BEng (Honours) Chemical Engineering

One of the best things about Chemical Engineering at Sheffield Hallam is how much practical experience you gain alongside the theory. From your very first year, you’ll be in specialist labs, working on live projects, and using the same tools and software engineers rely on in industry. The university’s strong industry connections also mean you’ll get chances to visit real sites and tackle projects that reflect today’s global challenges — whether it’s clean energy, water treatment, or sustainable manufacturing.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

• Specialist labs and facilities — you’ll work in the Hertha Ayrton STEM Centre and advanced chemistry and materials labs, giving you hands-on training with industry-grade equipment.

• Real industry projects — modules are built around practical challenges like carbon capture, hydrogen production, and process safety, so your coursework feels relevant from day one.

• Field trips and site visits — you’ll step inside operating plants (such as water treatment and power facilities) to see how large-scale processes run and how engineers manage safety and sustainability.

• Digital tools and simulation — process modelling and control software are a big part of your studies, helping you practice the kind of design and problem-solving engineers do every day.

• Team-based projects — especially in your final year, you’ll collaborate on full process plant designs, mirroring how engineers work together in industry.

• Research-level resources — facilities in the Materials and Engineering Research Institute (MERI) and Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre let you dive into areas like catalysis, polymers and particle processing.

• Placement opportunities — you can take a year-long industrial placement, giving you valuable workplace experience and boosting your employability.

One of the real strengths of this degree is how well it prepares you for the world of work. Because you’ll have tackled live projects, site visits and even the option of a placement year, you’ll graduate with practical experience that employers really value. Many students move into roles like Process Engineer, Plant Design Engineer, Environmental or Sustainability Engineer, or Project Engineer — jobs where you can directly apply what you’ve learned to make a difference in industry.

Here’s what you can expect in terms of support and outcomes:

• Dedicated career support – Sheffield Hallam’s Careers and Employability Service helps with CVs, interview prep and one-to-one guidance, plus there are employer networking events to connect you with industry professionals.

• Strong industry links – students have taken placements with big names like GlaxoSmithKline, Jaguar Land Rover, Envirogen, Network Rail and British Glass. These experiences don’t just boost your CV — they often lead to graduate job offers.

• Graduate outcomes – about 75% of graduates are in work or further study within 15 months, with average salaries around £29,500 soon after finishing the degree.

• Professional recognition – the course is accredited by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), which is an important step if you want to become a Chartered Engineer later in your career.

• Real-world preparation – projects, labs and site visits are built into the course so that by the time you graduate, you’re already used to thinking and working like a chemical engineer.

Further Academic Progression

If you want to keep pushing your knowledge further, you’ve got options. Many students choose to progress onto the MEng Chemical Engineering at Sheffield Hallam, which gives you deeper technical expertise and more advanced project work. Others take Master’s degrees in areas like environmental engineering, sustainable energy, or process safety — or even continue into research and PhD study if they want to specialise further.