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Chemical Engineering

Entry requirements


A level

A,A,A

A level Mathematics and either Chemistry or Physics required. You must also pass the practical element of any reformed science A levels which include Biology, Chemistry and Physics taught from 2015. General Studies, Critical Thinking and Use of Maths A Levels are not accepted.

Accepted in place of A levels with the following grade equivalencies: D2 = A*; D3 = A; M2 = B. Combinations of A levels and Principle subjects are accepted. NB required subjects must be offered (see A level Section)

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32

6,6,6 at Higher Level including Mathematics and either Chemistry or Physics required at Higher Level grade 6 with a minimum of 32 points. We will consider Standard Level Mathematics grade 7.

BTEC only considered when combined with other qualifications.

Accepted in place of a non-required A level with the equivalent grade.

UCAS Tariff

144

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time with year in industry | 2024

Subject

Chemical engineering

Our inspiring Chemical Engineering with Industrial Study BEng degree programme allows you to apply for an Industrial placement. A year in industry is an invaluable opportunity to take on a chemical engineering role within a company, and apply the theoretical knowledge of your degree course to real engineering problems.

Birmingham has one of the largest concentrations of chemical engineering excellence in the UK and we consistently rank among the country’s top five chemical engineering schools for research. This means our courses provide first-class opportunities to learn core technical and transferable skills from the world’s best academics in their field, as well as through industrial collaborations with leading multinational companies.

Project work – highly valued by employers – is a thread that runs throughout our Chemical Engineering with Industrial Study BEng in order to create well-rounded chemical engineers. Problems are posed in a ‘real-world’ environment where decisions need to be made when data and information are scarce. There is significant industry input on the third-year design project, which will see you designing a specific and realistic chemical process, championed by an industrial partner.

Modules

Visit https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/chemical-engineering/chemical-engineering-industry-beng.aspx and scroll down to the module section.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University of Birmingham

Department:

School of Chemical Engineering

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

85%
Chemical engineering

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Chemical, process and energy engineering

Teaching and learning

76%
Staff make the subject interesting
90%
Staff are good at explaining things
89%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
84%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

90%
Library resources
90%
IT resources
93%
Course specific equipment and facilities
81%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

80%
UK students
20%
International students
64%
Male students
36%
Female students
87%
2:1 or above
11%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
A

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Chemical, process and energy engineering

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£28,500
med
Average annual salary
94%
med
Employed or in further education
91%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

42%
Engineering professionals
12%
Business, research and administrative professionals
10%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

Want to make good money from the word go? This is the degree for you! The UK has had a shortage of chemical engineers for a while now so starting salaries are very good. In fact, across the UK, only doctors and dentists bettered the average starting salary for chemical engineering graduates, with an average starting salary of around £28,000. Key sectors for chemical engineers last year included the petrochemicals, food, nuclear, pharmaceuticals, materials and consultancy industries. Their skills set also means that the finance industry likes graduates from these degrees, so there are options if you don't fancy engineering as a career. Most graduates take a longer course that leads to an MEng — which is what you need to take if you want to be a Chartered Engineer. Chemical engineers are also more likely than other engineers to take doctorates and go into research roles, so if you want to take an engineering subject but fancy a research job, this might be a good subject to take.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Chemical, process and energy engineering

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£28k

£28k

£34k

£34k

£41k

£41k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
University of Nottingham | Nottingham
Environmental Engineering including an Industrial Year
BEng (Hon) 4 Years Full-time with year in industry 2024
UCAS Points: 112-153
Nearby University
University of Nottingham | Nottingham
Environmental Engineering
BEng (Hon) 3 Years Full-time with year in industry 2024
UCAS Points: 112-153
Lower entry requirements
University of Birmingham | Birmingham
Chemical Engineering
BEng (Hon) 4 Years Full-time with year in industry 2024
UCAS Points: 120
Same University
University of Birmingham | Birmingham
Chemical Engineering
BEng (Hon) 3 Years Full-time with year in industry 2024
UCAS Points: 144

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here