In this course you will combine a detailed knowledge of chemistry with an understanding of engineering principles to design, construct and operate chemical process plants. The MEng Chemical Engineering degree is an extended, broader-based qualification requiring four years of academic study and an optional placement year. The course is enhanced by additional subjects, including project management, sustainable energy and a major research project.
First year
During your first year, you will gain fundamental knowledge in principles of chemical engineering, including process and product design, design and build, with health and safety. This will be accompanied with engineering-related knowledge in chemistry, physical chemistry, mathematics, and professional skills for engineers. In this way, you will combine introductory modules with practical ones, all related to chemical engineering subjects, having the chance to get hands-on in the workshop and laboratory.
Second year
With the fundamentals mastered, you will build up your understanding of core chemical engineering modules and apply the knowledge therein at laboratory scale, in our process labs. You will learn, in theory and laboratory practice, how common chemical engineering units - pumps, chemical reactors, heat exchangers, distillation and absorption columns – work, and learn how to apply chemical engineering principles to design them. This will be accompanied by modules related to process control and instrumentation, engineering materials, and a module giving you an introduction to Business Management.
Placement year
Consolidating your learnings in a work environment. For students who chose to spend a year in industry during their degree, we will support you to find paid, professional placement in the field you will one day thrive within. This placement will help you gain invaluable practical experience in a real work environment giving you a huge boost to future career prospects.
Third year
You will specialise in core engineering topics at a more advanced level. You will study process economics, safety and sustainability, including process and pollution control, with a common purpose to further develop your problem-solving and professional skills. Computer modelling will be introduced through process computation. Finally, you will integrate all the knowledge and skills you have learnt across the modules in all three years into the advanced level design of an entire process, as part of a group and individual project. In addition, optional modules will be offered to you, to choose two according to your personal and/or future career preferences.
Final year
In the additional fourth year of the MEng studies, advanced optional modules are added to the curriculum, thereby introducing the extra breath as well as depth of subjects required for a masters level programme. These, combined with a major research project, enable our MEng students to tailor their learning, try new subject areas and enhance their practical skills. On the completion of the major project, you will be able to synthesise ideas and generate novel solutions. You will learn to develop and conduct research in a professional manner, with good time and project management skills, to record, critically analyse and discuss the results of a research project, and report research findings in written and verbal formats.
