Chemical Process Engineering

How do you turn sugar-beet into a bar of chocolate or petroleum into a CD? How do you make a silicon wafer out of sand or a cardboard box out of old newspapers? The issue at the heart of chemical process engineering is how material can be transformed in a test-tube into something worth producing on an industrial scale.

The prospects available for chemical process engineering graduates to embark on fascinating and highly responsible careers are legion, ranging from operations engineering, consultancy and management to research and development or production and sales. Many different branches of industry have openings for young people interested in the creative development of new production techniques, the construction and maintenance of chemical plants, the production and processing of chemical products or a career devoted to quality assurance and environmental protection. 

Alongside the two Bachelor courses in Process Engineering and Chemical Technology, the Chemical Process Engineering Department also caters for those in search of higher qualifications with its MSc course in Chemical Engineering. Students can also opt for a binational course run in conjunction with the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Industries Chimiques de Nancy in France and leading to an international joint degree in process engineering and chemical technology. Various international agreements with universities and companies, notably in Brazil and the United States but also in China and Eastern Europe, facilitate study periods abroad that are an integral feature of the degree courses.

The Department has a number of ultra-modern laboratories at its disposal for the lab courses and projects required in the curricula. Together with systematic participation in research projects, a wide range of attractive elective courses enables students to specialise in three different areas: simulation and plant engineering, biological process engineering, and sustainable development.

The proximity of major pharmaceutical and chemical companies in the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region, including global players such as BASF, Roche Diagnostics, Fuchs Petrolub and Freudenberg, and the close relations existing between them and the Department ensure ideal practical relevance in the courses provided and also open up excellent job prospects for graduates.