Chemical engineering is a very broad field. It intersects with physics on one side and the more mechanical sides of engineering on the other. For example, imagine you’re running a project to design a better boat hull. You might use chemical engineers to invent a new coating to reduce friction on the hull, while metallurgists work on the metal itself and mechanical engineers on rudder mechanisms.
If you start looking for chemical engineering jobs, you’ll find that an incredibly wide range of companies hire them. One chemical engineer might work on computer chips, another on water filtration systems, and a third on developing crunchier chocolate for candy bars.
This means three things. First, it means that as you move through the process of becoming a chemical engineer, you might have to master a number of industry-specific processes and technologies.
Second, because the field is so wide, you might find a number of jobs that are chemical engineering, or training programs that train you in chemical engineering, that are called other things. For example, one major journal in the field is called the Journal of Chemical Engineering and Process Technology.
The term “process technology” is so vague that you probably wouldn’t have any sense of what it meant just by reading it. (I know I didn’t.) However, read a description of a process technology program and you’ll find that it focuses on the processes involved in refining oil, treating paper products, cleaning waste water … much of which is, as you guessed, applied chemistry.
Third, because the field varies so much, you can get a general sense of how to become a chemical engineer, but beyond that, you’ll have to develop your own focus.
The most common route to becoming a chemical engineer is through going to a college with a chemical engineering program. These programs are designed to be four year bachelor’s degree programs. To get in to a good chemical engineering program, you’d want to take all of the chemistry, physics, biology, and math your high school offers. To do well in chemical engineering, you will want to be at home in these disciplines, and in methodical problem solving that is also creative.
Once you get into this program, you’ll take chemical engineering classes, more physics, and more math. These classes involve lab work, and may include things like computer modeling plant design. You may get a chance to emphasize one area or another as an undergraduate. For example, some programs offer an emphasis in biochemistry, the environment, and/or materials.
This is a complex field, though, so you even with a bachelor’s in it you’ll want to look for more ways to get experience. Internships are a major way of doing this, and a common way of getting jobs in the field: the American Institute of Chemical Engineers keeps a list of companies offering internships.
Some chemical engineering jobs require a master’s degree in chemical engineering. These programs tend to run about two years long. In them you would take more advanced and more specialized science and technology classes, often focusing in a specific area. Finally, some jobs require a PhD in chemical engineering, which would continue the scientific study and move into research.
Once you’ve been a chemical engineer for a while, you can pursue professional licensure. Some jobs require this; some do not. To get a license, you need a bachelor’s in engineering, four years of experience, and to pass two exams. This license is independent of a master’s or doctoral degree.
No comments:
Post a Comment