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2025 Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region

17 Colleges in the Southwest Region
1,422 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 17 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for chemical engineering students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,422 degrees in chemical engineering annually.

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

Choosing a Great Chemical Engineering School

Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region 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

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

The chem eng school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region. 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 the Southwest Region

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 Southwest Region Schools in Chem Eng

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
294 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
6.1% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat Texas A&M University - College Station if you want to pursue a degree in chemical engineering. Located in the midsize city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #42 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Texas A&M College Station is a great university overall.

There were approximately 294 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent year we have data available. Those chemical engineering students who get their degree from Texas A&M University - College Station receive $12,359 more than the typical chem eng student.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Texas A&M University - College Station

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
165 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$87,365 Median Starting Salary

The University of Texas at Austin is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in chemical engineering. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #46 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were roughly 165 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Chemical Engineering degree recipients from The University of Texas at Austin earn a boost of approximately $13,548 above the average income of chemical engineering majors.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin

3
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$87,830 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in chemical engineering needs to check out Rice University. Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Houston. A Best Colleges rank of #48 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Rice is a great university overall.

There were approximately 44 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the chemical engineering program at Rice University earn $14,013 more than the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Rice University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
166 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$78,813 Median Starting Salary

Arizona State University - Tempe is a great decision for students interested in a degree in chemical engineering. ASU - Tempe is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Tempe. A Best Colleges rank of #108 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were roughly 166 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent data year. Chemical Engineering degree recipients from Arizona State University - Tempe earn a boost of about $4,996 above the typical income of chemical engineering majors.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Arizona State University - Tempe

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
132 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
15.9% Growth in Graduates

Texas Tech is a fairly large public university located in the city of Lubbock. A Best Colleges rank of #161 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Texas Tech is a great university overall.

There were approximately 132 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Texas Tech in the most recent data year. Those chemical engineering students who get their degree from Texas Tech University make $3,769 more than the typical chem eng grad.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Texas Tech University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
62 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$73,479 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #110 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means University of Arizona is a great university overall.

There were about 62 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, chem eng degree recipients usually earn an average of $73,479 at the beginning of their careers.

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

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
111 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
11.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Houston, UH is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 14th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 111 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UH in the most recent data year. Chemical Engineering degree recipients from University of Houston get an earnings boost of approximately $10,651 over the typical income of chemical engineering graduates.

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

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
55 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$82,466 Median Starting Salary

OSU is a very large public university located in the town of Stillwater. A Best Colleges rank of #366 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means OSU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 55 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at OSU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the chemical engineering degree program at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus earn $8,649 more than the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$77,751 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Norman, University of Oklahoma is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #191 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means University of Oklahoma is a great university overall.

There were roughly 68 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at University of Oklahoma in the most recent year we have data available. Those chemical engineering students who get their degree from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus receive $3,934 more than the typical chem eng grad.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$47,705 Median Starting Salary

University of Tulsa is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Tulsa. This university ranks 10th out of 31 schools for overall quality in the state of Oklahoma.

There were roughly 27 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at University of Tulsa in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, chem eng degree recipients usually make around $47,705 in their early careers.

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

Best Chemical Engineering Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 317 914
Arizona 287 286
Oklahoma 257 182
New Mexico 219 120

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 1,422

View All Chem Eng Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Chem Eng

Related Major Annual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering 5,130
Electrical Engineering 3,347
Civil Engineering 2,145
General Engineering 1,847
Computer Engineering 1,686
Biomedical Engineering 1,302
Industrial Engineering 1,139
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 1,076
Petroleum Engineering 577
Materials Engineering 373

View All Chem Eng Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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