Chemical engineers solve the issues related to research, development, and production of drugs, food products, chemicals, fuels, and various other commodities. For this purpose they use their substantial knowledge of fundamental sciences of physics, chemistry, and biology as well as mathematics.
Most chemical engineering jobs are in laboratories or corporate organizations. Here, engineers are hired to plan and design experiments, facilitate and propose safety procedures for them, and monitor tests and their results during the production process. Moreover, they are required to carry out site surveys to monitor industrial machinery and plants and other operations that take place on manufacturing sites.
Chemical engineers choose to specialize in one specific technique, for example oxidation. Others prefer specializing in a certain product or discipline. Engineers are expected to be efficient at problem-solving and ensuring the prevention of environmental or safety hazards. Here are some stats on the career progress and prospects in this field.
Salary and Outlook
Most engineers work full time and in 2012 about 33,300 of them secured jobs in this field. In 2015, The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that a Chemical Engineer who worked in the field of scientific research and development had an average annual salary of $104,740. On the other hand, the ones associated with Chemical Manufacturing made $104,920 yearly on an average. However, according to BLS, the average annual income increased to $114,470 by 2018. In terms of future growth, chemical engineering jobs are likely to grow by 2% during the period 2014 to 2024. Over the years, the demand for chemical engineering has been growing simultaneously along with the demand for manufactured goods.
Job Responsibilities
The job description, role, and responsibilities of a chemical engineer include the following:
Specializations
Chemical engineers specialize in the following disciplines:
Ceramic engineering
Ceramics are man-made, non-metallic materials, representing a multibillion-dollar industry. Ceramic engineering involves the modelling and manufacturing of ceramic products by using extremely high or low temperatures. Ceramic engineering has applications in various industries, including aviation, space flight, biomedicine, optical and electronic devices as well as manufacturing of household items, etc.
Petroleum engineering
In recent years, the demand for this discipline of chemical engineering has increased worldwide to fulfil our energy needs and consumption. Petroleum engineering involves the procedures related to the manufacture of hydrocarbons i.e. crude oil or natural gas. A petroleum engineer is specialized to use their and technical knowledge to extract fossil fuels from typical and atypical reserves.
Crystal engineering
Crystal engineering involves the creation of molecular solid structures. A crystal engineer is a chemist who specializes in regulating or controlling the arrangement of building blocks of molecules or ions in the solid-state through controlling the result of the crystallization process. Crystal engineering is strongly connected to mathematics and physics.
Food engineering
Food Engineering integrates the fields of microbiology, chemistry, engineering and applied physical sciences to facilitate and add value to the food production processes in their relative industry. A food engineer is concerned with tasks such as food processing, food preservation, adding or removing nutrients from foods as required, maintaining or improving the quality of food, food transportation and safety, etc.
Besides these established fields, chemical engineering jobs are also available in new fields, such as alternative energy and biotechnology. The expansion of the field into these areas will help to keep the demand for engineers steady; however, the industry will be affected by changes in manufacturing processes.
Education and Professional Requirements
A bachelor’s degree is required for getting a beginner-level chemical engineering job position. In addition to that, having a solid educational background and understanding of mathematical concepts, physics, biology, and chemistry is primarily important. Some employers also consider experience gained practically, so internships, as well as short training courses and certifications are useful as well. If you have decided to take up the field while at high school, then strengthen your understanding of quantum mechanics, calculus, biochemical engineering, chemical process calculations, etc.
For some chemical engineering jobs, you may be asked to get a professional engineer (PE) license. An undergraduate engineering degree a prerequisite to obtaining a PE license. Other requirements include passing the fundamentals of engineering exam, principles and practice of engineering exam, etc.
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