<p>Son will be a Senior in High School next year. His plan is to major in either Chemical or Electrical Engineering, probably/possibly at Univ of Michigan. Yesterday, he asked me to ask you guys "What is the difference between majoring in Chemistry and majoring in Chemical Engineering?" Any ideas???</p>
<p>Sure! I was a chemical engineer. All data taken from my alma mater.</p>
<p>Requirements
Chemistry:
-liberal arts distribution requirements (math, natural science, writing, social science, humanities, fine arts) PLUS chem requirements.<br>
-Chem requirements: two general chem, w/ lab; two organic chem, w/ lab; two physical chem, w/ lab; analytical chem, w/ lab; inorganic chem. I think there may have been another requirement in there somewhere.<br>
-Misc: in order to get through, you really need calculus up through BC/Calc II and two semesters of physics (no lab needed).</p>
<p>Chemical Engineering:
-Distribution requirements: three calc, one differential equations, one physics, one EE, two intro. engin. in programming, two intro engin., two general chem, one organic chem, w/ lab, one physical chem, w/ lab, three upper-level chems, biology, and then liberal arts reqs (one writing + five humanities/social sciences). You can see that this is basically almost a chem major in itself.
-Engin. requirements: twelve courses, covering: thermodynamics, fluid flow, heat transfer, mass transfer, process control, factory design, reactor design, materials science, and electives.</p>
<p>So you can see that chem. engineering has many more requirements. I had very few electives and a lot more work. You pretty much do a chemistry major anyway - we're required to take seven courses and they are required to take ten courses. Then, on top of that, you add more math and all of the engineering requirements (the 12 for the major, the distributions in engin., the programming, the EE, etc). It's a lot more work.</p>
<p>What do you do with it?
Chemistry majors do not have bad job prospects or grad school prospects. They make about $30,000/year starting, which is not bad at all. You can start with a bachelor's degree; no need for a masters or a Ph.D. immediately, although those will be necessary for advancement. Mostly, they do lab work.</p>
<p>Chemical engineers make, on the average, $54,000/year starting. A fair amount of chemists go back to get the engineering degree for that reason. It is more flexible, in that you can do traditional chemistry things, or you can do factory design, pharmaceuticals, petroleum/oil stuff, etc. A fair amount of people take it into biotech. Finance companies also really like engineers. IMO, much better degree to have, but college is tougher.</p>
<p>I was thinking of chem eng...I am split between that and mech eng. I really don't want to work as an engineer, but as a banker or some kind of financier. Do you think a business school favors one type of engineering over the other? And what is more difficult?</p>
<p>Im stuck between the same to majors, I'm currently enrolled as a MechE undergrad...but ChemE has been in my head for a while.</p>
<p>Is there a difference in work environment...what are Chemical Engineers like? Do they work by themselves or in teams more often?</p>
<p>Found this on my school's chemistry departmental website. It's a Chemistry majors FAQ. </p>
<p>
[quote]
11. What is the difference between chemistry and chemical engineering?</p>
<p>There is some overlap in the training of chemists and chemical engineers, but they are typically involved in different aspects of the chemical enterprise. Chemists typically are interested in how processes work and developing new understanding of chemical reactions and the structure of chemical materials. In industry, chemists typically work in developing new or improved materials. Chemical engineers tend to focus on the process by which chemical materials are produced. In industry, chemical engineers typically focus on developing efficient processes for manufacturing chemicals. Thus, engineers tend to focus on optimizing processes, while chemists work to develop new processes.
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