Chemical and Bio-Systems Engineering MEng

What you'll study

Programme overview

Our degree programmes in Chemical Engineering prepare you to meet the challenges in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, energy, waste management, oil and chemical industries. With a strong environmental, biological and life sciences content, they provide an integrated systems view and are designed for decision makers in future technical and scientific environments.

Traditional chemical engineering subject areas form the basis of both the Chemical Engineering and the Chemical and Bio-Systems Engineering programmes, and as a result, all the degree programmes are accredited by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE).

Year 1 (FHEQ Level 4)

In Year 1, we provide you with a strong base in the scientific fundamentals of chemical engineering. The first year is common across all of our programmes.

For all programmes, subjects studied include:

• Engineering Design Fundamentals
• Mass and Energy Balances
• Engineering Materials
• Transferable Skills
• Cell Biology
• Laboratories
• Heat Transfer

Year 2 (FHEQ Level 5)

In Years 2 and 3, we deepen your knowledge of core chemical engineering subjects. This allows you to consolidate a strong common set of competencies whilst developing your specialist skills and understanding. In Year 3, you also undertake a pathway-specific process design project and an equipment design project.

For all programmes, subjects studied in Year 2 include:

• Fluid Mechanics
• Mass Transfer
• Separation Processes
• Chemical Thermodynamics
• Process Control
• Mathematics
• Industrial Chemistry

Professional Training placement (optional)

Most of our students take a Professional Training placement year and all feel that it is an outstanding opportunity to prepare for their career. Placements are generally paid, with students typically earning in excess of £15,000 per annum. Companies that have participated in our scheme include Heatric, BP, British Sugar, ExxonMobil, GlaxoSmithKline and Shell.

Year 3 (FHEQ Level 6)

Chemical Engineering lecture courses and projects include:

• Process Design Project
• Chemical Reaction Engineering
• Energy Systems
• IChemE Sustainability Metrics in Process Design
• Process Operation and Management
• Separation Processes
• Equipment Design Project

Year 4 (MEng only, FHEQ Level 7)

In Year 4 (MEng only), you work in multidisciplinary teams, under the supervision of senior industrial experts, where you will design a whole industrial process, factory or system. You also undertake a research project and there is a choice of lectured modules specific to your chosen pathway.

Modules include:

• Multidisciplinary Design Project
• Research Project
• Process and Energy Integration
• Refinery and Petrochemical Processes
• Petroleum Exploration and Production

MEng Chemical and Bio-Systems Engineering, in addition to the above, includes:

• Biomass Processing Technology

Because Years 1 and 2 are the same for all programmes, it is possible to transfer between them at any point up to the start of Year 3. You will study the same material in Years 1 and 2, whether you are an MEng or BEng student.

There is no formal language option in the programmes, although foreign languages can be taken informally.

Professional recognition

All programmes are accredited by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE).

Professional Training

Our academic work in all areas is enhanced by strong industrial links, both in the UK and overseas. These links have enabled us to arrange professional placements in which we have built up considerable experience and expertise. Placements provide the opportunity for you to gain invaluable first-hand experience of how industry operates, and to apply your theoretical knowledge to real-life technical problems.

One of the unique features of the four programmes available is the opportunity to put into practice the theory learnt in lectures in a hands-on fashion. This theme of ‘preparation for the real world’ is also apparent in our approach to professional placements, where our student support programme is second to none.

Teaching

Teaching involves conventional lectures combined with coursework, tutorials, case studies, projects, practical and discussion classes. Methods of teaching and assessment in the early stages of the programmes aim to ensure your acquisition of techniques and relevant knowledge, including practice in finding information and deciding whether it is relevant.

The methods adopted in Years 3 and 4 (MEng) are influenced by the need to broaden and deepen the knowledge you have gained at the earlier levels, and to develop the higher order skills you will need as a professional engineer.

Our degrees in Chemical Engineering equip you with problem-solving, analytical and other transferable skills to enable you to succeed in whatever career you pursue. You learn to assess business proposals which require capital investment but bring long-term profits. You are allocated a personal tutor to guide you through the programme, advising on option choices and future careers.

Assessment

Continuous assessment operates in the form of written assignments associated with many modules. Laboratory modules are continually assessed on the basis of written reports and presentations. Design and research projects are assessed mainly on written reports. Written examinations are held at the end of each semester. In the BEng programmes, Years 2 and 3 contribute to the final degree award, whilst for MEng programmes, it is Years 2, 3 and 4.

Facilities

We are one of the very few chemical engineering departments in the world able to offer you the chance to learn on a complete chemical process, and not just pilot-scale individual operations such as distillation. In Year 3, you undertake a realistic exercise in operating the process and taking responsibility for factors such as safety, profitability and environmental impact.

Other laboratory experiments are a centrifugal pump test, a heat exchanger and the mysterious tank investigation (thinking inside the box). You also have 24-hour access to our computer rooms.

Career opportunities

Chemical engineers work across a range of sectors in the UK and overseas, and are increasingly sought by speciality chemical industries that manufacture high-value-added products. Chemical engineers on average earn more than any other engineering discipline. Graduates are consistently paid more than chemists and other scientists. The high salaries paid reflect the level of responsibility and importance which chemical engineering graduates quickly attain.

At Surrey, our graduate employment record is excellent. This demonstrates the strength of our programmes in preparing you for the world of work and the substantial benefits of undertaking our Professional Training year. Our Personal and Professional Skills programme is undoubtedly another factor in the exceptional employment record of our graduates.

Demand for graduates with the specific skills and knowledge gained on our specialised programmes is expected to be high, especially within modern, high-growth sectors including pharmaceuticals, healthcare, cosmetics, energy, land remediation, water and waste management, as well as the more traditional industries such as oil and chemicals.

We have worked closely with industrial organisations to design these programmes around their needs, to ensure that there will be excellent opportunities available to you upon graduation.

Recent graduates have gained jobs with top employers such as Shell, BP, Air Products, KBR, Fluor, Shaw Group, TMO Renewables and UOP.

Graduate prospects

Over the past few years, graduates from our Chemical Engineering programmes entered employment in roles such as:

• Shell – Graduate Engineer
• Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) – Associate Technical Professional
• Air Products – Graduate Trainee
• BP – Chemical and Process Engineer
• Fluor – Graduate Process Engineer
• TMO Renewables –  Process Engineer
• UOP – Graduate Technical Advisor

Personal and professional skills

We recognise that in order for chemical engineers to perform to the highest level, they need a wide range of skills in addition to technical proficiency. We also recognise that experience is the principal driving force in development of these skills.

Chemical engineers often work in teams to solve problems; they adopt leadership roles and are required to be effective communicators. Our Personal and Professional Skills programme is designed to give you a head start in developing your skills in these areas.

Employers will see the personal development skills which our programmes provide as giving you ‘something extra’, in addition to your technical competence.

Prizes

In addition to general University scholarships and bursaries, our extensive contacts in industry have resulted in prizes being awarded to undergraduates by Atkins, Halliburton KBR, Air Products, UOP, IChemE and the Worshipful Company of Engineers.

Taster courses

We participate in the University of Surrey summer school for Year 12 students each July. Living on campus, you will experience chemical engineering, what it has to offer, and what you need to know to be successful in the field. Please contact us for further details.

• Come to an Open Day
• Build your own prospectus

Come to one of our Open Days, when you can tour the campus, speak to students and academic staff, see our student accommodation and ask as many questions as you like. In the meantime, order a personal prospectus – tailored to only include the subjects that interest you.