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2024 Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania

10 Colleges in Pennsylvania
808 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$70,389 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in chemical engineering, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #70 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 10 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 808 degrees in chemical engineering to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Chemical Engineering School

Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania Your choice of chemical engineering school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Chemical Engineering School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Chemical Engineering Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Chem Eng
Master's Degrees in Chem Eng
Doctor's Degrees in Chem Eng

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Chemical Engineering in Pennsylvania

The schools below may not offer all types of chem eng degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Pennsylvania Schools in Chem Eng

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
109 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$80,722 Median Starting Salary

Carnegie Mellon University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in chemical engineering. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Carnegie Mellon is a great university overall.

There were roughly 109 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent year we have data available. Those chemical engineering students who get their degree from Carnegie Mellon University make $10,333 more than the average chem eng student.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
76 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
36.8% Growth in Graduates

University of Pennsylvania is a great option for students pursuing a degree in chemical engineering. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were approximately 76 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, chem eng degree recipients usually make about $66,484 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of Pennsylvania

3
Lehigh crest
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
64 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$67,293 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Lehigh University if you want to pursue a degree in chemical engineering. Located in the city of Bethlehem, Lehigh is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #71 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Lehigh is a great university overall.

There were about 64 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Lehigh in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the chem eng program report average early career income of $67,293.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Lehigh University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
108 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$69,207 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in chemical engineering has to check out University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 7th out of 109 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 108 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Pitt in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the chem eng program state that they receive average early career income of $69,207.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
58 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$80,235 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Villanova is a great university overall.

There were roughly 58 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Villanova in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the chemical engineering major at Villanova University get $9,845 more than the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Villanova University

6
Bucknell crest
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$71,437 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the distant town of Lewisburg, Bucknell is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #66 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Bucknell is a great university overall.

There were roughly 25 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Bucknell in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, chem eng degree recipients usually earn around $71,437 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Bucknell University

7
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
98 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$67,486 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 10th out of 109 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were roughly 98 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Drexel in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the chem eng program make about $67,486 for their early career.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Drexel University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$64,532 Median Starting Salary

Lafayette is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Easton. This college ranks 9th out of 109 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were roughly 31 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Lafayette in the most recent data year. After graduation, chem eng degree recipients usually make around $64,532 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Lafayette College

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$56,994 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Widener is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Chester. This university ranks 17th out of 109 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 14 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Widener in the most recent data year. After graduating, chem eng degree recipients generally earn about $56,994 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Widener University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$69,207 Median Starting Salary
$24,750 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Johnstown, Pitt Johnstown is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 76th out of 109 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 20 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Pitt Johnstown in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the chem eng program state that they receive average early career earnings of $69,207.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown

Best Chemical Engineering Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
New York333857
Maryland279285
New Jersey273394
District of Columbia18823
Delaware175108

View All Rankings >

Chemical Engineering is one of 41 different types of Engineering programs to choose from.

Chem Eng Focus Areas

MajorAnnual Graduates
Chemical Engineering721
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering87

View All Chem Eng Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Chem Eng

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering2,147
Electrical Engineering1,453
Civil Engineering936
Biomedical Engineering895
Computer Engineering778
General Engineering446
Industrial Engineering408
Other Engineering301
Robotics Engineering209
Materials Engineering208

View All Chem Eng Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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