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If you’ve ever wondered how we can design cleaner fuels, create lifesaving medicines, or tackle global challenges like climate change, chemical engineering is at the heart of it all. At Birmingham, the BEng in Chemical Engineering gives you the knowledge and confidence to turn big ideas into real-world solutions. It’s a course that suits curious problem-solvers who enjoy science, maths, and applying them to make a positive impact.
Curriculum Structure
Year 1
You’ll kick off with the fundamentals — exploring reaction engineering, chemistry and materials, thermodynamics, and transport phenomena. Alongside theory, you’ll get hands-on in labs and start learning how to model processes and analyse real data. By the end of the year, you’ll be thinking like an engineer, not just a scientist.
Year 2
In your second year, things step up a gear. You’ll study catalysis, sustainable process engineering, mass and heat transfer, and process control, while also tackling a product design project. This is where teamwork becomes central, and you start to see how the pieces fit together to design real chemical processes.
Year 3
Your final year brings everything together in an exciting way. You’ll take on an industry-linked design project, working on a genuine engineering challenge with input from professionals. Modules such as multiphase systems and advanced reactors sharpen your technical edge, while optional choices like low-carbon processes or energy economics let you tailor your degree to the issues you care most about.
Focus areas: Core chemical engineering, sustainability, process modelling and control, industry design projects.
Learning outcomes: Graduate able to design and optimise processes, apply advanced chemical engineering theory, work effectively in teams, and create sustainable engineering solutions.
Professional alignment (accreditation): Accredited by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), putting you on track towards Chartered Engineer status.
Reputation (employability rankings): Birmingham ranks 6th in the UK for Chemical Engineering (Complete University Guide 2026) and is recognised for world-class research and teaching facilities, giving you an edge with employers.
At Birmingham, chemical engineering is about much more than lectures and textbooks. From your very first year, you’ll be learning by doing—whether that’s running experiments in world-class labs, working on design challenges with your peers, or connecting directly with industry. By the time you graduate, you won’t just understand the theory—you’ll have already put it into practice.
Here’s what that looks like in real life:
Collaborative Teaching Laboratory (CTL): A £40 million space designed to feel like a real engineering workplace, where you’ll work alongside other students on experiments, projects, and problem-solving tasks using the latest digital tools.
Cryogenic Energy Storage Facility: The first of its kind in the UK, this lab lets you explore innovative energy solutions and experience research that’s shaping the future of sustainable power.
Industry-inspired projects: You’ll take on group design projects where you solve genuine engineering challenges—just like you would in a professional team.
Guest lectures from employers: Companies such as BP, Unilever, and GSK regularly visit to share insights and set live challenges, giving you a direct window into industry expectations.
Placement opportunities: With strong employer connections, you’ll have the chance to gain real work experience, testing your skills in the workplace and building contacts for your career.
Graduates from Birmingham’s BEng Chemical Engineering don’t just leave with a degree—they leave with a head start. Thanks to a mix of technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and industry exposure, our students step confidently into careers with real impact. Typical roles include Process Engineer, Design Engineer, Environmental Engineer, or Formulation Scientist—but that’s only the beginning.
Here’s how Birmingham helps turn your studies into success:
Dedicated career support: From day one, you’ll have access to one-to-one mentoring, CV reviews, mock interviews, and employer networking events through the Careers Network.
Proven results: Around 85% of our chemical engineering graduates are in work or further study within 15 months, earning an average starting salary of £34,000—well above many graduate fields.
Strong industry links: With connections to companies like BP, Unilever, GSK, and many others, you’ll benefit from guest lectures, live projects, and placement opportunities.
Professional recognition: The course is fully accredited by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), putting you on the path to Chartered Engineer status—an internationally respected qualification.
Versatile outcomes: Whether you see yourself in energy, pharmaceuticals, environmental services, food production, or research and development, you’ll graduate with skills that travel across industries.
In British Curriculum, AAA to include A level Mathematics and Chemistry or Physics.In IB curriculum, 6,6,6 at Higher Level including Mathematics and Chemistry or Physics at Higher Level grade 6 with a minimum of 32 points overall.IELTS - 6.0 overall with no less than 5.5 in any band.TOEFL - 80 overall with no less than 19 in Reading, 19 in Listening, 21 in Speaking and 19 in Writing.In CBSE Curriculum, 85% ISC, CBSE, Maharashtra or 80% West Bengal or 90% Other State boardsUSA- A minimum score of 3.2/4.0 GPA on the High School Diploma + Three distinct subject tests from any combination of: IB Higher Level (HL) subjects, Advanced Placement (AP) tests 55, Honours classes (Year 11/12, 1-year duration), College-level / dual-enrolment courses (full-year, academic), SAT II subject tests (before discontinuation in Jan 2021)Process EngineerDesign EngineerAnalytical ScientistFormulation EngineerProduction EngineerPatent AttorneyInvestment Banker
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University of Birmingham
