There are several different disciplines within chemistry that create chemical engineering jobs. Some of these chemical engineering jobs have been mentioned above. Other chemistry jobs include nuclear engineering jobs, theoretical chemistry, physical chemistry, and environmental engineering jobs. Most of the work that chemical engineers do is in a laboratory in which chemicals are studied in controlled circumstances. Sometimes it may happen that chemists will have to collect samples and test things outside of a laboratory setting. These aspects of chemical engineering jobs involve rather straightforward tasks, such as taking soil samples, testing water purity, etc.
Everything in this world’s environment is made up of chemicals. It matters not whether it was created in a laboratory or it was a naturally-occurring substance in the environment that did not need any help in being formed. The knowledge that comes from environmental engineering jobs can help lead to the discovery of new chemicals and materials or improve methods that were created in the past. Petrochemical processing and oil refining are two areas that have been given top priority for study now, given current global conditions.
When one studies living organisms in chemistry it allows for the advancement of food processing, medicine, and a host of other fields. Without chemical engineering jobs helping to improve life’s quality or other aspects of this world it is very hard to advance.
Required Education
Now that you are knowledgeable about what chemical engineering jobs entail, we can take a longer look at what the educational requirements are for these jobs. In order to work in the chemical engineering field there are three levels of education that you must attain. After high school graduation, a student will have to attend a college or university for four years in order to get his or her Bachelor of Science degree. Some of the courses that you will be required to take are math, biology, English, and chemistry. A certain number of elective courses will have to be taken in order to make up the necessary amount of credits. There are several universities in the US and outside of our country that offer chemistry degree programs. In order to show that you are serious about landing a chemical engineering career, it is best to choose to go to a high profile university, like Yale, Stanford, Harvard, etc., that will offer the best courses.
The second kind of degree you may want to earn for your chemical engineering profession is a master’s degree. This usually takes two more years and you must have your bachelor’s degree already completed. You also have to be accepted into a graduate degree program, and since the competition is quite tough it may be hard to get accepted. Just be sure to maintain a high GPA during your first four years of college. In a master’s degree program you will do a lot of in-depth studying about the specific area that you want to pursue in chemistry.
The third degree is a doctorate, or PhD. This will also require acceptance into an accredited university. The time you spend on your doctorate may vary in length. Once you have finished the required classes, you have to write and present your doctorate thesis so you can be awarded your PhD. Some people may be able to finish a PhD in two years, and some may take longer. This will depend upon your specific field of study as well as the amount of time you apply to your doctorate thesis.
Qualifications and Training
During your education at an accredited college or university you may be able to accept a position in the chemical engineering field. An entry-level position will require laboratory hours and some field work, the extent of which depends upon your specialty. With a bachelor’s degree it is expected that you will start out in an entry-level position and stay in that position either until you have earned the required number of lab hours to receive a promotion or have earned your master’s degree. The higher level positions in chemical engineering jobs will usually require a higher educational level, such as your doctorate degree.
The Best Places to Work
High on the list of potential employers is the federal government. Only the very best chemists are hired by the government to head up their labs in research and development, biotechnology, and manufacturing. You must have a PhD in order to work for the government. They do offer a few entry-level positions; however, these are only offered to a very select few.
Another top chemical engineering job is with pharmaceutical companies. This industry is expanding and will require more hands to be available for lab work, research and development, and in finding new medicines. You may find many entry-level positions here that require only a bachelor’s degree. Usually these positions are ones of assistants.
You would probably like to know what kind of pay scale we are talking about for chemical engineering jobs. A laboratory worker can expect to make $46,000 a year. Medical manufacturing and pharmaceutical chemists make between $57,000 and $63,000 a year. A research and development chemist can plan to make $68,000 to start. A position with the federal government can be expected to yield $88,000 a year.
The salaries are on the higher side due to all of the work that is involved in becoming a chemist. There are many hours spent working on trying to understand the world and its chemicals in order to help save lives and to try to make living easier.
