2023 Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #51 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.College Factual reviewed 154 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of chemical engineering. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 10,172 bachelor's degrees in chemical engineering during the 2020-2021 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Chemical Engineering School for Your Bachelor's Degree
Your choice of chemical engineering for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality chem eng program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
Quality Overall Is Important
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average Earnings
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
Other Factors We Consider
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on chemical engineering students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of chemical engineering students who choose to seek a bachelor's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for chemical engineering to pay back their student loans after receiving their bachelor's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized chemical engineering related body.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for chemical engineering students working on their bachelor's degree.
More Ways to Rank Chemical Engineering Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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.
Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Chemical Engineering in the United States
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for chemical engineering students seeking a a bachelor's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
23 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Chem Eng
Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering has to check out Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT is a large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Cambridge.
Those chemical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology make $16,513 more than the typical chem eng graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a good decision for students interested in a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Those chemical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor earn $10,188 more than the typical chem eng student.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Cornell University is a good choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the chemical engineering program at Cornell University make $9,115 more than the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Cornell University
University of Notre Dame is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame.
Chemical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from University of Notre Dame get an earnings boost of approximately $8,107 above the average earnings of chemical engineering graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of Notre Dame
Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Pittsburgh.
Those chemical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Carnegie Mellon University make $15,711 more than the standard chem eng grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University
Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the chemical engineering degree program at University of California - Berkeley make $5,756 above the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of California - Berkeley
Georgia Tech is a very large public school located in the large city of Atlanta.
Those chemical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus earn $10,549 more than the average chem eng grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Chemical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from Northwestern University receive an earnings boost of approximately $6,596 above the typical income of chemical engineering majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Northwestern University
Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Chemical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from Purdue University - Main Campus get an earnings boost of about $10,956 over the average income of chemical engineering majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Purdue University - Main Campus
Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of College Station.
Chemical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from Texas A&M University - College Station get an earnings boost of approximately $11,099 above the typical income of chemical engineering graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Texas A&M University - College Station
Located in the large city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the chemical engineering program at Rice University get $13,790 more than the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Rice University
UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the city of Austin.
Chemical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from The University of Texas at Austin get an earnings boost of approximately $12,297 above the average income of chemical engineering majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin
UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Madison.
Those chemical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Wisconsin - Madison receive $7,499 more than the typical chem eng student.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of Wisconsin - Madison
UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Champaign.
Bachelor's recipients from the chemical engineering major at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign make $8,482 above the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignLocated in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Stanford University
WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Louis.
Bachelor's recipients from the chemical engineering major at Washington University in St Louis get $8,902 above the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Washington University in St Louis
Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Chemical Engineering bachelor's degree recipients from Vanderbilt University earn a boost of about $8,960 above the typical earnings of chemical engineering majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Vanderbilt University
Located in the small city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the chem eng program state that they receive average early career income of $65,473.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Princeton University
Lehigh is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Bethlehem.
Bachelor's recipients from the chemical engineering major at Lehigh University earn $2,282 above the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Lehigh University
UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the chem eng program report average early career income of $66,484.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of Pennsylvania
Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Blacksburg.
Those chemical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from Virginia Tech earn $7,794 more than the standard chem eng graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Virginia Tech
Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a very large student population.
Those chemical engineering students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Virginia - Main Campus make $4,916 more than the standard chem eng grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of Virginia - Main Campus
Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the chem eng program state that they receive average early career income of $66,458.
More information about a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from University of Southern CaliforniaRest of the Top Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools
Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for Chemical Engineering students that almost earned our Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
25 | Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD |
26 | University of Washington - Seattle Campus | Seattle, WA |
27 | University of Florida | Gainesville, FL |
28 | Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY |
29 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
30 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis, MN |
24 | Colorado School of Mines | Golden, CO |
25 | Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD |
Chemical Engineering by Region
View the Best Chemical Engineering Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
Region |
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Southeast |
New England |
Rocky Mountains |
Plains States |
Middle Atlantic |
Far Western US |
Southwest |
Great Lakes |
Rankings in Majors Related to Chem Eng
One of 40 majors within the Engineering area of study, Chemical Engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.
Chem Eng Concentrations
Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Chemical Engineering | 10,026 |
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering | 146 |
Most Popular Related Majors
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Mechanical Engineering | 36,809 |
Electrical Engineering | 17,320 |
Civil Engineering | 15,193 |
Computer Engineering | 12,194 |
Biomedical Engineering | 8,517 |
Industrial Engineering | 5,876 |
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering | 5,581 |
General Engineering | 2,652 |
Environmental Engineering | 1,799 |
Materials Engineering | 1,519 |
Notes and References
- The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Mikulova. More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Engineering Schools
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