BEng Chemical Engineering

Course outline

The products in the world we use everyday require the skill of a chemical engineer.  You will be trained to ensure the safe and profitable production of the chemicals and materials required to create products such as clothing, food, medicine, transport and home entertainment systems.

Chemical engineers are very much at the forefront of working to improve the quality of our lives.  Chemical engineering is a challenging and fascinating profession with extensive career opportunities.  As a chemical engineer you will combine a detailed knowledge of chemistry with an understanding of engineering principles in order to design, construct and operate chemical process plants.

Jump to:

• Subject guide & modules
• Learning, teaching & assessment
• Placement year
• Professional accreditation
• Career prospects
• Personal development
• Facilities & equipment
• Teaching staff
• Further information
  

Subject guide & modules

The BEng in chemical engineering is designed to develop your engineering skills, in the context of a firm grounding in chemistry. To ensure this you share a common first year with chemists. In later years you go on to specialise at a more advanced level in the core engineering topics. In addition you study the important topics of business, management and sustainability, all the while developing and applying problem-solving skills. Your computer modelling skills will also be developed with a strong emphasis on process simulation.

You have the option to spend an additional year on placement in industry after your second academic year. Many students take advantage of this option, and find the experience of great benefit both in their development as an engineer and in their final year performance.

Years 1 and 2

• Chemical Engineering Operations
• Design of Chemical Processes and Equipment
• Management
• Mathematics
• Fluid Mechanics
• Heat Transfer
• Thermodynamics
  

Year 1 only

• Chemistry
• Chemical Kinetics
• Health, Safety and Environment
  

Year 2 only

• Process Simulation
• Process Control
• Reaction Kinetics
• Engineering Materials
  

Year 3 - Optional placement year

See placement year section or find out more about the Aston placement year.

Final Year

• Advanced Chemical Engineering Operations
• Advanced Transfer Processes
• Pollution Prevention and Control
  
• Design Problem
• Process Economics and Loss Prevention
• Management
• Process Dynamics
• Reaction Engineering
• Sustainability
  

Learning, teaching & assessment

Our courses incorporate lectures, tutorials, plant visits and lab work. You will also be involved in project work; developing essential problem solving skills with specialist supervision from staff and industrial consultants. This hands-on experience will involve learning a wide range of techniques.

Assessment is by a combination of exams, project, lab and coursework. Your final degree classification is determined by your performance in all years after the first year.

Placement year

Our excellent links with the chemical industry allow you to test and expand your knowledge, skills and understanding with a paid twelve month professional placement. It will provide integrated industrial and professional training, often in a position of responsibility, in areas such as the design, development, commissioning or operation of a chemical plant.

We will help arrange your placement for you or in conjunction with your sponsoring company. We will also provide opportunities for you to visit companies, undertake commercial project work and compete for sponsorships and prizes.

Our current and recent placement employers include: BNFL, ConocoPhillips, GSK, Kraft, Alfa Laval, Thames Water, AMEC and 3M.

Aston placement students also qualify for our £1,000 placement allowance for that year.

Find out more about placement years at Aston.

Professional accreditation

Our courses are accredited by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE). Following time spent in employment after graduation you will be eligible for Corporate Membership of the Institution (your integrated placement year counts towards this), and the status of Chartered Engineer.

Career prospects

In addition to the traditional oil and chemical-based industries you will be well equipped to go into a wide range of careers including food production, pollution control, environmental protection, energy conservation, waste recovery and recycling, medical science, health and safety, alternative energy sources, resource conservation, research, management and consultancy.

Our graduates have a strong record of finding suitable positions, reflecting the fact that the UK is a major contributor to the global chemical industry. Our graduates have found lucrative graduate engineering/consultancy positions with companies including: Procter and Gamble, Stone and Webster, BP, ExxonMobil, Kodak, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Unilever, AMEC, British Energy, Kappa, Mowlem, BT, Corus and Pfizer.

Further information about careers and salaries for graduate Chemical Engineers can be found at:
www.icheme.org.uk
www.whynotchemeng.com

Personal development

During your studies you will be involved in individual and group project work. This is designed to develop individual skills as an engineer as well as communication, both written and verbal, organisational and leadership skills needed to work effectively after graduation. The course emphasises the commercial as well as industrial aspects of chemical engineering and you will take a number of management-related modules.

Facilities & equipment

Our modern, purpose-designed labs and teaching facilities include excellent IT facilities and a well-equipped pilot plant area. Tailored computing courses and self-tuition packages ensure the development of IT and word processing skills required by the modern chemical engineer or chemist.

Teaching staff

Prof S Al-Malaika
Prof Al-Malaika's researches are in the areas of oxidation, stabilisation and modification of polymers. Current interests include studies on the oxidation and stabilisation of metallocene polyolefins, the antioxidant mechanisms and performance of biological antioxidant in polymers, synthesis of reactive compatibilisers for polymer blends, upgrading properties of polymers by reactive processing techniques, free radical grafting reactions on polymer melts and photo-bio-degradability of polymers.

Prof A V Bridgwater
Professor Bridgwater established the Bioenergy Research Group (BERG) in 1986. Since then it has grown to 25 members with an aggregated research income of over £13m. BERG specialises in the fast pyrolysis of biomass and solid wastes for production of liquid bio-fuels and chemicals. The group also researches advanced gasification and bioenergy system analysis, design and evaluation including economic assessment. Professor Bridgwater leads the SuperGen Biomass and Bioenergy Consortium supported by EPSRC. He also leads Thermalnet, an EU-forum on the thermal conversion of biomass, sponsored by the EC and IEA Bioenergy.

Prof B J Tighe
Professor Tighe's research focuses on the design, synthesis and applications of biomedical polymers, a significant proportion of which are hydrogels, a term frequently used to describe polymers swollen with water. Current interests include novel materials for ophthalmic applications, drug delivery systems, bioadhesive polymers, synthetic materials for articular cartilage, lung surfactant and cornea. The research is interdisciplinary and involves strong interactive connections with relevant industrial companies.

Further information

EAS Undergraduate Admissions Office
+44 (0)121 204 3400
engineering@aston.ac.uk