Chemical engineering or chemistry degree
Hi, I'm currently in year 12 and studying maths, chemistry, physics and further maths (but will very likely drop further maths by the end of this year). I'm really interested in the mass production of chemicals and how chemistry can be used in real-life situations (i.e. the practical side of chemistry). Not too sure whether I should do a chemical engineering degree as I was also thinking of a chemistry degree with a year in industry. Any thoughts/advice?
Reply 1
Original post
by EnkindleHi, I'm currently in year 12 and studying maths, chemistry, physics and further maths (but will very likely drop further maths by the end of this year). I'm really interested in the mass production of chemicals and how chemistry can be used in real-life situations (i.e. the practical side of chemistry). Not too sure whether I should do a chemical engineering degree as I was also thinking of a chemistry degree with a year in industry. Any thoughts/advice?
The following video gives you a very good overview of what a chemical engineering degree entails:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcaZ0ktW028
Whilst chemical engineering does cover a lot on mass production of chemicals, it doesn't really cover that much on how it can be used in real life situations. I would personally go with a chemistry degree, because then you do more lab stuff as well as being able to go into chemical engineering related jobs later.
The only thing that a chemistry degree won't generally offer (as far as I can see) is focus on coding, which you can get in an engineering degree (please someone correct me if this is wrong). Whilst coding is not a skill where you need to go to uni for, it's easier to prove to employers that you're capable of coding if you did the degree.
If you want to look at the maths and coding side of things in chemistry, you're likely be looking into topics associated with computational chemistry and physical chemistry.
Original post
by EnkindleHi, I'm currently in year 12 and studying maths, chemistry, physics and further maths (but will very likely drop further maths by the end of this year). I'm really interested in the mass production of chemicals and how chemistry can be used in real-life situations (i.e. the practical side of chemistry). Not too sure whether I should do a chemical engineering degree as I was also thinking of a chemistry degree with a year in industry. Any thoughts/advice?
Note that chemical engineering contains very little actual chemistry. It's about 70% maths, 20% physics, and at most 10% chemistry.
If your main interest is in chemistry, a degree in chemistry is really the only subject which will serve that interest.
Reply 3
Pick the subject you would say you are most interested in. If that happens to be chemistry, then pick chemistry over chemical engineering.
As above, chemical engineering doesn’t involve as much chemistry as you might expect- as such, you are more likely to encounter situations where chemistry is applied to real life in a chemistry degree.
Have you thought about which unis you’d like to apply to, potentially?
As above, chemical engineering doesn’t involve as much chemistry as you might expect- as such, you are more likely to encounter situations where chemistry is applied to real life in a chemistry degree.
Have you thought about which unis you’d like to apply to, potentially?
Reply 4
Enkindle
OP
7
Original post
by TypicalNerdPick the subject you would say you are most interested in. If that happens to be chemistry, then pick chemistry over chemical engineering.
As above, chemical engineering doesn’t involve as much chemistry as you might expect- as such, you are more likely to encounter situations where chemistry is applied to real life in a chemistry degree.
Have you thought about which unis you’d like to apply to, potentially?
As above, chemical engineering doesn’t involve as much chemistry as you might expect- as such, you are more likely to encounter situations where chemistry is applied to real life in a chemistry degree.
Have you thought about which unis you’d like to apply to, potentially?
From reading above, I'm 95% towards Chemistry now
.Yes I'm thinking of applying to 3 London unis mainly because it's closer to home (Imperial, UCL and King's College London) so far, don't really know what unis I should apply to for the remaining two slots. Do you have any suggestions?
Reply 5
Original post
by EnkindleFrom reading above, I'm 95% towards Chemistry now .
Yes I'm thinking of applying to 3 London unis mainly because it's closer to home (Imperial, UCL and King's College London) so far, don't really know what unis I should apply to for the remaining two slots. Do you have any suggestions?
.Yes I'm thinking of applying to 3 London unis mainly because it's closer to home (Imperial, UCL and King's College London) so far, don't really know what unis I should apply to for the remaining two slots. Do you have any suggestions?
There aren’t many I’m aware of inside of London other than those you’ve pointed out.
