Why study Chemical Engineering at Cambridge?

Chemical Engineering at Cambridge is world renowned

The Department has an international reputation for excellence in both its teaching and its research. Cambridge is regularly ranked as the "best" chemical engineering course in the UK - it's been top of both The Times and The Guardian league tables every year since 2003, and top of the Complete University Guide league tables since they started. The Department has moved to a new building, designed to house all its teaching and research activities, in the academic year 2016-17 as part of a £60 million project backed by the University.

Strong links with industry

The Department has very strong links with industry and graduates of the course are very much in demand. Virtually all students are able to get good jobs soon after graduation. The course is backed by a consortium of 10 industrial companies. They provide additional financial support, provide input on the course design, and assist with some of the teaching, e.g. by supporting the Design Project and by running workshops on professional skills.

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Members of the Teaching Consortium

Advantages of the Cambridge course

In the Cambridge course, students particularly benefit from spending their first year at University studying general science or general engineering, before starting "proper" chemical engineering. The course then concentrates on the fundamental science behind modern chemical and biochemical engineering. This means that its graduates are able to cope well with advances in science and technology when they occur. The course features a mixture of lectures, exercises, laboratory work and project work, and it is designed to teach students the transferable skills that are sought by employers.

The Department has excellent facilities

The new building on the West Cambridge site has been specially designed for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology and it significantly improves the Department's infrastructure for both teaching and research. The Department's excellent facilities range from state-of-the-art research equipment to a communal tea-room. All recommended undergraduate textbooks are stocked by the University and College libraries. There are plenty of PCs within the Department and Colleges for undergraduate use. There is a dedicated teaching laboratory and undergraduates will use the research laboratory facilities when they undertake research projects in their fourth year.

Students benefit from the Cambridge teaching system

The Department has an excellent staff-to-student ratio, and the lectures are backed up by the Cambridge College supervision support system. Supervisions normally take place in groups of two or three. This means that students receive plenty of individual attention with small group teaching sessions backing up the material taught in lectures. The Colleges also look after the general welfare of students; for instance, they provide reasonably priced accommodation and meals to all undergraduates.

The Department has a lively social scene

The Department prides itself on being friendly. All undergraduates in each year know each other, and the student Chemical Engineering Society (CUCES) is very active in arranging events. These may be entirely of a social nature (dinners, pub crawls, ...) or may be career-enhancing events (interview skills, business games, ...) that are arranged in conjunction with major employers of chemical engineers.