What is Chemical Engineering (ChE)?
What is Chemical Engineering?
(And Why Choose It As A Major?)
Chemical engineering is the analysis or design of chemical systems to effectively convert materials into more useful materials or into energy. (see "What Exactly Does a Chemical Engineer Do?" and "Careers in Chemical Engineering" )
- It touches every aspect of our lives. There is hardly a single moment of the day when you are not in contact with, surrounded by, or influenced by products that are a result of chemical engineering. Just a few examples include clothing (fabric and dyes), paint, paper, plastics, soaps, cosmetics, food products, medications, and semiconductors.
- It is extremely versatile. Chemical engineering combines mathematics with the three basic physical sciences – chemistry, physics, and biology – which can be used to describe nearly all physical phenomena. Because of this versatility, chemical engineers make valuable contributions in a very broad spectrum of fields, from food processing to semiconductor fabrication and from oil refining to artificial-organ development.
- It leads to many kinds of careers. Chemical engineering is an excellent preparation to go to: 1) work with a Bachelors degree, 2) graduate school in chemical engineering, 3) law school, 4) business school, 5) medical school, and 6) full-time motherhood and homemaking (yes, ChE helps there as well).
- It addresses today's pressing problems: The powerful tools of chemical engineering provide leadership in attacking the most vital and challenging issues of our day, including:
- generating energy
- saving the environment
- advancing biomedicine
-developing electronics
- enhancing food production
- improving materials
- It is challenging and rewarding: Chemical engineers deal with exciting new problems daily and are called upon to employ innovation in creating new technologies and solving problems in existing technologies. (See the AIChE webpage entitled “Chemical Engineers in Action: Innovation at Work”). They also receive among the highest salaries for college graduates.
- An informative video: Click here to watch a video about chemical engineering.
One way to learn more about chemical engineering is to come and talk to us! Faculty members are available to visit with potential students who would like to learn more about what we do. In addition the Department of Chemical Engineering at BYU has produced a video about the program and the profession that we would be happy to share with you. Come in to the department office at 350 Clyde Building and we will be happy to let you watch it and help you evaluate your interest. If you live outside the area and would like to see the video, give us a call at (801) 422-2586 or email us at cheme [at] byu [dot] edu and we will be happy to send you the video. We would appreciate it if, after you have watched it, you will donate it to the career counseling center at your high school or local college.
Another very good way to obtain a greater understanding of the chemical engineering field and to determine your interest and aptitude for this field is to enroll in the BYU course Ch En 170, Introduction to Chemical Engineering, in either Fall or Winter semester. Students in the class become familiar with the breadth of chemical engineering and our unique approach to solving problems. Students also get the rewarding experience of working on an open-ended design project. The textbook was written by two BYU ChemE faculty members and is now being used by other universities as well. After completing the course, students often remark that they have a much better understanding of what chemical engineering is all about and have a better idea as to their interest and potential to succeed in the field.