BEng Hons Chemical Engineering including an Industrial Year

At Nottingham, chemical engineering is taught as much in the lab and workplace as it is in the classroom. From day one, you’ll be hands-on with experiments, real data, and group projects, and by your third year you’ll be working full-time in industry. This mix of practical training and real-world experience means you graduate not just with knowledge, but with the confidence and skills employers are looking for.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

• First-year labs: You’ll get straight into practical work through modules like Chemistry for Engineers and Thermodynamics & Heat Transfer. Expect to run experiments in chemistry labs, test fluid mechanics rigs, and learn how to analyse real results.

• Specialist engineering labs: As you progress, you’ll work in pilot-scale and research spaces equipped with advanced tools like spectrophotometers, elemental analysers, fermentation systems and separation rigs—exactly the kind of kit you’d find in industry.

• Team projects: Modules such as Process Design and the final-year Design Project push you to collaborate with classmates, develop full process designs, run simulations, and present your findings just as you would in a professional engineering team.

• Industrial placement year: In Year 3, you’ll step out of the university and spend a whole year working in a real company. Whether it’s energy, food production, pharmaceuticals or environmental engineering, you’ll gain first-hand experience that employers value hugely.

• Support and resources: Alongside labs, you’ll have access to the George Green Library, as well as Nottingham’s dedicated Chemical & Environmental Engineering facilities and research groups, which keep your learning connected to real innovation.

Graduates from Nottingham’s Chemical Engineering with Industrial Year go on to rewarding careers in sectors like energy, food, pharmaceuticals, and sustainability. Typical roles include Process Engineer, Design Engineer, Sustainability Consultant, and R&D Engineer. Thanks to the industrial placement, you’ll already have a year of experience on your CV, which makes you stand out to employers right after graduation.

Here’s how Nottingham sets you up for success:

• Dedicated careers support: You’ll get access to Nottingham’s Careers & Employability Service, which helps engineering students with CVs, interview practice, employer events, and thousands of internship and graduate opportunities each year.

• Employment outcomes: Around 91% of graduates from the Faculty of Engineering are in highly skilled jobs or further study within 15 months. For chemical engineering graduates specifically, the average salary is about £35,000.

• Industry connections: Nottingham works closely with global companies like Lubrizol (on reducing carbon emissions in specialty chemicals) and Mitsubishi Chemical (on sustainable plastics recycling). These partnerships keep your learning connected to real innovation and can open doors for placements and research.

• Professional recognition: The degree is fully accredited by professional bodies, giving you a clear route to becoming a Chartered Engineer—a credential that’s valued worldwide.

• Strong graduate outcomes: Recent students from this course have a 100% progression rate into employment or further study, many in roles directly linked to their degree.

Further Academic Progression:
If you’d like to continue studying, you’ll have the option to progress into a Master’s degree (such as Chemical Engineering, Sustainable Process Engineering, or Energy & Environment), or pursue research degrees (MRes/PhD) in cutting-edge areas like polymer recycling, process sustainability, or advanced reaction engineering. The industrial year also gives you valuable experience that strengthens applications for competitive postgraduate programmes.