Chemical Engineering

Types of Degrees Chemical Engineering Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many chemical & biomolecular engineering graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	70
Doctor’s Degree	48

What Chemical Engineering Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to chemical engineering and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Chemical Engineering Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Chemical Engineering Majors

When studying chemical engineering, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Abilities for Chemical Engineering Majors

As a chemical engineering major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Chemical Engineering Major?

People with a chemical engineering degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Architectural and Engineering Managers	5.5%	$140,760
Biochemical Engineers	6.4%	$96,980
Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers	5.5%	$140,760
Chemical Engineers	7.3%	$104,910
Engineering Professors	14.7%	$101,720
Nanosystems Engineers	6.4%	$96,980

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering?

According to recent stats this major attracts about equal numbers of men and women. Roughly 46% of the graduates are women, and 54% are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of chemical engineering majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	4
Black or African American	7
Hispanic or Latino	4
White	26
International Students	26
Other Races/Ethnicities	3

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Chemical Engineering, too. About 37.1% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Chemical Engineering

Some degrees associated with chemical engineering may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for chemical engineering careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.3%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	1.6%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	1.6%
Bachelor’s Degree	47.8%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	3.3%
Master’s Degree	23.3%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	2.9%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	1.2%
Doctoral Degree	14.7%
Post-Doctoral Training	3.2%

Online Chemical Engineering Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	1	1
Bachelor’s Degree	1	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	9	1
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	7	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Chemical Engineering

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to chemical engineering.

Major	Number of Grads
Chemical Engineering	11,557
Other Chemical Engineering	0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Mikulova under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.