Course summary

Chemical Engineering is a highly adaptable and versatile area of engineering, which applies the principles of chemistry, physics, mathematics, biology, and economics to transform energy and materials into useful and affordable products. It covers the research, design and operation of new and existing processes to minimise environmental impacts, ensure compliance with legal and ethical standards and maximise profits and benefits to society. The 2020 annual skills survey for UK engineering employers highlighted an expected shortfall in skilled chemical engineers to support the UK’s green recovery and net-zero targets, which means chemical engineers will be highly sought after for the specialist work required. Chemical engineers take leading roles in many different sectors, ranging from energy and water, food, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, to consumer products, and even finance. They use their technical know-how and ingenuity to develop solutions to many of the world’s most pressing challenges, including climate change and the large-scale production of new vaccines. At Loughborough, we conduct world-leading research to drive the sustainable revolution, in areas such as low-carbon technologies, next generation healthcare or advanced manufacturing. An example is our new National Centre for the Circular Chemical Economy, which seeks to transform the UK chemical sector to eliminate waste and reliance on fossil technologies. Our research directly informs our teaching and project work, ensuring our students are fully equipped to meet 21st century challenges. Our Chemical Engineering degrees teach students how to apply scientific and engineering principles to the design and analysis of chemical process equipment and flow sheets. Bench and pilot-scale laboratories, VR simulation, computer classes and project work help students to understand and apply taught principles to engineering problems, whilst also developing key laboratory, teamwork and IT skills. As well as offering flexible language options in years 1 and 2, our students can choose between a range of optional modules in years 3 and 4 (for MEng), for more in-depth focus on aspects of the degree or expanding their knowledge across disciplinary boundaries. During the final design project, students work both in teams and individually to conceptualise and design an industrial plant to address a specified design challenge, usually aligned with their module choices and research strengths of the department. The project brings together all aspects of the degree, including initial technology selection and flowsheet development, detailed design of individual unit operation, process optimisation, safety and operability analysis and finally full economic evaluation.