Chemical Engineering - Careers, Salary, Jobs, Scope

Brief Summary

Why CHEMICAL ENGINEERING?

Chemical engineering deals with the efficient and effective use of chemicals and energy. It combines fields like biochemistry, physics and microbiology to come up with mechanisms for the conversion of raw materials, living cells and chemicals into useful products for the industry. These engineers are mainly employed in process plants.  They are tasked with employing physical and chemical changes to raw materials in order to make them useful.

Top chemical engineering colleges in India are-

• Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
• Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai
• Chandigarh University
• Indian Institute of Science (IISC), Bangalore
• Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar

The usual set of tasks associated with chemical engineers are to improve the manufacturing process, implement safety measures while working with hazardous chemicals, plan and operate machinery and many more. So if you love experimenting and trying new and innovative things, chemical engineering should be your first choice.

Usually, chemical engineers find employment in manufacturing plants and in the health care industry. There are numerous research opportunities for them too. Usually, they tend to spend 40 – 45 hours a week at work with not much travel involved.

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING: Jobs and Career Opportunities

Chemical engineers have numerous opportunities waiting to be grasped. Many industries have opportunities for chemical engineers including food manufacturing industry, pharmaceutical companies, chemical manufacturing industries, healthcare industries, petroleum manufacturing plants etc. Advancements in computer technology have also aided in opening up new avenues in this field.

A few roles that chemical engineers perform are as follows:

Manufacturing Engineer

They oversee and plan the manufacturing process. They are responsible for the proper functioning of the equipments, supply of raw materials, quality of the manufactured products and all the other things related to the process of manufacturing.

Usually, these engineers are in demand in chemical plants and in places that involve manufacturing. They are paid around Rs.4,00,000 annually.

Analytical Chemist

Their job revolves around the structure and composition of chemicals, usually related to the medical field. Usually, their most common tasks involve performing qualitative analysis, set error limits, interpreting the data and communicating the same to customers.

The make anywhere between Rs. 2.8Lac to 3.5Lac per year. Analytical chemists are usually employed in service-based companies and have a lot of interactions with customers.

Nuclear Engineer

These engineers deal with the concept of nuclear energy and look for ways to effectively use nuclear energy. They mainly deal with radioactive materials and come up with effective uses for such materials in the field of medicine and manufacturing.

On an average nuclear engineer earns around Rs 20,800 per month.  However, this number is highly dependent on the experience of the candidate.

Quality Manager

As the name suggests, they are responsible for the quality of the product. They need to make sure that the quality of all the manufactured products are up to the mark before shipping them off to their customers.

Quality of a product or service is extremely important when it comes to producer-consumer relationship and hence, quality managers play an important role in the company. These managers earn around Rs 9,00,000 per annum.

Project Engineers

They are primarily involved in constructing and designing chemical plants. They use their expert knowledge in selecting optimal methods for production. Additionally, they might also be involved in selecting plant equipments that are both effective and efficient, upgrading existing equipments, overlooking the daily operations of the plant and many other tasks. They earn around Rs 3,60,000 per year.

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING: Salary

All around the world, chemical engineers are paid handsomely. In India, fresher’s get paid around Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per month.  Being a student, having some work experience always gives you an extra edge over the other candidates. Candidates should go for as many internships as possible during their college period.

Usually, candidates find many internship opportunities in the pharmaceutical and food industries. Having practical knowledge is always a plus for placements. This will also help in getting a lucrative salary package. Additionally, doing research-oriented projects will also give you a boost.

The average salary of a chemical engineer is Rs 4,24,000. However, this value increases to Rs 8,20,000 for experienced engineers who have at least 10 years of experience.

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING: Recruiters

There are many companies out there, who are looking for talented chemical engineers. A few reputable companies that provide opportunities for chemical engineers are as follows:

• SABIC
• Dow Chemicals
• Unilever
• P&G
• Weatherfield International
• 3M
• Arofine Polymers Limited
• Evonik
• Reliance Petroleum Limited
• Essar Oil Limited
• National Drugs and Chemicals
• Quantaplast Polymer Private Limited
• Oceanic Laboratories Private Limited
• ZCL Chemicals Limited
• Kimberly Clark

Specializations

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING: Syllabus

The syllabus is structured in a way that gives the students the theoretical and practical knowledge needed to thrive in the industry.

• Process Control
• Material Science
• Organic Chemistry
• Chemical Process industries
• Air pollution control engineering
• Environmental Pollution control
• Fluid mechanics
• Equipment Design and economics
• Fertilizer Technology
• Chemistry behind chemical reactions
• Pharmaceutical Technology
• Cell biology
• Heat and Mass Transfer

The aim of having such a thorough syllabus is to equip the students with the necessary skills needed to help them advance in their career. Additionally, students are encouraged to work on many projects to expand their knowledge.

Popular Colleges offering CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Requirements for CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

The requirements for pursuing this specialization are pretty simple and straight forward.

• The candidate should have scored 50% or above in their 10^th
• The candidate should have scored 50% or above in their 12^th

Additionally, many private colleges keep separate exams that one needs to clear to get admission in that college, so keep yourself updated for such exams. A few exams conducted by private universities are as follows:

• SRMJEE conducted by SRM University
• VITEEE conducted by VIT University
• IIT-JEE mains and IIT-JEE advanced conducted by IIT’s
• BITSAT conducted by BITS Pilani
• AMCAT conducted by Amity University

Why should you choose CHEMICAL ENGINEERING?

Chemical engineering introduces the students to a vast field filled with opportunities. Students with a degree in chemical engineering can work in various industries like petrochemical, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, gas and oil extraction, nuclear power plants and list goes on.

Additionally, students can also find opportunities in pollution control and environmental protection sectors. Another popular option is to go for a masters’ degree to deepen their knowledge in their chosen fields. Candidates who specialize in chemical engineering are in high demand as they are responsible for present and future developments. This is one field where you need to educate yourself on the current happenings in the industry on a daily basis.