Chemical Engineering is dynamic and evolving. It provides many solutions to problems facing industries in the pharmaceutical, biotechnological, oil and food and drink sectors.Our foundation course in chemical engineering has been designed to be relevant to the needs of modern industry and to produce students ready to move onto any of our undergraduate degree programmes.

By the end of one of our courses you should be able to:

• have a systematic and diverse knowledge of Chemical Engineering, including specialisms such as biochemical engineering, sustainability and environment.
• work effectively as a Chemical Engineer in a professional capacity
• understand novel developments and problems at the forefront of the discipline
• evaluate current research critically, and be original in the application of your knowledge
• be self-motivated and work autonomously
• apply your technical knowledge and intellect to solve Chemical Engineering problems
• make sound engineering judgements in the absence of complete information
• use transferable skills to communicate effectively and work as part of a team
• take responsibility for your continuing personal and professional development

Programme Outline

This programme gives you experience of teamwork and developing computer literacy and presentation skills as well as the required grounding in maths and science. Following the Foundation Year, a successful student can transfer to any of the Beng/MEng Chemical Engineering programmes

Modules include:

• Introductory Maths
• Further Maths
• Introduction to Organic Chemistry
• Skills
• Practical Chemistry
• Mechanics and Waves I and II
• Foundation Electrical and Electronic Engineering I and II
• Properties of  Matter
• Case studies

International Students

International students should see the Birmingham Foundation Academy, specific course details are located on the Engineering and Physical Sciences Pathway.

There is a balance of lectures, tutorials, computer based activities, enquiry based learning and laboratory classes.

Teaching on our Beng courses is indicated below:

Personal Tutor
At the start of your degree, you will be assigned a Personal Tutor who will remain with you throughout your studies to help you in three important areas: supporting your academic progress, developing transferable skills and dealing with any welfare issues.

Delivery of the course
In your first and second years, the course is delivered as lectures, small group workshops, laboratories, computer-based activities, enquiry-based learning and tutorials. A strong emphasis is placed on design project work in your third year.

Practical work forms an integral part of the School?s degree programmes. Laboratory classes are embedded within modules in years 1 and 2 and used, not only to develop your experimental practical skills, but also to reinforce concepts introduced in lectures or to explore a particular phenomenon.  Many of these classes take place in the Dearden Laboratory created in 2011.

Tutorials/personal tutorials run alongside the lecture course, addressing any individual problems you may have and allowing you to consolidate the lecture material, as well as test your understanding through problem-solving exercises. Your Personal Tutor is assigned to you at the start of your course and remains with you until graduation, helping you in three important areas: supporting your academic progress, developing transferable skills and helping with welfare issues.

Enquiry Based Learning (EBL) provides an environment where your learning process is driven by enquiry.  The lecturer?s role is purely as a facilitator. Typically a group activity; this requires working in a team and you can be assessed in a variety of ways: in either a group or individually, by written reports and sometimes as a presentation. EBL will give you a research-orientated approach to a problem, and has a synergy within research-led institutions like the University of Birmingham.

Project work is critical to chemical engineering and this is taught through the design project.  The projects are run in collaboration with industrial partners and taught by small group tutorial consultations where emphasis is on developing your design and communication skills to solve problems. If you are an MEng student you will undertake a research project. You can choose from a wide range of topics and will be supported by an academic whose research interests have lead to that project being offered.

Employability information relating to our Beng/Meng courses is indicated below:

Your career prospects on graduation from our School will be outstanding. The chemical, pharmaceutical, oil, energy and food industries are amongst the wealthiest and can afford to pay top salaries to high-flying graduates from accredited courses such as ours.  Feedback shows that 90% of students on this course go straight into work and/or further study after graduating and those in work are, typically, earning £26,000 a year six months after graduation.  Of those working, 86% are doing professional/managerial jobs. 

Manufacturing and other areas of science and technology, such as environmental protection or sustainable energy, also have employers with large power bases where great careers can be forged.  Other areas that favour the skills you will acquire are finance, law and marketing as well as teaching and/or research; all vital areas of society requiring input from the finest young minds.

Superb opportunities exist for you to gain industrial experience before you graduate and a rich vein of expertise will be available for you to tap into to help you to find employment:

At School-level, you can opt to add a year to your programme, whatever the course you are studying, and spend this time on placement in industry. You will gain relevant work experience, and earn money putting into practice the skills and knowledge gained from your degree.  Students on placement get involved in serious projects which ask searching questions that require good engineering answers - and which often lead to sponsorship and/or the offer of a graduate job.  On successful completion of a placement in industry organised by the School, and success in your studies, you will be awarded the Certificate in Industrial Studies to add to your degree and improve your employability prospects.

 At University-level, our unique careers guidance service is tailored to academic subject areas, offering a specialised team (in each of the five academic colleges) who can give you expert advice. Our team sources exclusive work experience opportunities to help you stand out amongst the competition, with mentoring, global internships and placements available to you. Once you have a career in your sights, one-to-one support with CVs and job applications will help give you the edge. In addition, our employer-endorsed award-winning Personal Skills Award (PSA) recognises your extra-curricular activities, and provides an accredited employability programme designed to improve your career prospects.

Whichever of the above forms of careers guidance, or combination of such, you select you will find your prospects for employment after graduation considerably enhanced.  If you make the most of the wide range of careers advice we can offer, you will be able to develop your career from the moment you arrive.

• BP
• Conoco Phillips
• ExxonMobil
• Foster-Wheeler
• GSK
• Johnson Matthey
• Nestlé
• Kraft
• MW Kellogg
• Pepsico
• P&G
• Rolls-Royce
• Unilever

Emma Roberts, who studied one of our courses, said:

'Both my work and placements helped to put my studies in context and make informed career decisions.' 'The course I took gave me an excellent foundation for a career in chemical engineering; good lab work in the first few years really put the lectures in context. 
An emphasis was placed on how engineering applies to the real world, which was exactly what I was looking for in a degree course. Industrial experience taught me a lot about time management, working in a team and being flexible; and the course gave me an excellent foundation for my career with BP.'

University Careers Network

Preparation for your career should be one of the first things you think about as you start university. Whether you have a clear idea of where your future aspirations lie or want to consider the broad range of opportunities available once you have a Birmingham degree, our Careers Network can help you achieve your goal.

If you make the most of the wide range of services you will be able to develop your career from the moment you arrive.

Contact us

• Sophie Miller - Careers consultant (s.a.miller@bham.ac.uk)
• Richard Newman- Careers consultant (r.j.newman@bham.ac.uk)
• Caroline Egan - Careers adviser (c.egan@bham.ac.uk)
• Brendan Bacon - Internship officer (b.bacon@bham.ac.uk)
• Carl Jukes - Applications support adviser (c.jukes@bham.ac.uk)

Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) 2010/11

The DLHE survey is conducted 6 months after graduation.

Range of Occupations for Birmingham's Chemical Engineering Graduates

• Biochemical Engineer
• Chemical Engineer
• Environmental Health Officer
• Lecturer
• Process Engineer
• Product Development Engineer
• Production Engineer
• Research Assistant
• Research Engineer
• Research Fellow

Range of Courses of Further Study for Birmingham's Chemical Engineering Graduates:

• MRes Chemical Engineering Science
• MSc Advanced Chemical Engineering
• MSc Biochemical Engineering
• MSc Chemical Engineering
• PhD Chemical Engineering
• PhD Formulation Engineering
• PhD Regenerative Medicine

Visit the Careers section of the University website for further information.