Chemical Engineering

What do you come out with? MEng at Imperial, BA or BA and MEng from Cambridge, BEng or MEng from Herriott-Watt, Newcastle (which also offers a foundation year) and Manchester (which also offers a combined MEng with business management)

Why do it? Because it’s quite a diverse subject, a combination of mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology which offers the opportunity to be employed in a very wide variety of careers, even business and finance. Some are attracted to the course because they view it as something useful in the real world, some do it because they are good at science and want to save the planet and come up with a better process or product and a few like it because they will get a well-paid job.

What's it about? At Imperial, the core teaching modules are in the first and second year and electives are in the third and fourth year. Courses tend to involve chemistry, biology, applied chemical engineering, thermo-dynamics and control of chemical plants. At Cambridge you either study general science or general engineering in the first year before choosing your main path. The Cambridge course tries to teach the fundamental principles behind all processes and products. “We are trying to teach the students the principle behind the recipe, not just how to follow the recipe,” says Dr Patrick Barrie. First year at Herriot-Watt is entirely different to the English system, and covers maths, chemistry and chemical engineering. The chemical engineering covers fundamental conservation laws of mass and energy. Second year introduces behaviour of fluids and heat transfer. There is project and practical experience in every year done as individuals or in groups. At Newcastle, you start off with the fundamentals of the subject, chemistry, heat and mass transfer, plant design and safety; as you move up the years it gets more complex. At Manchester the emphasis is on the technology and management involved in making products.

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How long is a degree? Three years for a BA or BEng, four for a MEng. At Herriot-Watt, it is four years for the BEng and five for the MEng, but you can go straight in at second-year level if you have good enough A-levels or Scottish Highers.

What are the students like? The students at Imperial are highly intelligent, motivated, hard-working and want to go places, for example one of their alumni is Ian Conn, an executive member of the BP board. Imperial’s Professor Omar Matar says: “It’s a bit like an assault course; if you make it through the course, you are likely to succeed in whatever you do.” At Herriot-Watt, they like problem-solving, are not afraid to get their hands dirty and are very inquisitive. There is a good male-female ratio at Herriot-Watt, 20-25 per cent women, better than other engineering disciplines where it is 10 per cent female. Newcastle tends to attract students from the North-East and has 20 per cent women.

How is it packaged? Imperial has a 65:35 exam to coursework balance, Cambridge is 70:30. Newcastle is 75:25. Herriot-Watt has a mixture of exams and coursework, with more emphasis on project work in the senior years.

How cool is it? Not cool, but respected. The long hours may kill your social life, but the big bucks on offer to graduates have an undeniable appeal.

What A-levels do you need? Imperial asks for maths and chemistry A-level and another science is preferable; the IB is also accepted. Cambridge looks for maths from all applicants and, if you want to do engineering in your first year, you’ll also need chemistry. Other sciences are desirable and the IB is accepted. Herriot-Watt asks for maths and chemistry; another science is helpful, but not mandatory. Newcastle only asks for maths, but likes students to have chemistry and physics. Manchester asks for As in both maths and chemistry.

What grades? A*AA at Cambridge; AAA at Imperial; AAB at Manchester; ABB for MEng and BBB for BEng at Newcastle; CCD or 240 UCAS points for first year at Herriot-Watt or BBC to go straight in at second year level. It also accepts Scottish Highers.

Will it keep you off the dole? Imperial prides itself on well-paid graduates and even hires external consultants to look at students’ CVs. There is an emphasis on presentation skills to prepare students for job interviews. Cambridge has a 95 per cent success rate for employment after six months. Just over 50 per cent go directly into chemical engineering, 15 per cent go onto further study and 20 per cent run away to the City and become investment bankers. Herriot-Watt and Manchester both have an 85 per cent employment rate after six months with many from Herriot-Watt going into the oil industry. Newcastle has a 95 per cent employment rate, with many students going into industry jobs in Teesside.

Will you be interviewed? Yes, at Imperial, Manchester and Cambridge. Everyone gets invited to an open-day at Herriot-Watt, which includes a casual interview. Not at Newcastle, although there is a post-offer interview on the open day, which may help to decide what happens if you don’t get the predicated grades.

What do students say? Matthew Page, 22, MEng chemical engineering at Imperial College, graduating summer 2009: “I decided to study chemical engineering as it offered me the opportunity to develop a good set of engineering skills while also leaving my career options open. The lectures themselves were generally pretty good, and the lecturers were mainly helpful, passionate about their subject and willing to help you wherever possible. I really enjoyed my time studying chem eng, and although it can be really challenging and stressful, it’s a great course that is constantly evolving to fit the demands of the industry.”

Where's best for teaching? Cambridge came top of the National Student Survey 2009, with a student satisfaction rating of 4.14. Newcastle scored a respectable 4.07 for student satisfaction, Professor Steve Bull puts this down to their open-door policy: “If you ask our students, they always say how friendly our staff are and how they always get listened to.”

Where's best for research? Imperial came joint top with Cambridge in the 2008 RAE, Manchester came joint second with Oxford.