Have you looked at Queen Mary Uni London? I’m pretty sure they have the option for a year in industry with their chemistry course and have slightly lower entry requirements than Imperial, UCL and King’s, making QMUL a relatively safe backup option.
Having one or two slots not used for the time being is probably quite a good move, since you can always fill them out later if necessary.
Reply 6
Enkindle
OP
7
Original post
by TypicalNerdThere aren’t many I’m aware of inside of London other than those you’ve pointed out.
Have you looked at Queen Mary Uni London? I’m pretty sure they have the option for a year in industry with their chemistry course and have slightly lower entry requirements than Imperial, UCL and King’s, making QMUL a relatively safe backup option.
Having one or two slots not used for the time being is probably quite a good move, since you can always fill them out later if necessary.
Have you looked at Queen Mary Uni London? I’m pretty sure they have the option for a year in industry with their chemistry course and have slightly lower entry requirements than Imperial, UCL and King’s, making QMUL a relatively safe backup option.
Having one or two slots not used for the time being is probably quite a good move, since you can always fill them out later if necessary.
Queen Mary’s course does look tempting, I’m just wondering how reputable it is to employers since I’m pretty sure Queen Mary is one of the lower ranks in the Russell Group unis. What do you think?
Reply 7
Original post
by EnkindleQueen Mary’s course does look tempting, I’m just wondering how reputable it is to employers since I’m pretty sure Queen Mary is one of the lower ranks in the Russell Group unis. What do you think?
I don’t think it’s that important to consider really. After all, it’s still in the Russell group, it has accreditation from the RSC (meaning the undergrad chemistry course is up to the standard it should be) and you can therefore expect to pick up all the transferrable skills that make chemistry graduates as employable as they are.
(Edit: see here: https://www.rsc.org/membership-and-community/degree-accreditation/find-accredited-courses/)
If it’s a university that will get the best out of you, then make sure you apply to it. It’s all well and good applying to the “most reputable” unis, but if you aren’t a great fit and don’t end up getting a 2:1 or a first as a result, that won’t help your employment prospects much afterwards.
Reply 8
Original post
by EnkindleHi, I'm currently in year 12 and studying maths, chemistry, physics and further maths (but will very likely drop further maths by the end of this year). I'm really interested in the mass production of chemicals and how chemistry can be used in real-life situations (i.e. the practical side of chemistry). Not too sure whether I should do a chemical engineering degree as I was also thinking of a chemistry degree with a year in industry. Any thoughts/advice?
This is a canon event lmfao
Reply 9
Original post
by EnkindleHi, I'm currently in year 12 and studying maths, chemistry, physics and further maths (but will very likely drop further maths by the end of this year). I'm really interested in the mass production of chemicals and how chemistry can be used in real-life situations (i.e. the practical side of chemistry). Not too sure whether I should do a chemical engineering degree as I was also thinking of a chemistry degree with a year in industry. Any thoughts/advice?
Chemical engineering doesn’t really study chemistry, it studies how you can harness chemicals it focuses a lot on industrial production & management which is really rather different to studying chemistry.
Now if you have an interest in both you’ll need to pick what skills & knowledge you want to pursue.
Having googled it there does seen to be a couple dual-honours, so something you could do although the number of courses is very limited and the one i saw was only accredited by RSC and not IChemE.
Reply 10
20
Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Pharmacology - all offered by University of Bath - https://www.bath.ac.uk/corporate-information/undergraduate-subjects-2024/
University Open Day coming up in early September - sign up for the subject presentations and find out what each subject involves ,and the careers graduates have gone on to.
University Open Day coming up in early September - sign up for the subject presentations and find out what each subject involves ,and the careers graduates have gone on to.
Reply 11
Enkindle
OP
7
Original post
by mnotChemical engineering doesn’t really study chemistry, it studies how you can harness chemicals it focuses a lot on industrial production & management which is really rather different to studying chemistry.
Now if you have an interest in both you’ll need to pick what skills & knowledge you want to pursue.
Having googled it there does seen to be a couple dual-honours, so something you could do although the number of courses is very limited and the one i saw was only accredited by RSC and not IChemE.
