Chemical Engineering major
Chemical Engineering: courses, careers, and where to study
Chemical Engineering applies chemistry, physics, and math to design large-scale processes that turn raw materials into fuels, medicines, and materials, for students who like lab science and design.
A Chemical Engineering major is typically an ABET-accredited bachelor of science that teaches students to design, operate, and optimize the processes that convert raw materials into useful products, from petrochemicals and plastics to pharmaceuticals, foods, and semiconductors. The core sequence builds on calculus, differential equations, and chemistry, then layers on the discipline's defining courses: material and energy balances, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, reaction engineering, separation processes, and process control.
Most programs require organic and physical chemistry, several unit-operations and process-design labs, and a senior capstone in which teams design a full chemical plant or process and evaluate it on safety, economics, and environmental impact. Graduates work in process and production engineering, manufacturing, energy, biotechnology, materials, and environmental compliance, and many pursue the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam as a step toward a Professional Engineer (PE) license.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of chemical engineers to grow 2.6% from 2024 to 2034 and reports a 2024 median wage of $121,860 for the occupation.
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Chemical Engineering maps to CIP 14.0701, Chemical Engineering, within the ENGINEERING family. The official definition:
A program that prepares individuals to apply mathematical and scientific principles to the design, development and operational evaluation of systems employing chemical processes, such as chemical reactors, kinetic systems, electrochemical systems, energy conservation processes, heat and mass transfer systems, and separation processes; and the applied analysis of chemical problems such as corrosion, particle abrasion, energy loss, pollution, and fluid mechanics.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Chemical Engineering is awarded as
Of the 10,811 Chemical Engineering credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:
- Certificate<1%13
- Associate<1%45
- Bachelor's74%7,948
- Graduate26%2,805
This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 36 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 0 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Material and energy balances on chemical processes
- Chemical engineering thermodynamics and phase equilibria
- Fluid mechanics and heat and mass transfer (transport phenomena)
- Chemical reaction engineering and reactor design
- Separation processes (distillation, absorption, extraction, membranes)
- Process dynamics, control, and instrumentation
- Process and plant design with safety and economic analysis
- Unit-operations and process laboratory work, plus organic and physical chemistry
Typical careers
- Chemical engineers
- Process Engineer
- Production / Manufacturing Engineer
- Process Control Engineer
- Environmental / Safety Engineer
- Research and Development Engineer
Typical salary range: $70,000–$100,000 early-career (BLS, 2024 chemical engineers median $121,860)Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Chemical Engineering, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $167,740 | 14,500 | +3.8% | Bachelor's degree |
| Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary | $106,120 | 4,100 | +8.1% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Chemical Engineers | $121,860 | 1,100 | +2.6% | Bachelor's degree |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 3 of these 3 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Chemical Engineering does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Before you commit to a Chemical Engineering major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Chemical Engineering program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Chemical Engineering department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Chemical Engineering program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Chemical Engineering credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- Texas A & M University-College StationTX · 261
- North Carolina State University at RaleighNC · 243
- Ohio State University-Main CampusOH · 217
- Purdue University-Main CampusIN · 204
- Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusGA · 191
- University of California-BerkeleyCA · 179
- University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignIL · 177
- The University of Texas at AustinTX · 174
- Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusPA · 165
- University of FloridaFL · 158
- Columbia University in the City of New YorkNY · 157
- Arizona State University Campus ImmersionAZ · 151
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Chemical Engineering credentials were awarded
4 states have a distinct enough set of Chemical Engineering colleges to be worth its own page.
Search Chemical Engineering schools by state
- Chemical Engineering in California
- Chemical Engineering in Florida
- Chemical Engineering in Georgia
- Chemical Engineering in Illinois
- Chemical Engineering in Maryland
- Chemical Engineering in Massachusetts
- Chemical Engineering in New York
- Chemical Engineering in North Carolina
- Chemical Engineering in Pennsylvania
- Chemical Engineering in Texas
Related majors
Engineering
Engineering majors apply math, physics, and design to build the physical and digital systems that power society, from bridges and chips to medical devices and aircraft.
Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering applies physics, materials, and design to machines and mechanical systems, suiting students who want to build, analyze, and test physical hardware.
Chemistry
Chemistry studies matter and its transformations, preparing graduates for pharmaceutical, materials, energy, environmental, and biotech careers, plus medical and graduate school.
Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering applies engineering to medicine and biology, designing medical devices, imaging systems, and biomaterials, for students who want to improve healthcare through technology.
Environmental Science
Environmental Science combines biology, chemistry, geology, and policy to address climate, conservation, water, and pollution challenges.
Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Chemical Engineering degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Management careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
Explore Engineering & Architecture careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Chemical Engineering degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Chemical Engineering path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.