What can you do with a Chemical Engineering Degree?

What can you do with a Chemical Engineering Degree?

Are you planning to enroll for a chemical engineering degree program but need to know what you can do after completing the course? If yes, then this post is for you.

A chemical engineering degree opens doors to many exciting jobs that you can get and build a career on as revealed in this report.

Read on …

What is Chemical Engineering?

One of the most highly rated branches of engineering is chemical engineering, a course which is an embodiment of chemistry, mathematics, physics, economics and biology.

Chemical engineers just like chemists research to identify better approach to product manufacture as well as processes involved.

They, like physicists, envisage process contingencies, and like mathematicians, they employ math equations and calculations to control a manufacturing process, paying attention to natural causes.

Chemical engineering has played an important role in our society as every product designed and manufactured derives wholly or partly from its techniques and concepts.

Most chemical products manufactured on a large-scale, such as plastics, rubber, lubricants, polystyrene foams, dyes and perfumes all employ the principles of chemical engineering in the design of the production plant, the development of operation process, control of manufacturing process, and optimization of production process.

A chemical engineering degree furnishes students with a lot of transferable skills, among which include the ability to carry out experiments, create/optimize design, handle data calculation, and communicate effectively; as well as the ability to utilize computer technology.

These skills, among others, position chemical engineering majors to find relevance in research and development companies, chemical manufacturing firms, and petroleum and petroleum products manufacturing companies.

Chemical engineering graduates are among top paid engineers, earning as much as $97,360 annually according to 2015 U.S BLS report.

Even though the job outlook is at 2% with limited jobs available, a chemical engineering degree has remained popular among undergraduates as it is 71st most popular college degree out of 200 others in the U.S according to MatchCollege.

As a step towards pursuing a career in the chemical engineering field, one can enroll for Associate’s degree program in engineering technology to acquire basic skills and knowledge of science, engineering and mathematical principles.

What can you do with a Chemical Engineering Associate’s Degree?

The knowledge you acquire during the course of study for an Associate degree in chemical engineering can prepare you for further studies or aid you in careers such as:

• Chemical Engineering Technician: They assist chemical engineers in carrying out tests and developing processes. They monitor and control production processes, ensuring adherence to operation and process design; they also maintain safety during work operations and assist in the assessment and improvement of equipment and process.
• Materials Engineering Technician: They help in the design of processing procedures and monitor the performance of materials to determine the cause of product failure. They also assess technical and economic specifications of a design as well as perform administrative tasks of preparing budgets and proposals, and writing of reports.
• Petroleum Engineering Technician: They work with petroleum engineers in designing oil extraction equipment, developing drilling plans, performing oil well surveys, and inspection/operation of equipment.
• Industrial Engineering Technician: They assist in strategizing on optimal manufacturing processes; they develop quality control procedures and management control systems, and devise ways on minimizing waste of resources during production.

What can you do with a Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree?

Baccalaureates of chemical engineering are better positioned for careers within the competitive engineering job market. They are qualified to get jobs, such as:

• Chemical Engineer: They specialize in the design and development of production processes for large scale manufacture. They set up process plants and evaluate and improve design/process; they ensure safety of operations as well as monitor the production process to ensure products turn out right.
• Production Manager: They oversee the process of production in any manufacturing company. They supervise staff to ensure they adhere to production and quality policies; they ensure equipment is functional; they also ensure cost effectiveness of production as well as compliance with health and safety guidelines.
• Process Development Scientist: Their job responsibility involve carrying out research to develop a new approach to manufacturing processes, identify better production methods and improve on established ones. They carry out small scale laboratory experiments to develop a process, perform process trials on plants and improve on them, ensuring they are safe and cost effective.
• Quality Manager: They co-ordinate and monitor every activity related to the quality standard of a product. They establish company quality policies, ensuring production processes conform to quality and health/safety standards; they also ensure consistency of product quality through quality assurance and control methods.
• Energy Engineer: they specialize in the design, development, and application of renewable energy. They are dedicated to generation of clean, efficient, and reusable energy sources.

The salary of chemical engineers at Bachelor’s level is pegged at $97,360 annually according to the U.S BLS.
Going for advanced degrees in chemical engineering presents a platform for more career opportunities as well as gives you a broader knowledge of the field.

What can you do with a Chemical Engineering Master’s or Doctorate Degree?

With a Master’s or Doctorate degree in chemical engineering, you can get any of the following jobs:

• Design Engineer: They specialize in the development and improvement of products and designs. They are tasked with the responsibility of developing safe and cost effective products.
• Chemical Plant Manager: They supervise the affairs of a chemical plant, ensuring smooth operations as well as safe working conditions.
• Processing Engineering Manager: They oversee the team in charge of design and process improvement and cost and product quality.

The salary of chemical engineers with Master’s degree is estimated to be at a maximum of $89,901 for females and $137,569 for males.

Female doctorate holders on the other hand are projected to earn as much as $95,000, while their male counterparts earn a maximum of $146,649, according to Payscale.

Conclusion

A chemical engineering degree generally leads to a promising and lucrative career, offering many job opportunities you can do.