Now if you have an interest in both you’ll need to pick what skills & knowledge you want to pursue.
Having googled it there does seen to be a couple dual-honours, so something you could do although the number of courses is very limited and the one i saw was only accredited by RSC and not IChemE.
I see... I just want to choose a course which is more practical and less theory-based, I'm not that interested in research which is why chemistry slightly puts me off but really interested in using my hands to do practicals such as titration and processes related to accuracy and precision (e.g. measuring out a certain volume of a liquid, using a pipette). I really enjoy seeing the results after doing a practical myself, knowing that I followed all the steps correctly and with great accuracy which is why I want to go into a chemistry-related industry.What's your take on this?
(edited 2 years ago)
Reply 12
Original post
by EnkindleI see... I just want to choose a course which is more practical and less theory-based, I'm not that interested in research which is why chemistry slightly puts me off but really interested in using my hands to do practicals such as titration and processes related to accuracy and precision (e.g. measuring out a certain volume of a liquid, using a pipette). I really enjoy seeing the results after doing a practical myself, knowing that I followed all the steps correctly and with great accuracy which is why I want to go into a chemistry-related industry.What's your take on this?
Engineering at university isn’t really a hands on subject, yes there is some labs but this is more so you appreciate the physical nature of an application and learn to gather information.
Chemistry has a lot more of the type of lab work you describe with professional chemistry researchers very much lab active in completing reactions…
Reply 13
Original post
by EnkindleHi, I'm currently in year 12 and studying maths, chemistry, physics and further maths (but will very likely drop further maths by the end of this year). I'm really interested in the mass production of chemicals and how chemistry can be used in real-life situations (i.e. the practical side of chemistry). Not too sure whether I should do a chemical engineering degree as I was also thinking of a chemistry degree with a year in industry. Any thoughts/advice?
lol this is fr a canon event cuz im struggling w the same decision rn.
Reply 14
Hi there.
3rd year chemical engineering student here, having struggled with the same decision back in year 12, I’d be happy to answer any questions about chemical engineering. In terms of the difference Chemistry is a lot more lab based, and focusing more on things at a molecular level where as chemical engineering is on an industrial level, so there’s physics involved more than actual chemistry. Chemical engineering at uni focuses a lot more on design aspects such as designing reactors for specific processes etc and applying applications. I’d be happy to answer any specific questions you have about chemical engineering.
Shreya
Lancaster Student Ambassador
3rd year chemical engineering student here, having struggled with the same decision back in year 12, I’d be happy to answer any questions about chemical engineering. In terms of the difference Chemistry is a lot more lab based, and focusing more on things at a molecular level where as chemical engineering is on an industrial level, so there’s physics involved more than actual chemistry. Chemical engineering at uni focuses a lot more on design aspects such as designing reactors for specific processes etc and applying applications. I’d be happy to answer any specific questions you have about chemical engineering.
Shreya
Lancaster Student Ambassador
Reply 15
Original post
by Lancaster Student AmbassadorHi there.
3rd year chemical engineering student here, having struggled with the same decision back in year 12, I’d be happy to answer any questions about chemical engineering. In terms of the difference Chemistry is a lot more lab based, and focusing more on things at a molecular level where as chemical engineering is on an industrial level, so there’s physics involved more than actual chemistry. Chemical engineering at uni focuses a lot more on design aspects such as designing reactors for specific processes etc and applying applications. I’d be happy to answer any specific questions you have about chemical engineering.
Shreya
Lancaster Student Ambassador
3rd year chemical engineering student here, having struggled with the same decision back in year 12, I’d be happy to answer any questions about chemical engineering. In terms of the difference Chemistry is a lot more lab based, and focusing more on things at a molecular level where as chemical engineering is on an industrial level, so there’s physics involved more than actual chemistry. Chemical engineering at uni focuses a lot more on design aspects such as designing reactors for specific processes etc and applying applications. I’d be happy to answer any specific questions you have about chemical engineering.
Shreya
Lancaster Student Ambassador
Hi, how much practical or lab work is there in chem eng. Also what is the practical work like?
