Best degree programs for Chemical Engineers, ranked by enrollment
8 college programs and 198 schools train Chemical Engineers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $125,040 median wage, 21,070 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
8 college programs at 198 schools train chemical engineers, graduating 10,945 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Chemical Engineering. The job pays a median of $125,040 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About chemical engineers
Design chemical plant equipment and devise processes for manufacturing chemicals and products, such as gasoline, synthetic rubber, plastics, detergents, cement, paper, and pulp, by applying principles and technology of chemistry, physics, and engineering.
A chemical engineer is a professional equipped with the knowledge of chemistry and other basic sciences who works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of products and deals with the design and operation of plants and equipment. This person applies the principles of chemical engineering in any of its various practical applications, such asDesign, manufacture, and operation of plants and machinery in industrial chemical and related processes ; Development of new or adapted substances for products ranging from foods and beverages, to cosmetics, to cleaners, to pharmaceutical ingredients, among many other products ; Development of new technologies such as fuel cells, hydrogen power, and nanotechnology, as well as working in fields wholly or partially derived from chemical engineering such as materials science, polymer engineering, and biomedical engineering. This can also include geophysical projects such as rivers, stones, and signs.
Read more on Wikipedia →Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
8 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chemical Engineeringmain feeder CIP 14.0701 | 10,154 | 92.8% | 183 | $73,072 | $23,399 |
| 2 | Chemical and Biomolecular Engineeringmain feeder CIP 14.0702 | 323 | 3.0% | 16 | $73,072 | $23,399 |
| 3 | CIP 14.3201 | 212 | 1.9% | 13 | $71,651 | $27,000 |
| 4 | Biochemical Engineeringmain feeder CIP 14.4301 | 112 | 1.0% | 6 | $68,934 | $19,344 |
| 5 | CIP 14.0601 | 53 | 0.5% | 4 | $71,644 | $23,375 |
| 6 | Chemical Engineering, Othermain feeder CIP 14.0799 | 34 | 0.3% | 5 | $73,072 | $23,399 |
| 7 | Engineering Chemistrymain feeder CIP 14.4401 | 32 | 0.3% | 2 | — | — |
| 8 | Paper Science and Engineeringmain feeder CIP 14.4001 | 25 | 0.2% | 3 | $86,401 | $27,379 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN Public · 1 feeder programs | 251 | Chemical Engineering | 83% | — | 50% |
| 2 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 234 | Chemical Engineering | 85% | — | 42% |
| 3 | Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 233 | Chemical Engineering | 84% | — | 57% |
| 4 | Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Atlanta, GA Public · 1 feeder programs | 205 | Chemical Engineering | 94% | — | 14% |
| 5 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 185 | Chemical Engineering | 89% | — | 27% |
| 6 | Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 172 | Chemical Engineering | 86% | — | 61% |
| 7 | University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 162 | Chemical Engineering | 93% | — | 11% |
| 8 | Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH Public · 1 feeder programs | 160 | Chemical Engineering | 88% | — | 61% |
| 9 | University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 149 | Chemical Engineering | 85% | — | 42% |
| 10 | Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 147 | Chemical Engineering | 96% | $15,315 | 4% |
| 11 | Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO Public · 2 feeder programs | 141 | Chemical Engineering | 82% | — | 61% |
| 12 | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 139 | Chemical Engineering | 93% | — | 16% |
| 13 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 136 | Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering | 96% | $13,333 | 4% |
| 14 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 135 | Chemical Engineering | 85% | — | 80% |
| 15 | University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 134 | Chemical Engineering | 86% | — | 27% |
| 16 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs | 128 | Chemical Engineering | 68% | — | 90% |
| 17 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs | 128 | Chemical Engineering | 84% | — | 58% |
| 18 | Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 127 | Chemical Engineering | 94% | $11,888 | 6% |
| 19 | Cornell University Ithaca, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 123 | Chemical Engineering | 95% | $17,613 | 9% |
