B.S. in Chemical Engineering

Program overview

The Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering curriculum is designed to prepare students to master the fundamental science of chemistry and physics, and develop engineering skills needed to design and implement processes to produce energy, chemicals and advanced materials. These processes improve agriculture, consumer products, biotechnology, fuels, medical devices, microelectronics, and pharmaceuticals and medicines.

Program accreditation

Emphasis areas

Energy
Chemical engineers focusing on energy explore new sources of oil and gas, and other renewable and sustainable energy.

Biotechnology
An emphasis in biology covers topics such as health care, medicines, biofuels and biochemicals.

Advanced materials
Polymers, composites, semiconductors and solar cells are a few examples of advanced materials chemical engineers research and develop.

Process design
This area focuses on the design of reactors and separators to manufacture all types of commodity chemicals and consumer goods including fuels, foods and plastics.

Sustainability
Chemical engineers striving for sustainability develop chemical products and processes that meet the needs of present and future generations.

Key academic areas

Academic areas graphic for chemical engineering

View flowchart (pdf)

Why chemical engineering?

Hear why K-State students chose to study chemical engineering.

 

Make an impact

Chemical engineers have and continue to contribute to society by —

  • making clean water abundant to improve public health.
  • increasing food production with sustainable fertilizers and insecticides.
  • powering the world with cheap, plentiful and variable energy sources.
  • making the environment cleaner even as the world’s population increases.
  • developing new materials such as better textiles for more comfortable clothing, nonstick cookware, antimicrobial surface coatings and even artificial tissues.
  • developing new ways of sensing chemical and biological agents for national security.
  • scaling up the manufacture of drugs and antibiotics to improve the quality of life.
  • increasing computational power and enabling the internet by improving fabrication of integrated circuits.
100% career placement
$80,112 average starting salary

Career opportunities

Chemical engineering graduates pursue careers as —

  • process engineers
  • biochemical engineers
  • petroleum engineers
  • pharmaceutical engineers
  • environmental engineers
  • plant/operations managers
  • food quality engineers
  • technical solutions engineers
  • R&D engineers

Internships

Internships allow chemical engineering students to put coursework into practice, learn about teamwork and industrial safety and show off their talents. This experience provides a competitive edge when graduates look for permanent positions.

K-State chemical engineering alumni live in 46 states and 31 countries.

CHE alumni map


Career placement and salary data provided by the K-State Career Center. Career placement includes K-State College of Engineering graduates who are employed or enrolled in graduate or professional schools within six months of graduation.