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2025 Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region

12 Colleges in the Plains States Region
799 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$73,817 Avg Early-Career Salary
Chemical Engineering is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #70 most popular degree program in the country. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 12 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for chemical engineering students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 799 degrees in chemical engineering to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Chemical Engineering School

Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Plains States Region The chem eng program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Chemical Engineering rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for chemical engineering schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Chemical Engineering Rankings by 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 the Plains States Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Chemical Engineering in the Plains States Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the chem eng degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools in Chem Eng

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
121 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$73,245 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in chemical engineering needs to check out University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the city of Minneapolis. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were about 121 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the chem eng program report average early career wages of $73,245.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
145 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
6.2% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in chemical engineering has to check out Iowa State University. Iowa State is a very large public university located in the small city of Ames. A Best Colleges rank of #88 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 145 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the chemical engineering major at Iowa State University earn $2,367 more than the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Iowa State University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
56 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$69,801 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in chemical engineering needs to look into Washington University in St Louis. WUSTL is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Louis. A Best Colleges rank of #21 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were about 56 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent data year. After graduation, chem eng degree recipients generally earn about $69,801 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Washington University in St Louis

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
99 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$78,369 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat Missouri University of Science and Technology if you want to pursue a degree in chemical engineering. Located in the town of Rolla, Missouri University of Science and Technology is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 5th out of 48 schools for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were about 99 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Missouri University of Science and Technology in the most recent data year. Those chemical engineering students who get their degree from Missouri University of Science and Technology receive $4,552 more than the average chem eng student.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
46 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$77,492 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Manhattan, K -State is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 44 schools for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were approximately 46 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at K -State in the most recent data year. Those chemical engineering students who get their degree from Kansas State University make $3,675 more than the average chem eng graduate.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Kansas State University

6
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
49 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$75,340 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were roughly 49 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the chem eng program earn about $75,340 for their early career.

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

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$69,950 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #131 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.

There were about 43 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the chem eng program state that they receive average early career wages of $69,950.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of Missouri - Columbia

8
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
66 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$63,870 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 44 schools for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were roughly 66 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the chem eng program state that they receive average early career income of $63,870.

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

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$79,603 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Lincoln, UNL is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 19 schools for overall quality in the state of Nebraska.

There were roughly 33 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UNL in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the chemical engineering program at University of Nebraska - Lincoln make $5,786 above the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of Nebraska - Lincoln

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$72,785 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Rapid City, SD Mines is a public school with a small student population.

There were roughly 33 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at SD Mines in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, chem eng degree recipients usually earn around $72,785 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Best Chemical Engineering Colleges by State

Explore the best chemical engineering colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 284 191
Missouri 283 249
Kansas 266 131
Iowa 264 189
Nebraska 238 37
North Dakota 210 45
South Dakota 204 42

View All Rankings >

One of 41 majors within the Engineering area of study, Chemical Engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.

Chem Eng Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Chemical Engineering 792
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering 7

View All Chem Eng Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering 2,877
Civil Engineering 1,355
Electrical Engineering 1,111
Computer Engineering 1,012
Industrial Engineering 637
Biomedical Engineering 627
General Engineering 566
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 562
Agricultural Engineering 261
Other Engineering 181

View All Chem Eng Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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