Reply 16
Original post
by Suli KhizarHi, how much practical or lab work is there in chem eng. Also what is the practical work like?
Hi Suli,
My name's Paddy, I'm a Phd student in Nuclear Eng at Lancaster but I did my integrated masters in Chem Eng at Lancaster. The amount of practical work will depend on what university you decide to go to, but in general there is a lot of practical / project work. So at Lancaster in the first year of Chem Eng you do general engineering to build up a knowledge base, so you would learn aspects of mechanical, chemical, electrical and computing. There will be practical work associated with all these aspects such as learning how to manufacture and weld, computer coding and assembling circuits, and then more chemical based areas like measuring yield and conversion etc. There is also practical work in the forms of business modules which would be like giving presentations and making prototypes or recording video adverts for your proposed product.
As you get further in the course the practical work becomes more focused on Chem Eng and project based. Learning how to utilise and design different equipment like distillation columns, absorption columns, reactors etc. Then as your towards the end of the course and carrying out your dissertation project, the practical work is very much dependent on what you decide to do on your project. It could be more theoretical and design based, or it could involve a lot of lab work to test things like catalyst efficiency or testing corrosion of types of reactor lining.
I hope this helps and if you have anymore questions don't hesitate to ask, i'm sure we will be able to answer them between Shreya and I.
Paddy
Lancaster Student Ambassador
Reply 17
Original post
by EnkindleHi, I'm currently in year 12 and studying maths, chemistry, physics and further maths (but will very likely drop further maths by the end of this year). I'm really interested in the mass production of chemicals and how chemistry can be used in real-life situations (i.e. the practical side of chemistry). Not too sure whether I should do a chemical engineering degree as I was also thinking of a chemistry degree with a year in industry. Any thoughts/advice?
Hi,
Just to add on to previous answers, I don't know if you've considered natural sciences but at least at Lancaster you would be able to study both chemical engineering and chemistry as part of your degree. In natural sciences after first year there's loads of choice so you could pretty much chose to focus on practical modules if that's what you're interested in. Natural sciences courses do vary from uni to uni so you'd have to check which ones offer engineering as part of their degrees. Just thought I'd give it a mention if you're really struggling to decide between the two.
Hope this helps and let me know if you have any questions about natural sciences.
Becky (Lancaster university student ambassador)
Reply 18
Original post
by Lancaster Student AmbassadorHi there.
3rd year chemical engineering student here, having struggled with the same decision back in year 12, I’d be happy to answer any questions about chemical engineering. In terms of the difference Chemistry is a lot more lab based, and focusing more on things at a molecular level where as chemical engineering is on an industrial level, so there’s physics involved more than actual chemistry. Chemical engineering at uni focuses a lot more on design aspects such as designing reactors for specific processes etc and applying applications. I’d be happy to answer any specific questions you have about chemical engineering.
Shreya
Lancaster Student Ambassador
3rd year chemical engineering student here, having struggled with the same decision back in year 12, I’d be happy to answer any questions about chemical engineering. In terms of the difference Chemistry is a lot more lab based, and focusing more on things at a molecular level where as chemical engineering is on an industrial level, so there’s physics involved more than actual chemistry. Chemical engineering at uni focuses a lot more on design aspects such as designing reactors for specific processes etc and applying applications. I’d be happy to answer any specific questions you have about chemical engineering.
Shreya
Lancaster Student Ambassador
Hi Shreya, Could you please tell me about the employability and job opportunities in chemical engineering?
Reply 19
Original post
by krvsnicketHi Shreya, Could you please tell me about the employability and job opportunities in chemical engineering?
Hi @krvsnicket
Chemical engineering contains lots of highly-transferable skills which sets you up well for careers in the energy, oil and gas, manufacturing sectors as well as many opportunities beyond traditional engineering pathways. Students who studied chemical engineering at Lancaster have gone on to work in a range of areas including engineering consultancy, data engineer, wind analyst for SSE renewables, operations and management for network rail and further study like PhD's.
If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask!
-Jasmine (Lancaster Student Ambassador)
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