<p>So I'm a rising junior and I plan to become a chemical engineer. I just want to know a few things:
1. What is the core curriculum like? How many
2. How many hours a day will I spend ok HW?
3. How much innovation is there?
4. Do I have to learn programming?
5. Typical salary for masters degree?</p>
<p>Chemical engineering is an interesting subject to me. I really hope I can be a good engineer! Thanks in advance!</p>
<ol>
<li> Depends on the school but usually math, physics, general chem, organic chem, physical chem, thermodynamics, transport phenomena, unit operations, process design…</li>
<li> Depends on your aptitude for science & math and rigor of the program. You could be at it all day, every day, if you’re in a tough program without the aptitude for the work. DS had great aptitude and attended a decent (but not top) program and probably put in maybe two hours daily for work other than cram sessions before exams.<br></li>
<li> Chemical engineers work in diverse fields- everything from pharmaceuticals to the food industry to chemicals and petrochemicals to name a few… There is innovation in all these areas. DS did research in bionanotechnology which was geared toward medical innovations. A good program will have faculty who are involved with research.</li>
<li> You’ll probably learn some programming but it might not be as much as you’d think. Depends on the program.</li>
<li> Masters don’t earn a lot more that bachelors in my opinion. Sone university career centers will post the salaries that graduates report to them. Starting might be around $70K but obviously it could vary greatly depending on the job.</li>
</ol>
<p>Just for background, I am a senior ChemE at a tech school of 5,000 undergrads.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Here are the classes I took:
Calc I and II, Gen Chem I and II, Intro to ChemE, 3 humanities electives, Differential Equations, Material&Energy Balances, Physics I and II, Organic Chem I and II, Fluid Mechanics, Physical Chem I and II, Heat and Mass Transfer, Unit Operations Lab I and II, Thermo I and II, Transport Phenomena, Circuit Analysis, Bio for ChemE, Process Modeling, Process Design I and II, Stats, Process Control, Numerical Data Analysis, Chemical Reaction Engineering, Project Management</p></li>
<li><p>I am a senior and I spend about 3 hours a day on school-related work on a normal day, but much more on days before exams. This includes studying, pre-reading, and homework, not just homework. However, this will depend on what school you go to and other things, but mostly on how well you want to do. I can study 20 hours for an exam and get a B, or study 10 hours and get a C, or study 30 hours an get an A. Same goes for homework. There will always be ways to get the homework done in a minimal amount of time, and if you already understand the material, then that’s fine. But if you want to work through the problems and really understand the concepts, it will take as much time as you want to devote to it.</p></li>
<li><p>In academia there is always innovation because professors are always researching. In industry, the amount of innovation will depend on the industry and company. In fast paced industries like semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, new processes are created all the time. In specialty chemical plants or food product companies, innovation is a bit less important because the processes are pretty well-developed already, so its more small tweaks and troubleshooting.</p></li>
<li><p>You will probably have to take a programming class as a general education requirement (depending on if you go to a liberal arts school or a tech school) but the language you learn doesn’t really matter. Many chemical engineers in industry use AspenTech programs like HYSYS, which is not really programming but may be easier if you know the general principles behind programming.</p></li>
<li><p>I wouldn’t suggest getting a Masters degree in chemical engineering unless you plan to continue on and get a Ph.D as well. From my experience, companies are either looking for B.S. candidates or Ph.D candidates. They don’t want to hire an overqualifed Masters student for a B.S. job (they’d have to pay them slightly more) or an underqualified Masters student for a Ph.D job, so the opportunities are much more limited.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Look ata few differentl college chemE programs online to get a feel for the major. When I was in hs students had to check out the hardcopy college catalog from the Guidance office to do research. It was great to find so many online resources when DS was looking ta engineering schools</p>
<p>Example - ChemE info from my college
[Clarkson</a> University: Undergraduate Program](<a href=“http://www.clarkson.edu/chemeng/undergraduate/index.html]Clarkson”>http://www.clarkson.edu/chemeng/undergraduate/index.html)</p>