What is Chemical Engineering?

Virtually everything you see, hear, touch, feel and smell each day requires — at some point in its conception, design or production — the talents of a chemical engineer.

Chemical engineering is the most diverse of the engineering fields. It concerns the development and production of chemicals for a wide variety of uses. These materials include semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, nanostructured materials, cosmetics, petrochemicals and plastics, wood products and papers.

The engineers in this field often manufacture products varying from chemicals and metals to food and pharmaceuticals. These engineers can also be trained to design and build the reactors to make these materials, or may even invent the processes used to separate and purify the products.