| 20 | University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA Public · 2 feeder programs | 122 | Chemical Engineering | 85% | — | 39% |
| 21 | University of Massachusetts - Lowell Lowell, MA Public · 2 feeder programs | 120 | Chemical Engineering | 65% | — | 83% |
| 22 | Auburn University Auburn, AL Public · 3 feeder programs | 116 | Chemical Engineering | 82% | — | 46% |
| 23 | Northeastern University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 116 | Chemical Engineering | 91% | $18,925 | 5% |
| 24 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 116 | Chemical Engineering | 91% | — | 24% |
| 25 | University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI Public · 2 feeder programs | 115 | Chemical Engineering | 90% | — | 45% |
| 26 | University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO Public · 2 feeder programs | 114 | Chemical Engineering | 74% | — | 78% |
| 27 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 111 | Chemical Engineering | 69% | — | 73% |
| 28 | University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 111 | Chemical Engineering | 93% | — | 9% |
| 29 | University of Delaware Newark, DE Public · 2 feeder programs | 111 | Chemical Engineering | 81% | — | 71% |
| 30 | University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH Public · 1 feeder programs | 105 | Chemical Engineering | 75% | — | 85% |
| 31 | University of Houston Houston, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 105 | Chemical Engineering | 65% | — | 74% |
| 32 | Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 98 | Chemical Engineering | 94% | $23,803 | 12% |
| 33 | Oregon State University Corvallis, OR Public · 1 feeder programs | 97 | Chemical Engineering | 70% | — | 77% |
| 34 | Iowa State University Ames, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 96 | Chemical Engineering | 75% | — | 89% |
| 35 | Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO Public · 2 feeder programs | 96 | Chemical Engineering | 64% | — | 73% |
| 36 | The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 96 | Chemical Engineering | 73% | — | 77% |
| 37 | University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 96 | Chemical Engineering | 75% | — | 74% |
| 38 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 94 | Chemical Engineering | 86% | — | 55% |
| 39 | Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 93 | Chemical Engineering | 68% | — | 92% |
| 40 | University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 92 | Chemical Engineering | 95% | $19,452 | 11% |
| 41 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 88 | Chemical Engineering | 96% | $11,666 | 5% |
| 42 | Villanova University Villanova, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 88 | Chemical Engineering | 92% | $33,774 | 27% |
| 43 | Brigham Young University Provo, UT Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 87 | Chemical Engineering | 81% | $13,712 | 68% |
| 44 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 85 | Chemical Engineering | 85% | — | 58% |
| 45 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 85 | Chemical Engineering | 90% | $32,926 | 60% |
| 46 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 84 | Chemical Engineering | 81% | — | 85% |
| 47 | University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 84 | Chemical Engineering | 86% | — | 42% |
| 48 | University of Massachusetts - Amherst Amherst, MA Public · 2 feeder programs | 82 | Chemical Engineering | 83% | — | 60% |
| 49 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 80 | Chemical Engineering | 69% | — | 73% |
| 50 | New York University New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 77 | Chemical Engineering | 88% | $29,023 | 9% |
What chemical engineers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | — | 2,190 | 0.89× | 14 | 997 |
| New York | $129,060 | 540 | 0.41× | 16 | 852 |
| Texas | $132,750 | 2,610 | 1.37× | 14 | 784 |
| Pennsylvania | $116,970 | 810 | 0.98× | 14 | 727 |
| Ohio | $111,200 | 1,030 | 1.37× | 10 | 599 |
| Massachusetts | $118,000 | 1,460 | 2.96× | 7 | 528 |
| Illinois | $121,560 | 520 | 0.63× | 5 | 424 |
| Indiana | $113,160 | 720 | 1.66× | 5 | 406 |
| Michigan | $103,230 | 670 | 1.13× | 7 | 399 |
| New Jersey | $126,760 | 440 | 0.75× | 5 | 352 |
| Coloradomoderate | $125,800 | 720 | 1.84× | 3 | 304 |
| Florida | $109,000 | 230 | 0.17× | 6 | 273 |
| North Carolinalimited | $117,410 | 380 | 0.56× | 2 | 263 |
| Alabama | $135,030 | 600 | 2.08× | 5 | 260 |
| Marylandmoderate | $127,190 | 500 | 1.35× | 3 | 239 |
| Georgialimited | $103,880 | 330 | 0.49× | 2 | 238 |
| Washington | $128,290 | 650 | 1.36× | 8 | 199 |
| Arizonalimited | — | 80 | 0.19× | 2 | 190 |
| Virginiamoderate | $136,380 | 790 | 1.42× | 4 | 189 |
| Missourimoderate | $102,320 | 320 | 0.80× | 3 | 185 |
