The program is offered by . Chemical engineers develop new products, design new chemical plants, and keep existing plants running better, safer, and more environmentally sound. At WSU, we provide an education that prepares you to help meet these challenges, preparing you to become a leader.

Strengths of the program

• WSU has a strong reputation for producing hands-on, industry-ready engineers who lead their companies and find solutions to problems small and large.
• The chemical engineering program provides opportunities for students to partner with industry and government and participate in hands-on research.
• You can join a math, science, and engineering community residence hall at WSU Pullman?share classes with your neighbors, study together, get free tutoring, and use the hall?s computer lab.
• An active student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Among the activities of this group is the Chemically Powered Car Competition.
• Companies like to hire WSU chemical engineering graduates because of their sound and practical education and for their leadership experiences outside the classroom.
• The College of Engineering and Architecture offers a nationally accredited bachelor?s degree in chemical engineering.

Career

Chemical engineers often work in the processing industries, where 70,000 consumer products?such as computer chips, foods, paper products, plastics, fuels, dyes, synthetic fibers, pharmaceuticals, agricultural chemicals, and many others?are produced by 7,000 companies in 12,000 plants in the United States. Industries and government agencies employ chemical engineers for energy production, transportation, environmental protection, electronics, computing, and medicine.

They also work for companies around the world in offices, plants, in the field, or at other locations. Chemical engineering can be a springboard to other careers, such as consulting, law, medicine, business, policymaking or government, technical marketing and sales, plant management, research, and teaching.

Demand for chemical engineering graduates is high. Starting salaries for new graduates exceed $50,000 per year.

Northwest organizations such as BP, Boeing, Weyerhaeuser, Intel, Micron, Battelle Pacific Northwest National Labs, and Hanford contractors actively recruit WSU graduates, as do smaller companies in the region and international companies of all sizes.