Chemical Engineering
Entry requirements
A level
Overall: BBB We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking in our offers. Required Subjects: Grade B in Mathematics and Chemistry. Applicants taking the Science Practical Endorsement are required to pass.
Access to HE Diploma
Overall: QAA-recognised Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 Credits including: 27 at Distinction, 18 at Merit and A level Mathematics grade B. Required Subjects: Modules must be in relevant subjects. Also A level Mathematics grade B.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE English Language at Grade C(4) and Mathematics at Grade C(4).
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Overall: 32 Required Subjects: HL5/SL6 in Mathematics (Analysis and approaches at HL/SL or Applications and interpretation at HL) and Chemistry. GCSE or Equivalent: English, HL4/SL4 (including MYP). Maths, HL4/SL4 (including MYP). Maths Studies, SL4.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Overall: DDM and A Level Mathematics grade B Required Subjects: BTEC must be in a relevant subject. Also A level Mathematics grade B.
Scottish Advanced Higher
Overall: BBB Required Subjects: Grade B in Mathematics and Chemistry GCSE or Equivalent: English Language: Scottish National 5 - C Mathematics: Scottish National 5 - C
Scottish Higher
Overall: ABBBB Required Subjects: Mathematics and Chemistry GCSE or Equivalent: English Language: Scottish National 5 - C Mathematics: Scottish National 5 - C
Overall: Pass overall with BBB from a combination of the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate and two A levels. Applicants taking the Science Practical Endorsement are required to pass. Required Subjects: A level grade B in Mathematics and Chemistry. GCSE or Equivalent: Completion of GCSE English and Mathematics equivalents within the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
**Why choose this course**
Our BEng and MEng courses have been developed in consultation with industry. They’ll equip you with the technical skills and problem-solving mindset required to tackle real-world engineering problems, preparing you for a fulfilling career in the chemical and process industries.
On this course, you’ll get the chance to experience the complete chemical engineering process: our £1.7 million chemical engineering facility includes a fully operational pilot process plant, which you’ll use during your course and operate as part of a team in your third year. You can also take part in our award-winning Professional Training placements programme, which prepares students for roles in industry.
We are ranked Top 20 in the UK for chemical and process engineering in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023 and the Complete University Guide 2023.
Another key reason to choose Surrey is our award-winning Professional Training placements, which prepares students for roles in industry.
**What you will study**
Designed to align with current industry issues, our courses combine traditional chemical engineering topics with multidisciplinary design, biochemical engineering and sustainability.
You’ll be taught by prize-winning academics and you’ll develop a strong base of knowledge that’s relevant across the chemical and process industries. You’ll directly apply this to design your own process as a group in your third year.
You can apply to study for either a BEng or MEng. The MEng builds on the BEng with a masters year and is the direct route to becoming a chartered engineer. Students on our MEng may take part in a multidisciplinary project working with other engineering students across the University.
Depending on your progress, you may have the option to switch to a BEng or MEng during your studies.
Modules
To see the full range of modules for this course please visit our website – the link is under the Course contact details. You will also find full details of the programme, including programme structure, assessment methods, contact hours and Graduate prospects.
Extra funding
The University of Surrey offers a range of scholarships and bursaries to support our students, please visit https://www.surrey.ac.uk/fees-and-funding/scholarships-and-bursaries for more details.
The Uni
Stag Hill
FEPS - Department of Chemical and Process Engineering (CPE)
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.
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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.
£27k
£34k
£39k
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.
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Teaching Excellence Framework (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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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?
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