| Tennessee | — | 480 | 1.09× | 5 | 180 |
| Minnesotalimited | $107,670 | 210 | 0.54× | 2 | 174 |
| Louisiana | $134,800 | 730 | 2.80× | 5 | 167 |
| Wisconsinmoderate | $97,660 | 110 | 0.28× | 4 | 166 |
| Utahmoderate | $85,520 | — | — | 4 | 164 |
| Iowamoderate | $117,590 | 40 | 0.20× | 3 | 144 |
| Mississippimoderate | $106,740 | 150 | 0.94× | 4 | 128 |
| Oregonlimited | $116,950 | 140 | 0.53× | 2 | 128 |
| Connecticutmoderate | $102,270 | 410 | 1.80× | 3 | 126 |
| Kansasmoderate | $102,020 | 280 | 1.44× | 3 | 123 |
| South Carolinalimited | $101,570 | 390 | 1.26× | 2 | 118 |
| Delawarelimited | $133,670 | 370 | 5.59× | 1 | 111 |
| Oklahomamoderate | $127,790 | 110 | 0.46× | 3 | 111 |
| Kentuckylimited | $117,170 | 190 | 0.70× | 2 | 102 |
| New Mexicomoderate | $158,190 | 160 | 1.33× | 3 | 68 |
| Montanalimited | $127,490 | 80 | 1.16× | 1 | 59 |
| Arkansaslimited | $105,270 | 290 | 1.66× | 1 | 54 |
| Rhode Islandlimited | $111,590 | 50 | 0.70× | 2 | 43 |
| North Dakotalimited | $115,400 | 80 | 1.32× | 1 | 41 |
| West Virginialimited | $129,210 | 160 | 1.65× | 2 | 35 |
| Nebraskalimited | $98,310 | 130 | 0.96× | 1 | 33 |
| Nevadalimited | — | 110 | 0.54× | 1 | 26 |
| Idaholimited | $106,740 | 140 | 1.17× | 1 | 19 |
| New Hampshirelimited | $73,250 | 40 | 0.45× | 1 | 13 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Develop safety procedures to be employed by workers operating equipment or working in close proximity to ongoing chemical reactions.
- Troubleshoot problems with chemical manufacturing processes.
- Monitor and analyze data from processes and experiments.
- Evaluate chemical equipment and processes to identify ways to optimize performance or to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations.
- Design and plan layout of equipment.
- Prepare estimate of production costs and production progress reports for management.
- Perform tests and monitor performance of processes throughout stages of production to determine degree of control over variables such as temperature, density, specific gravity, and pressure.
- Conduct research to develop new and improved chemical manufacturing processes.
Skills
- Science4.1
- Critical Thinking4.1
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Active Learning3.9
- Mathematics3.8
- Speaking3.5
- Active Listening3.3
- Writing3.1
Knowledge areas
- Engineering and Technology4.8
- Chemistry4.7
- Mathematics4.3
- Design4.0
- Physics4.0
- Production and Processing4.0
Abilities
- Information Ordering4.0
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Inductive Reasoning4.0
- Deductive Reasoning4.0
- Category Flexibility4.0
- Oral Expression4.0
Core activities
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.7
- Working with Computers4.5
- Getting Information4.4
- Analyzing Data or Information4.4
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.3
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings4.2
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Chemical Engineer
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 8 majors mapped to Chemical Engineers8 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 14.0601Ceramic Sciences and Engineering
- 14.0701Chemical Engineering
- 14.0702Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- 14.0799Chemical Engineering, Other
- 14.3201Polymer/Plastics Engineering
- 14.4001Paper Science and Engineering
- 14.4301Biochemical Engineering
- 14.4401Engineering Chemistry
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Chemical Engineer?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Chemical Engineering, which awarded 10,154 degrees in 2024-25, 92.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Chemical Engineer?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 8 programs to this occupation. The largest are Chemical Engineering, Polymer/Plastics Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Ceramic Sciences and Engineering, plus 2 more. Together they graduate about 10,945 people a year.
How much do chemical engineers earn?+
The median is $125,040 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $79,420 at the 10th percentile to $182,880 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for chemical engineers growing?+
BLS projects a +2.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 1,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
198 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 8 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do chemical engineers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Engineer, Process Engineer, Chemical Engineer, Development Engineer among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 17-2041.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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