- UCAS course code
- H801
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Master of Engineering (MEng)
MEng Chemical Engineering
A chemical engineering master's degree from Manchester opens up a world of opportunity.
- Typical A-level offer: AAA including specific subjects
- Typical contextual A-level offer: AAB including specific subjects
- Refugee/care-experienced offer: ABB including specific subjects
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 36 points overall with 6,6,6 at HL, including specific requirements
Course description
Begin your journey towards a challenging yet rewarding career in chemical engineering by studying at the subject's birthplace: Manchester.
In the four-year Chemical Engineering MEng degree you will not only learn the fundamentals of this key subject; you'll also have the opportunity to specialise in an advanced area of your choosing - including energy, separation and modelling - so you can dig even deeper into the theme that interests you most. The fourth year also allows you to carry out a research project and write a dissertation in a specific area.
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.
Aims
- You will study a range of core material, learning the fundamentals of chemical engineering before specialising in the areas of advanced chemical engineering that interest you most.
- 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
Special features
Specialisation in Year 4
The four-year MEng option presents an opportunity to study advanced chemical engineering topics, as well as carry out a research project and write a dissertation in a specific area, such as molecular modelling; healthcare engineering; engineering and sensing; bioengineering and biotechnology; catalysis and chemical reaction engineering; systems modelling and sustainability.
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. Take a virtual tour to discover more.
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 .
#BBD0E0 »Teaching and learning
Coursework and assessment
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.
Course content for year 1
Course units for year 1
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Engineering Mathematics 1 | CHEN10011 | 10 | Mandatory |
Engineering Chemistry | CHEN10022 | 10 | Mandatory |
Process Fluid Flow | CHEN10031 | 10 | Mandatory |
Process Engineering Fundamentals | CHEN10041 | 10 | Mandatory |
Computational Methods for Chemical Engineering | CHEN10051 | 10 | Mandatory |
Laboratory Projects 1 | CHEN10060 | 10 | Mandatory |
Engineering Mathematics 2 | CHEN10072 | 10 | Mandatory |
Fundamentals of Thermodynamics | CHEN10081 | 10 | Mandatory |
Process Heat Transfer | CHEN10092 | 10 | Mandatory |
Chemical Engineering Design Project | CHEN10122 | 10 | Mandatory |
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Course content for year 2
Course units for year 2
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Laboratory Projects 2 | CHEN20020 | 20 | Mandatory |
Engineering Mathematics 3 | CHEN20041 | 10 | Mandatory |
Chemical Engineering Optimisation | CHEN20051 | 10 | Mandatory |
Distillation & Absorption | CHEN20072 | 10 | Mandatory |
Process Integration | CHEN20082 | 10 | Mandatory |
Momentum, Heat & Mass Transfer | CHEN20112 | 10 | Mandatory |
Chemical Reactor Design | CHEN20141 | 10 | Mandatory |
Process Safety | CHEN20152 | 10 | Mandatory |
Materials Science and Mechanical Design | CHEN20191 | 10 | Mandatory |
Process Design & Simulation | CHEN21112 | 10 | Mandatory |
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Course content for year 3
Course units for year 3
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Design Project 3 - Part 1 | CHEN30012 | 15 | Mandatory |
Design Project 3 - Part 2 | CHEN30022 | 20 | Mandatory |
Process Synthesis | CHEN30031 | 10 | Mandatory |
Design Project 3 - Part 3 | CHEN30032 | 15 | Mandatory |
Catalytic Reaction Engineering | CHEN30051 | 10 | Mandatory |
Multi-Component Engineering Separations | CHEN30071 | 10 | Mandatory |
Process Control | CHEN30091 | 10 | Mandatory |
Process Design | CHEN30122 | 10 | Mandatory |
Batch Processing | CHEN30321 | 10 | Mandatory |
Sustainable Development & Industry | CHEN31201 | 10 | Mandatory |
Course content for year 4
Course units for year 4
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Dissertation: Semester 1 Report & Individual Performance | CHEN40100 | 10 | Mandatory |
Dissertation: Poster & Presentation | CHEN40122 | 10 | Mandatory |
MEng Dissertation | CHEN40132 | 40 | Mandatory |
Sustainable Energy Systems | CHEN40202 | 15 | Optional |
Nuclear Fuel Cycle | CHEN40221 | 15 | Optional |
Chemical Engineering Molecular Simulation | CHEN40232 | 15 | Optional |
Utility System Design | CHEN40431 | 15 | Optional |
Science of Formulation | CHEN40441 | 15 | Optional |
Fundamentals of Numerical Methods & Simulation | CHEN40451 | 15 | Optional |
Advanced Separation Processes | CHEN40461 | 15 | Optional |
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What our students say
The course is a perfect blend of lectures, coursework, design projects, and exams and
enhances one's problem-solving skills. Manchester also gives you the opportunity to work with students from all over the world. This prepared me for my current role where collaboration is key to successfully delivering various projects in a multinational company.
Shobana Simon / Process Engineer, Shell
Facilities
Come to our Home of Engineering and Materials - a place like no other. This is where engineers, material scientists and fashion students collaborate, innovate and make their mark on the world. Unleash your potential in our creative, academic playground that signals the evolution of a proud history of innovation spanning almost 200 years.
In this very special place, we’re ripping up the rule book, offering you a truly innovative teaching and learning experience. As well as our creative classrooms, you’ll also have access to world-leading sustainable research facilities in our new buildings.
Our variety of spaces allows for greater collaboration for all our students, and it is the place to connect and tackle real-life challenges together. So, a chemical engineer could be sat alongside a materials scientist working on clean water, or bump into a fashion student developing their own sustainable brand, or an aerospace engineer sending a rocket into space. It is a place like no other for interactions and one of the biggest communities of engineers and materials scientists in any University in the world.
Dive into a world of possibilities, whether you are interested in aerospace, robotics, or sustainable fashion, there’s a home for you here.
Explore Our Home for Engineering and Material Science .
What's more, our strong, ever-growing links with industry not only help to inform our courses, but also boost our excellent teaching and research facilities.
This includes our impressive James Chadwick building:
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 .
The University of Manchester also offers an extensive library and online services , helping you get the most out of your studies.