Explore
Process & manufacturing
Chemical Engineer
Scaling a reaction from a flask to a plant.
Typical pay
$80k-$150k
How you get in
ABET bachelor's in chemical engineering
Outlook
Strong; pharma and specialty chemicals lead the demand
Chemical engineers design and operate processes that transform materials at industrial scale. Plant work means remote locations and on-call rotations; pharmaceutical and specialty chemicals offer more conventional settings.
A day in the life
- 7:00aReview overnight production data and any deviations
- 8:30aPlant walkdown with operators
- 10:30aProcess optimization modeling
- 1:00pLunch
- 2:00pSafety review for a proposed process change
- 4:00pWrite the technical report and update procedures
How to get in
Bachelor's degree
Duration
4 years
Cost
$40,000-$180,000
Credential
BS in chemical engineering (ABET-accredited)
- Complete an ABET-accredited chemical engineering degree
- Do co-ops or internships at plants — this decides your first job
- Learn process simulation software
- Enter as a process, production or project engineer
Pharmaceutical and biotech
Duration
4-6 years
Cost
$40,000-$180,000
Credential
BS or MS in chemical engineering
- Target pharmaceutical or biotech manufacturing
- Learn GMP, validation and regulatory requirements
- Cleaner facilities and better locations than petrochemical work
- Steadier employment than oil and gas cycles
Process engineer into operations leadership
Duration
5-10 years
Cost
$0-$80,000
Credential
BS plus PE or an MBA
- Build plant process experience
- Take on production supervision and capital projects
- Move to plant manager or operations director
- Chemical engineers are common in industrial executive roles
What people love
- · Among the highest-paid engineering bachelor's degrees
- · Works across energy, pharma, food and materials
- · Strong process and analytical training
- · Clear path into plant and operations management
What wears people down
- · Plants are often in remote industrial areas
- · On-call rotations and turnaround work
- · Genuine process safety hazards
- · Oil and chemical sectors are cyclical