Program Overview

With a strong focus on sustainability, our BEng and MEng Chemical and Petroleum Engineering degrees will prepare you for a fulfilling career in the oil and gas, energy or petrochemical industries.

• Our BEng and MEng Chemical and Petroleum Engineering courses focus particularly on petrochemicals, sustainability and design.
• We're one of the UK's leading petroleum engineering universities. With us you’ll learn the technical skills and problem-solving mindset required to tackle real-world engineering problems and design sustainable solutions with practical applications in industry.
• Experience the complete chemical engineering process: our £1.7m chemical engineering facility includes a fully operational pilot process plant, which you’ll use during your course and operate as part of a team in your third year.
• You can also take part in our award-winning Professional Training placements programme, which prepares students for roles in industry.
• Alongside general university scholarships and bursaries, our extensive contacts in industry have resulted in prizes being awarded to undergraduates by Atkins, Halliburton KBR, Air Products, UOP, IChemE and the Worshipful Company of Engineers.

The modern world relies on Chemical Engineers to develop and design processes that efficiently produce useful products, manage resources like water and energy, ensure health and safety, and protect the environment.  

Our BEng and MEng Chemical and Petroleum Engineering courses align with current industry issues. You’ll study traditional chemical engineering topics with multidisciplinary design projects, explore in-depth petrochemical modules and crucial sustainability themes that will further your understanding of environmental responsibility.

You can apply to study for either a BEng or MEng. The MEng builds on the BEng with a masters year, known as an integrated masters and is a direct route to becoming a chartered engineer. Students on our MEng may take part in a multidisciplinary project working with other engineering students across the University.

Our award-winning Professional Training placement scheme gives you the chance to spend a year in industry, either in the UK or abroad.

We have thousands of placement providers to choose from, most of which offer pay. So, become one of our many students who have had their lives and career choices transformed.

Chemical and petroleum engineering placements

Our courses are enhanced by strong industrial links, both in the UK and overseas. These links contribute to our award-winning Professional Training programme, which has been running for more than 40 years.

On placement, you’ll get the opportunity to gain invaluable first-hand experience of how industry operates and apply your theoretical knowledge in practice. Taken by many of our students, the Professional Training placement gives you a head start in your future career.