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Chemical engineering internship skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

6 min read

Quoted experts

Vianney Gimenez-Pinto Ph.D,

David Nielsen Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical chemical engineering internship skills. We ranked the top skills for chemical engineering interns based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 37.6% of chemical engineering internship resumes contained chemical engineering as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a chemical engineering internship needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 chemical engineering internship skills for your resume and career

1. Chemical Engineering

Chemical engineering is an position that focuses on working with industrial companies' chemicals and compounds. The chemical engineer works with various combinations to create chemicals used for a whole range of products. The chemical engineering intern must have a background in chemical engineering and have the experiences needed to take on it.

Here's how chemical engineering interns use chemical engineering:

Worked as a Chemical Engineering intern for the Chemicals Development Division in the Specialty Chemicals Process Improvement Department.
Completed 10-week internship working alongside chemical engineering department chair.

2. Flow Diagrams

Here's how chemical engineering interns use flow diagrams:

Created additional flow diagrams and schematics for areas of the plant including the cryogenic N2 system, and N2O2 system.
Updated 1970's process flow diagrams to reflect current equipment setup.

3. Process Improvement

Here's how chemical engineering interns use process improvement:

Process operation, process standardization, process improvement
Process Improvement: Performed engineering studies on processes to seek out improvements, investigate feasibility and costs of improvements.

4. Safety Procedures

Safety procedures are a set of standardized procedures, that ensures minimal to no risk to people, resources, and the work environment. A company follows the step-by-step safety procedures as it they not only keep the customers and the employees safe, but also help in avoiding legal claims.

Here's how chemical engineering interns use safety procedures:

Acquired experience with safety procedures in an industrial environment.
Established vendor relationships, worked with global supply chain, established safety procedures.

5. Instrumentation Diagrams

Here's how chemical engineering interns use instrumentation diagrams:

Updated and maintained process and instrumentation diagrams, process descriptions, and standard operating procedures for several production facilities and processes.
Assisted in making process and instrumentation diagrams (P&ID) and also in devising the diagrams.

6. R

R is a free software environment and a language used by programmers for statistical computing. The R programming language is famously used for data analysis by data scientists.

Here's how chemical engineering interns use r:

Modified existing air dispersion models written in R to quantify local cancer risk associated with locomotive emissions in San Francisco County
Analyzed experimental results utilizing basic statistical techniques using R to extrapolate findings.

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7. Sigma

In Greek alphabets, sigma is the 18th letter that means "to sum up". In statistics, the lower case symbol of sigma is the unit of measurement for standard deviation which is used to assess the variability in a given set of data. While the upper case symbol is for summation notation means to add up all the given numbers in the data set.

Here's how chemical engineering interns use sigma:

Used Six Sigma Greenbelt tools with chemical engineers solving loss of nitrogen crisis in Pilot Plant Reactor.
Participated on a LEAN team utilizing Six Sigma procedures.

8. Data Analysis

Here's how chemical engineering interns use data analysis:

Developed and implemented batch data analysis for a chemical plant using Microsoft Excel.
Developed macros to stream line data analysis from emission spectrometer.

9. Process Control

Process control is a method pertaining to continuous production processes that uses the aid of ICS (Industrial Control Systems) for production. This method enables production to be done with a level of consistency and safety in an economically friendly manner that is impossible to achieve solely through manual control.

Here's how chemical engineering interns use process control:

Lead development and testing of operating parameters for implementation of YSI Biochemistry Analyzer as a statistical process control tool.
Mastered the practical process control skills of antibiotics and protein production and purification.

10. Chemical Plant

Chemical Plant is a location where large amounts of chemicals are produced or manufactured. Chemicals can be produced by carefully mixing a series of materials together, which may then be used for stripping products to their raw materials, as cleaning solutions, as paints, or for other means.

Here's how chemical engineering interns use chemical plant:

Obtained practical understanding on unit operations in chemical plants and hands-on experience with P&ID, PFD and AutoCAD.
Learned both state and national laws and rules for chemical plants.

11. Product Quality

Product quality is the basic element of a business. It means to add features in a product or service in such a way that it meets the needs and wants of the customers. Enhancing the product quality also means improve the goods from any existing defects to ensure customer satisfaction.

Here's how chemical engineering interns use product quality:

Performed instrument-based analyses in a team setting to evaluate product quality.
Performed experimental validation and product quality tests.

12. Plant Operations

Here's how chemical engineering interns use plant operations:

Ensured plant operations in compliance with environmental regulations using Excel spreadsheets to track chemical emissions.
Led projects which resulted in reduced costs for plant operations amounting to more than $25,000.

13. Field Testing

Here's how chemical engineering interns use field testing:

Field Testing of RF devices using HP8591, 8563 spectrum analyzers, alarm control panels.
Conduct field testing on improvements with Large fleet or OEM manufacturers.

