical Processes!...

20. Aspen Plus V11 Masterclass: From beginner to advanced user

4.7

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Steady-State Chemical Engineering Simulation & Process Modeling using Aspen Plus V11...

Top 10 most affordable universities for chemical engineers

The most affordable schools for chemical engineers are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and new mexico institute of mining and technology.

If the best universities for chemical engineers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for chemical engineers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

8. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

9. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

10. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for chemical engineers

The hardest universities for chemical engineers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for chemical engineers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for chemical engineers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,517

6. Princeton University

Princeton, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,503

7. California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,566

8. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

10. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,545

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for chemical engineers

The easiest schools for chemical engineers to get into are D'Youville College, mount saint mary's university, and texas a&m; university - kingsville.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a chemical engineer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for chemical engineers.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

4. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

5. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

6. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

7. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

8. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

9. Thomas More University

Crestview Hills, KY • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,099

10. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

Average chemical engineer salary by education level

According to our data, chemical engineers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $95,869 annually. Chemical engineers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $87,980.

Chemical engineer education level	Chemical engineer salary
Master's Degree	$95,869
Bachelor's Degree	$87,980

Chemical engineer education FAQs

What job can you get with a chemical engineering degree?

What is the best college for Chemical Engineers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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