MEng Chemical Engineering with Energy and Environment

Begin your journey towards a challenging yet rewarding career in chemical engineering by studying at the subject's birthplace: Manchester.

In this four-year MEng degree you will not only learn the fundamentals of this key subject; you'll also have the opportunity to specialise in energy and environment - two crucial areas in the future of chemical engineering. The fourth year also allows you to carry out a research project with world-leading academics, and drill down into advanced energy and environment-related themes.

At Manchester, all of our programmes are accredited by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), meaning your education will equip you to graduate with an industrially approved degree. There will be emphasis on the technical aspects of chemical engineering, and these revolve around managing the behaviour of materials and chemical reactions, as well as predicting and manipulating compositions, flows, temperatures, and pressures of solids, liquids and gases.

This is balanced with process safety and sustainability, which are inherent to all of our programmes. The latter is heavily embedded within your third-year design project. Here, you will undertake an open-ended team project to design a complete production process. Examples have included the sustainable production of chemicals such as propylene oxide and ethylene glycol from waste, and our design teams have won more IChemE Macnab-Lacey Prize for their efforts than any other university.

• You will study a range of core material, learning the fundamentals of chemical engineering before specialising in advanced areas of energy and environment.
• We will help you understand and describe chemical, physical and biological processes using mathematical equations.
• You will benefit from hands-on experience using specialist equipment, and learn techniques applied in industry for large-scale manufacturing.
• You will develop skills that will be of great use in your future career, such as team-working, problem-solving, communication, and the use of information technology.

Specialisation

This four-year MEng option provides a unique opportunity to specialise in energy and environment in your final year - two key topics for the future of chemical engineering.

Study abroad options

There are a range of options available to study abroad as part of our established exchange schemes. For more information see our study abroad webpage .

Reputation

The Department has an excellent international reputation, and a qualification from us can be your passport to a successful career anywhere in the world. We're ranked 4th for chemical engineering in the UK, and 7th in Europe (QS World University Rankings 2023).

Facilities

Get to grips with an incredible array of facilities and equipment . Our £12 million James Chadwick Building houses the biggest pilot-scale laboratory of any university in the UK.

In our new Home of Engineering and Materials, we’re ripping up the rule book to offer a truly innovative teaching and learning experience. You’ll have access to world-leading sustainable research facilities and some of the most unique, industry-leading equipment and instrumentation in the sector to meet today’s requirements and those of the future. Explore  Our Home for Engineering and Materials.  

Welcoming community

Our Department has a rich history and a bright future - and always a welcoming and encouraging student community. You'll also be taught by true experts in their fields. Find out more on our Department blog .

At Manchester you will be taught by academic staff who are leading experts in chemical engineering, in a diverse and inclusive learning environment. We use a combination of teaching and learning methods, including lectures, tutorials, laboratory sessions and problem-based learning, supported by lecture podcasts and supplementary video tutorials.

Our degrees are assessed by a combination of examination and coursework, designed to allow you to demonstrate your ability and develop a wide range of transferable skills. For example, our first and second year laboratories are assessed by a range of methods to develop the complementary transferable skills that will be vital in the workplace, including:

• technical report
• presentation
• interview
• poster display

Your third year design project is assessed by group and individual design reports, a group presentation and an individual interview, with peer assessment also incorporated. The fourth year research project is assessed by the final dissertation, as well as a poster presentation and interview.

Find out what it's like to study at Manchester by visiting the Department of Chemical Engineering blog .

In our £12 million James Chadwick Building you'll have access to modern lab spaces, dedicated computer suites, and a famed pilot scale area with a range of large-scale industrial processing equipment. It's one of the biggest and best of any European university. See our outstanding facilities for yourself through our virtual open day .

Manchester's Engineering Campus Development, MECD

Get ready to collaborate, create and innovate in a brand-new £400m purpose-built building which will allow you, our future engineers and material scientists, to come together and make your mark on the world. The Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD) will officially open from September 2022 and will include hundreds of flexible teaching and learning spaces with unrivalled world-class research facilities - whatever your inspiration, with MECD the possibilities are endless. Learn more