14. Data Collection

Data collection means to analyze and collect all the necessary information. It helps in carrying out research and in storing important and necessary information. The most important goal of data collection is to gather the information that is rich and accurate for statistical analysis.

Here's how chemical engineering interns use data collection:

Study scope entailed data collection and analysis (H&MB), with presentation of results and recommendations.
Implemented new procedures that would simplify the data collection process.

15. Chemical Processes

Here's how chemical engineering interns use chemical processes:

Worked with Aspen and Excel software to better analyze chemical processes and create data sheets for presentations.
Tested techniques for filtration in chemical processes to assure quality of product.

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What skills help Chemical Engineering Interns find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on chemical engineering internship resumes?

Vianney Gimenez-Pinto Ph.D

Assistant Professor of Physics and Chemistry, Lincoln University of Missouri

Physicists are valued for their abstraction, mathematical reasoning, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. However, I would not recommend spelling those out in a resume as they are embedded already in the major. A robust undergraduate resume should have research experiences, either based in their home-university or as an REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) program in another institution. Also, it should include conference presentations and internships. Those show the candidate's ability to apply the before-mentioned skills successfully.

If we must point out skills: Coding, common languages include (but are not limited to) Java, C/C++ and Python; Mathematical Modeling; and Experimental Design.

What soft skills should all chemical engineering internships possess?

David Nielsen Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Arizona State University

Communication, teamwork, decision-making.

What hard/technical skills are most important for chemical engineering internships?

David Nielsen Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Arizona State University

Strong fundamental understandings of mass and energy balances, as well as thermodynamics; data analysis.

What chemical engineering internship skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Peter Rosado

Associate Professor of Chemistry, Georgia College and State University

I tell students to call their "gap" year more of a "Developmental" year. If a graduate desires to have such a year, they should focus on their whole as a goal, which means not only developing their professionalism but have other experiences. For example, travel to another country, learn a new language, intern at a company outside of the US, get involved further in the field of study. What stands out in candidates is how they made use of their time, skills that they acquired, and how they could weave them into the position they are applying for. That the candidate has had experiences outside of their comfort zone tells me, as an employer, that they are flexible and can adapt to situations that are new and unpredictable.

What type of skills will young chemical engineering internships need?

Kristine Horvat Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, University of New Haven

Students graduating with bachelor's degrees in engineering need strong communication skills. From writing emails, creating technical reports, and presenting results to others, engineers need to express their thoughts in a professional, technical manner. This is why we integrate learning communication skills across all undergraduate years at the University of New Haven. Also, having an entrepreneurial mindset is essential for engineers to see the bigger picture, to find ways to create value and identify opportunities when solving different problems in their field. Engineers and chemical engineers work with people of various backgrounds and expertise; therefore, viewing their work to understand the other stakeholders for a project can help them create connections and best drive a project forward.

Engineers capable of viewing the world through this lens will be very successful and sought out by employers. At the University of New Haven, in connection with the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN), we strive to facilitate the development of this mindset throughout our engineering courses. More specific to chemical engineering, potent chemical kinetics, thermodynamics, and unit operations are needed. Gaining hands-on skills through laboratory courses, research opportunities, and internships is very important, and an ability to create programs and simulate chemical processes is a must-have for graduates. In terms of programming, Excel skills are beneficial and adaptable.

What technical skills for a chemical engineering internship stand out to employers?

Anthony Butterfield

Associate Professor, University of Utah

I would say the skills that stand out in an interview and early on in someone's career would be:
-Strong conceptual understanding of core engineering concepts. Knowing the exact form of, say, the fluid dynamics equation you need to use is less important than having a reflexive understanding of the relationship between pressure and flowrate. You can look up exact equations quickly, but foundational conceptual understanding of the physics needs to be at the ready.
-The ability to apply their technical understanding to innovate. Many students will graduate with the same ability to code, and the same understanding from core engineering courses. The skill that will bring extraordinary value to your workplace is the ability to creatively apply that knowledge.
-The ability to quickly and flexibly pick up new technical skills. People want new employees who are able to quickly pin down the gaps in their understanding, seek out the resources they need to connect it to what they do know, and then assimilate that new skill or concept into their work.

Do you want to know more?

List of chemical engineering internship skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a chemical engineering internship resume and required skills for a chemical engineering internship to have include:

Chemical Engineering
Flow Diagrams
Process Improvement
Safety Procedures
Instrumentation Diagrams
R
Sigma
Data Analysis
Process Control
Chemical Plant
Product Quality
Plant Operations
Field Testing
Data Collection
Chemical Processes

Statistical Analysis
Solidworks
Pilot Plant
Process Design
Distillation
Heat Exchangers
Process Equipment
Autocad
Cost Analysis
MOC
Technical Reports
UV
VBA
SEM
EPA

RAN
DOE
HPLC
FTIR
DSC
Aspen Plus
Particle Size
PFD
ISO
Control Systems
Individual Sessions
Titration
Aspen
Group Therapy Sessions
Discharge Summaries

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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