Chemical Engineering And Its Career Prospects

What is chemical engineering?

It is that branch of engineering where engineers develop and design manufacturing processes by applying the principles of chemistry, Physics, biology and math. A chemical engineer designs processes to convert chemicals, raw materials, living cells, microorganism and energy into useful forms and products.

Their job responsibility involves many aspects of plant design and operation. They are usually accountable for safety and hazard assessment, process design and analysis, chemical reaction engineering, biological engineering, control engineering, construction specification and for operation instructions. There are many Engineering Colleges in India who are offering courses on chemical engineering. Chemical Engineering is an appropriate course for that student who wants to pursue a career in applied chemistry.

What is the job role of Chemical Engineers?

Their job responsibility involves many aspects of plant design and operation. They are usually accountable for safety and hazard assessment, process design and analysis, chemical reaction engineering, biological engineering, control engineering, construction specification and for operation instructions. Scope of Chemical engineers in India include working in manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, design and construction, pulp and paper, petrochemicals, food processing, specialty chemicals, microelectronics, electronic and advanced materials, polymers, business services, biotechnology, and environmental health and safety industries.

Job responsibilities of Chemical Engineers include:

1. Conducting research for developing new manufacturing processes.
2. They are responsible for establishing safety procedures for those who are working with dangerous chemicals.
3. Develop processes for separating components of liquids and gases.
4. They can create chemical processes for generating electrical currents.
5. These engineers design and plan the layout equipment.
6. They examine and monitor the performance of processes throughout production.
7. Troubleshooting problems for manufacturing processes.
8. Engineers also evaluate equipment and processes to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations.
9. Estimation of production cost for management.

There are lot of engineering colleges in India offering chemical engineering as a course. One has to complete 12^th before applying for chemical engineering in India. The admission process includes appearing for the relevant entrance exam and obtaining high marks in the exam. The popular entrance exams are JEE Mains, Jee Advanced, BITSAT, VITTEE and many others depending on the state in which you want admission. Top Engineering colleges in India offering chemical engineering include IITs, NITs, BITS Pillani, VIT Vellore, MIT Manipal and many others. The courses to study chemical engineering are:

1. Diploma in Chemical Engineering: The duration of this course is for 3 years.
2. Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) in Chemical Engineering: The duration of this course is 4 years. This is a graduate level course.
3. Masters of Technology (M.Tech) in Chemical Engineering: The duration of this course is 2 years. M.Tech is to post graduate course

Popular areas of Study:

1. Inorganic Chemical Technology
2. Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics
3. Organic Chemical Technology
4. Particulate Science and Technology
5. Fluid Mechanics
6. Material Science and Technology
7. Physical Chemistry
8. Environmental Engineering

Eligibility Criterion:

For Diploma Courses:

1. Diploma program for Chemical Engineering is offered only in few colleges in India. Candidates can enroll themselves in this program right after completion of their class 10 examinations.
2. On the basis of state polytechnic entrance exam in India students will be enrolled for this program.

For Undergraduate Courses:

2. Candidates can apply for B.Tech in Chemical Engineering after completion of their 10+2.
3. The institutes which offer B.Tech in Chemical Engineering usually conduct admission on the basis of state and national level entrance examinations.
4. Private Universities usually conduct their own entrance exams and enroll students on the basis of that.

For Post-graduate Courses:

1. It is mandatory for students to secure minimum aggregate score of 60 percentile in their graduation examination.
2. On the basis of national level examination, M.Tech courses are offered to candidates who want to study chemical engineering.

How to prepare for JEE Mains, Jee Advanced and other entrance exams?

It is mandatory for every student to pass these competitive examinations with flying colors; otherwise the students won’t be able to get admitted for their desired course in the premier engineering institutes. Here are few tips to up your game in the upcoming examinations.

1. Time – Management: To crack any examination it is important to know the art of Time – Management. Time –Management is not an innate quality but it has to be harnessed over time. Any individual can easily learn the skills of time – management. Candidates should draw a clear cut time table to ensure that they can complete their syllabus within the stipulated time. This will benefit the candidate in revising thoroughly before the night of the exam.
2. Being up to date with the syllabus: Candidates should know the topics thoroughly from where the questions will be asked.
3. Reference Books: Taking the guidance of appropriate reference books is equally important, because it helps the candidate to understand a theory or principle easily.
4. Finishing the existing topic and then moving ahead: It is important to understand the basic topics thoroughly, as many questions which are asked in competitive engineering examinations tries to evaluate the logic and reasoning ability of a candidate.
5. Developing clarity of concepts: If candidates have good command over their concepts then they will be able to apply this concept while solving questions of any difficulty.
6. Preparing Short Notes and flashcards: There are many formulas and postulates which have to be mugged. Making short notes is always beneficial as candidates can rapidly revise the formula and other important points as it is efficient and saves a lot of time.
7. Mock Tests: Candidates can evaluate their progression by taking mock exams. It prepares you well for the D- Day and makes a candidate confident during the day of the exam.
8. Revision: Last but not the least, the process of revision is an essential ingredient for every student to secure success in their examinations. Revising daily will help the candidates to acquaint themselves with different problems which might occur during the time of examination. This will help them to evade these problems.

Job Opportunities:

Chemical Engineering is counted amongst the established branches in India. There are various government and private organizations who hire chemical engineers. The following are the job profiles which are appropriate for a chemical engineer.

1. Chemical Engineer
2. Energy Engineer
3. Nuclear Engineer
4. Petroleum Engineer
5. Product and Process development Scientist

There are also few niche job roles which hire chemical engineers with higher salary packages are:

1. Analytical Chemist
2. Energy Manager
3. Environmental Engineer
4. Manufacturing Engineer
5. Materials Engineer

Future Prospects

The people of this earth are constantly exploiting their natural resources, due to which it is creating a scarcity of fuel all around the globe. The same difficulty is faced by many government and private organizations. This is the reason that has created a huge demand for chemical engineers all around the world and also in India since, chemical engineers are expert in providing alternative solutions for fossil fuels and natural resources.

Currently private organizations are donating huge funds for the research in the field of chemical engineering. This creates an opportunity for chemical engineers to land jobs with higher pay packages.