collageWe’re not going to tell you that earning a bachelor of chemical engineering is easy. The work is challenging, and the courses are rigorous. But, that’s likely one of the reasons why you’re drawn to this scientific field.
While earning your online engineering degree, you can participate in research and hands-on learning. Your degree program can help prepare you to work in some of the fastest-growing industries of today. These include pharmaceuticals, energetics, renewable energy, oil and gas production, and chemicals for agriculture, to name a few.
In the field of chemical engineering, you can bring together concepts and principles from multiple scientific disciplines. Chemical engineers apply the principles of math, physics, biology, and chemistry to solve problems. They create and improve products that we use every day.
Chemical engineers make products safer, faster, more effective, and more sustainable for everyday use. These products include drugs, food, beauty products, fuel, and many more.
Upon graduation, you can expect to enter a growing workforce in chemical engineering. Through specialization in your degree program, you may become an environmental engineer or a product development engineer. Or, you might go into project management, process design, or quality control engineering.ADVERTISEMENTBSC BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENTLondon School of Economics and Political Science
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Sustainability is a branch of chemical engineering that deals with sustainable energy technologies, climate change, and energy security. Energetics is a chemical engineering specialization that is applied in defense, space exploration, counter terrorism, and public safety sectors.
Petroleum engineering is another area of specialization that involves drilling and production of natural gas and oil.
Online chemical engineering courses provide a foundation of basic scientific knowledge, including chemistry, physics, math, and economics. As you progress through sequentially more advanced courses, you can learn to apply specialized, technical knowledge to solve problems, design processes, and create or improve products.
A sampling of courses in your degree program may include chemical engineering laboratory, thermodynamics, process dynamics and controls, and transport phenomena. You may also complete courses such as reactor design and plant design.
Courses in a typical chemical engineering degree program are dynamic and participatory. You can experience hands-on learning via research and internships in the industry. Student design competitions also offer opportunities to apply your knowledge to solve real-world problems.
Chemical Engineering Careers & Salaries
The training that chemical engineers receive in their degree programs can help prepare them to be flexible and able to move from one job to another as they build their careers.
It is not unusual for chemical engineers to transition through five or six different positions during their working years. They do this by applying their critical thinking skills, knowledge, and technical abilities to various industries.
Traditional career paths might involve working with specialty chemicals, pharmaceuticals, or oil and gas drilling and production. Other careers exist in the fields of biotech, biomedical, and process software development.
Newer careers have opened up in the field of environmental sustainability. In this sector, chemical engineers might work with other scientists in multidisciplinary teams.
Working in environmental sustainability, chemical engineers develop clean methods of energy production and use to decrease the negative impact of these industries on the environment. Research and development for clean methods extend to industries that turn out everyday products such as food, plastics, and paint.
From an entry level position, you may move up to higher-paying jobs in project management. Project managers oversee teams of engineers to ensure adherence to budget and schedule calculations for research, development, and production projects.
According to the Center on Education and the Workforce, the median annual salary for a professional with a bachelors in chemical engineering is $96,000. Of course, entry level jobs pay somewhat lower, averaging $71,545 (National Association of Colleges and Employers), but even starting salaries for chemical engineers far exceed those of most Americans.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the lowest 10 percent of chemical engineers earned less than $68,430. The top 10 percent earned more than $168,960.
You may be wondering if the future job market makes it worth earning a chemical engineering degree online. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the field will grow by four percent for the next ten years with the greatest demand for chemical engineers in the manufacturing industries for various products.
| Careers | Annual Median Salary |
| Petroleum and Coal Process Engineer | $123,360 |
| Chemical Manufacturing Director | $120,330 |
| Chemical Engineer | $108,540 |
| Health and Safety Engineer | $94,240 |
| Biochemical Engineer | $92,620 |
| Environmental Engineer | $92,120 |
| Food Preservation Scientist | $73,450 |
| Chemical Plant and System Operator | $65,960 |
| Environmental Technician | $46,850 |
| Biochemistry Technician | $46,340 |
An online chemical engineering bachelor’s degree offers similar prestigious and rewarding careers similar to that of an online aerospace engineering bachelor’s degree.
Choosing an Online Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering Degree
If you’re thinking about pursuing a bachelors in chemical engineering online, then you’ll want to shop around for the degree program that is best for you.
Consider the following criteria as you make a selection:
- Cost of tuition and fees
- Admission requirements
- Scholarships and financial assistance offered by the institution
- Regional accreditation of the institution
- Accreditation of the degree program
- Faculty credentials
- Student-to-teacher ratio
- Opportunities for industrial internships
- Special concentrations offered within the chemical engineering degree program
- Student retention rates
- Graduation rates
- Academic advising and counseling services available online
- Career placement services available online
- Alumni employment rates in the chemical engineering field
- Industries in which alumni are currently employed
- Availability of course enrollment when needed for timely program completion
- Technical support services for taking online courses
- The school’s longevity and experience in offering online education
- Ease of navigation and interaction via the school’s online classroom environment
- Flexibility in the program to fit your schedule
- Virtual availability for hands-on experiences, such as lab experiments
- Online access to software that is specific to chemical engineering
Online Chemical Engineering Degree Texas
Bachelor of Science (BS) in Chemical Engineering
Chemical engineers use all tools of other engineering disciplines plus applied chemistry. This makes the chemical engineering field one of the most diverse, if not the most diverse, engineering discipline of all. Chemical engineers use chemicals, materials, and energy to design systems, processes, and products that benefit humankind.
Students in The University of Texas Permian Basin Chemical Engineering program will work in diverse, multi-disciplinary teams and develop leadership skills, ethical standards, environmental concerns and social awareness. Upon completion of the program, students will have the opportunity to obtain licensure as a professional engineer.
Chemical Engineering Careers
A degree in Chemical Engineering will set you on the path for many career opportunities, including:
- Manufacturing
- Pharmaceuticals
- Healthcare
- Construction
- Food processing
- Biotechnology
- Environmental Health and Safety
BS in Chemical Engineering Degree Requirements
- Students must complete 126 semester credit hours to earn a BS in chemical engineering.
- A minor is not required for a BS in chemical engineering.
- Students must complete 19 semester credit hours of lower division engineering pre-requisites before moving on to upper level courses.
Chemical Engineering Course Requirements
- Students are required to complete 65 semester credit hours of upper-level courses.
- Since all students seeking a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering are required to take a cross-section of courses from a variety of engineering disciplines, the College does not award double majors.
- Students must choose two of the following electives:
- CENG 4326
- CENG 4375
- NENG 4311
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