Informal meeting area
The informal meeting area in foyer of the 'S' building, home to the Department of Chemical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Ranked 3rd for Chemical Engineering in the UK
The Times Good University Guide 2012
The Department
Chemical Engineering at Loughborough is well established and our degrees are highly regarded by employers. The Department is housed in a well-equipped building with impressive pilot plant laboratories and modern computing facilities.
We are particularly proud of our outstanding links with industry, the excellent relations between staff and students, and the fine employment record of our graduates.
Many of our students and staff have won external awards. Students from Loughborough have been awarded a prestigious Salters’ Company prize 17 times in the past 18 years. In addition, three students recently gained Royal Academy of Engineering Leadership Awards.
Course Choice
Our highly regarded MEng and BEng courses range from the three year BEng honours to the MEng with Diploma in Industrial Studies (DIS) with its four academic years supplemented by a sandwich placement year in industry.
Professional Development in Industry
Nothing eases the transition from university to professional life better than a placement in industry.
All of our degree courses have extended professional development periods organised through the Department. We give our students extensive help in finding placements, including arranging interviews, for which many companies come to the Department.
We have contacts with more than 200 companies. Professional development in industry can be with manufacturers, contractors or research laboratories. Some of this development can even take place overseas. What’s more, we make sure students do a real job! Students become salaried chemical engineers reporting to an industrial supervisor.
An academic tutor visits students during their placement. Average pay is over £16,500 per year and the work is usually trouble-shooting, plant design and commissioning, or process development.
It is an excellent opportunity to develop a professional outlook and make a favourable impression on future employers. The Department gratefully acknowledges the support of ABB, AstraZeneca, BASF, BP, British Sugar, ExxonMobil, GlaxoSmithKline, Kraft, National Nuclear Laboratory, Pepsico, Shell, Tata Steel, Thames Water, Total UK, Unilever and many other companies in our professional
development scheme.
Selection
The most appropriate entry subjects we look for would include mathematics and two other sciences (such as physics, chemistry or biology). Other combinations are also acceptable, but we do insist on mathematics and at least one of chemistry or physics as a minimum requirement. The Department has considerable flexibility for you to review your course registration, whatever your original UCAS application, recognising that a more informed choice may be possible for you once you are here.
Applicants will be invited for interview, and will have the opportunity to see halls of residence, the campus and the Department, and to meet staff and students. Details of entry requirements for applicants offering alternative qualifications can be found on the admissions website and the Chemical Engineering Department website.
Assessment
In Years 1 and 2 about 75% of the work is assessed by examination, but computing, design and laboratory work are assessed entirely by coursework, which includes laboratory work reports and oral presentations. Progress on the MEng courses requires a higher level of attainment. In the final year just under 50% of the marks come from examinations and the rest from design and development projects and a dissertation. The dissertation is based on a literature survey, undertaken by most students whilst in industry.
Work Experience
We have been placing students in industry for over 50 years and have close links with a number of industrial sectors including petroleum, gas, plastics, fine chemicals, healthcare, minerals processing, water, nuclear and food. We are particularly proud of the efficient procedures we have developed for placing students. Not only do students benefit both professionally and academically, but the salary they receive helps to finance their final years of study. The placement year experiences also provide an edge when it comes to securing a job on graduation.
Study Abroad
You can participate in overseas placements such as the SOCRATES Scheme and other study exchanges to destinations such as Australia, USA and Europe.
Sponsorships and Scholarships
The majority of our students who receive sponsorships do so following the completion of a successful year in industry.
Career Prospects
Most of our graduates are employed by process companies in the oil, gas, water, food and drink, pharmaceutical, plastics and general chemical industries. Many of these companies favour Loughborough as a source of chemical engineers.
In recent years about 70% of those in permanent employment were using their chemical engineering directly and the majority of the rest were employed in financial work. Companies with whom our students have found employment include 3M, AstraZeneca, BP, Croda, Exxon Mobil, Foster Wheeler, Huntsman, INEOS, Invista, Merck, Nestle, Shell and Tate and Lyle, and United Biscuits.