MEng Chemical Engineering with Industrial Experience

The practical nature of chemical engineering makes any industrial experience gathered whilst studying an invaluable asset. In the MEng (Hons) Chemical Engineering with Industrial Experience course students spend the third year on an industrial placement, allowing them to gain significant industrial experience and to develop advanced depth, breadth and practice in chemical engineering, as well as soft and transferable skills. Additionally, the Institution of Chemical Engineers accredited MEng with IE course provides students with an opportunity for further development in the following areas;

i.          advanced depth in chemical engineering (deeper penetration of knowledge and understanding than has previously been acquired in the degree programme)

ii.          advanced breadth in chemical engineering (exposure to topics additional to those that would normally be considered as core chemical engineering)

iii.         advanced chemical engineering practice (application of chemical engineering techniques and, if possible, innovative design).

During the placement year significant technical work is conducted, which is written up in the form of a dissertation. The technical content of the dissertation can be from one coherent project or multiple smaller projects that can be grouped thematically. The purpose of the dissertation is to provide substantial evidence of the advanced breadth and depth of chemical engineering knowledge gained during the placement, as well as demonstrating advanced chemical engineering practice. Dissertation topics vary considerably, depending on the nature of the placement of industry sector of the host company.

The unit aims to develop the student’s ability to design, plan and execute technical project(s) during the placement. By the end of the placement the student will be able to clearly describe the placement host company business, strategic aims and future vision, setting the placement in this context. Additionally they will be able to interrogate industrial problems, including the development of an appropriate methodology, apply chemical engineering principles to the analysis of industrial problems, synthesise and obtain viable solutions within an industrial framework and timescale and communicate the work and its outcomes in a formal, technical report.

Students have learning material available in Blackboard, as well as a discussion group monitored by the module leader.  Direct interactions with industrial supervisors and academic placement supervisors occur during the placement year during which guidance and feedback is provided.