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2025 Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania

10 Colleges in Pennsylvania
808 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$73,817 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.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 10 schools in Pennsylvania to determine which ones were the best for chemical engineering students pursuing a degree. 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
2nd Most Popular In PA
109 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded

Carnegie Mellon University is one of the best schools in the country 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 #8 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Carnegie Mellon is a great university overall.

There were about 109 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent data year.

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

2
Lehigh crest
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
64 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$82,435 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Lehigh University if you wish to pursue a degree in chemical engineering. Located in the small city of Bethlehem, Lehigh is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Lehigh is a great university overall.

There were approximately 64 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Lehigh in the most recent data year. Chemical Engineering degree recipients from Lehigh University earn a boost of around $8,618 above the typical earnings of chemical engineering graduates.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Lehigh University

3
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
76 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
36.8% Growth in Graduates

University of Pennsylvania is a good 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 #2 out of 2,152 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. Degree recipients from the chemical engineering major at University of Pennsylvania make $7,904 above the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
108 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$73,072 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested 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. A Best Colleges rank of #85 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Pitt is a great university overall.

There were about 108 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Pitt in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the chem eng program report average early career income of $73,072.

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

5
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
58 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$72,379 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Villanova is a great university overall.

There were approximately 58 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Villanova in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, chem eng degree recipients typically earn around $72,379 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Villanova University

6
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
98 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$77,528 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. This university ranks 10th out of 103 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. Chemical Engineering degree recipients from Drexel University receive an earnings boost of approximately $3,711 above the typical income of chemical engineering graduates.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Drexel University

7
Bucknell crest
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$80,653 Median Starting Salary

Located in the distant town of Lewisburg, Bucknell is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 11th out of 103 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were roughly 25 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Bucknell in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the chemical engineering degree program at Bucknell University earn $6,836 more than the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Bucknell University

8
Lafayette crest
Lafayette College
Easton, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$79,602 Median Starting Salary

Lafayette is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Easton. This college ranks 14th out of 103 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 31 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Lafayette in the most recent data year. Chemical Engineering degree recipients from Lafayette College earn a boost of around $5,785 over the average earnings of chemical engineering majors.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Lafayette College

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$73,072 Median Starting Salary
$34,401 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Johnstown, Pitt Johnstown is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 67th out of 103 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 20 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Pitt Johnstown 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 $73,072.

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

10
Widener crest
Widener University
Chester, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$71,160 Median Starting Salary

Widener is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Chester. This university ranks 19th out of 103 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 year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the chem eng program report average early career wages of $71,160.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Widener University

Best Chemical Engineering Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 333 857
Maryland 279 285
New Jersey 273 394
District of Columbia 188 23
Delaware 175 108

View All Rankings >

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

Chem Eng Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Chemical Engineering 721
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering 87

View All Chem Eng Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Chem Eng

Related Major Annual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering 2,147
Electrical Engineering 1,453
Civil Engineering 936
Biomedical Engineering 895
Computer Engineering 778
General Engineering 446
Industrial Engineering 408
Other Engineering 301
Robotics Engineering 209
Materials Engineering 208

View All Chem Eng Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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