Overview and Key Facts
Education
Bachelor's degree
Median Pay
$108,770
Job Growth
4.40%
(US Average)
Jobs in 2029
34,000
What Do They Do?
A chemical engineer could...
Find a way to turn recycled plastic bottles into high-end fabrics.
Create substances that fluoresce different colors at different temperatures.
Develop new fuels to propel the next generation of spacecraft farther and faster.
Invent a bubble gum formula that makes it easy to blow big bubbles.
Overview
Chemical engineers solve the problems that affect our everyday lives by applying the principles of chemistry. If you enjoy working in a chemistry laboratory and are interested in developing useful products for people, then a career as a chemical engineer might be in your future.
Do You Have the Skills and Characteristics of a Chemical Engineer?
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Science:
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Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
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Complex Problem Solving:
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Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
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Critical Thinking:
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Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
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Judgment and Decision Making:
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Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
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Systems Analysis:
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Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
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Reading Comprehension:
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Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
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Mathematics:
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Using mathematics to solve problems.
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Systems Evaluation:
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Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
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Active Learning:
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Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
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Operations Analysis:
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Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Core Tasks
Think about if you'd like the typical tasks a Chemical Engineer might do:
- Monitor and analyze data from processes and experiments.
- Develop safety procedures to be employed by workers operating equipment or working in close proximity to ongoing chemical reactions.
- Develop processes to separate components of liquids or gases or generate electrical currents, using controlled chemical processes.
- Troubleshoot problems with chemical manufacturing processes.
- Evaluate chemical equipment and processes to identify ways to optimize performance or to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations.
- Conduct research to develop new and improved chemical manufacturing processes.
- Perform laboratory studies of steps in manufacture of new products and test proposed processes in small-scale operation, such as a pilot plant.
- Design measurement and control systems for chemical plants based on data collected in laboratory experiments and in pilot plant operations.
- Prepare estimate of production costs and production progress reports for management.
- Determine most effective arrangement of operations such as mixing, crushing, heat transfer, distillation, and drying.
- Direct activities of workers who operate or are engaged in constructing and improving absorption, evaporation, or electromagnetic equipment.
- Perform tests and monitor performance of processes throughout stages of production to determine degree of control over variables such as temperature, density, specific gravity, and pressure.
- Design and plan layout of equipment.
Salary & Job Openings
Steps to Get There: Becoming a Chemical Engineer
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On the Job
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