Chemical Engineer

Chemical engineers use chemistry, physics, and math along with engineering tools to solve problems relating to the production and use of chemicals. This includes things like refining gasoline and other fuels from petroleum, purifying of drinking water, treating waste, recovering raw materials, and producing and processing food. They can work in chemical manufacturing, electronics, pollution control, even medicine and food processing.

Education

Chemical engineers need a four-year college degree. Most have degrees in chemical engineering, although some have specialized degrees in biochemical, petroleum, metallurgical, or sanitation engineering.

Job Outlook

Employment of chemical engineers is projected to grow 10 percent from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations. About 1,400 openings for chemical engineers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.*

Lifestyle

Most chemical engineers work in manufacturing industries, in research and development labs, productions plants, or management. Some provide engineering services as consultants in research and testing, design, or policy. The environment and hours that they work varies with the industry and kind of job.

Skills

You can be a Chemical Engineer, if you:

• Want to keep getting better at things
• Can think creatively 
• Can work on a team or alone
• Can be focused and patient
• Enjoy big challenges 
• Can use and remember important facts and details 
• Are interested in computer modeling

Salary

The median annual starting salary for an entry-level chemical engineer is $112,100.*

Examples

• Design environmentally friendly cleaning products
• Develop chemotherapy that has fewer side effects
• Turn seawater into drinking water
• Develop ways of mass producing vaccines to ward off epidemics
• Reduce pollution by developing cleaner sources of energy

 *Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2025