Chemical Engineering

Chemical engineering is the discipline that scales chemistry from the laboratory to the industrial process, designing the reactors, separation units, heat exchangers, and process control systems that transform raw materials into the products modern societies depend on. At Southampton, this three-year full-time programme places sustainability at its centre, reflecting the reality that chemical engineers are now among the most important contributors to the global transition to a more sustainable economy. Whether it is designing processes that generate renewable fuels, reduce emissions from industrial plants, or create more efficient pharmaceutical manufacturing, chemical engineers are working on some of the most consequential challenges of our time.

You will develop a rigorous grounding in the core principles of chemical engineering, including thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, reaction engineering, and process design and safety. The sustainability focus runs throughout, connecting the engineering principles you learn to the environmental and social context in which they are applied. Southampton's strong research programme in sustainable chemistry and chemical engineering ensures that the curriculum reflects current advances in the field, and the university's connections with industry provide practical context for the theoretical material you study.

Chemical engineering graduates from a sustainability-focused programme are sought after across the energy, pharmaceutical, food and drink, water treatment, and advanced materials sectors, as well as by consultancies and government agencies addressing industrial decarbonisation and environmental management. Many graduates continue to professional qualification as Chartered Chemical Engineers through the Institution of Chemical Engineers. Further study at postgraduate level in process engineering, sustainable energy, or environmental management is also a natural progression for those who want to specialise.