The List of All U.S. Colleges With a Chemical Engineering Major

Blending scientific skills with analytic thought, the study of chemical engineering appeals to students who are interested in both math and science—and who have an interest in solving real-world problems. If this sounds like your high schooler, keep reading to learn why to pursue a chemical engineering degree, glean some insight into how to improve the odds of admission, and see which schools in the U.S. offer a chemical engineering major.

Why Should You Major in Chemical Engineering in College?

Students studying chemical engineering learn about foundational STEM fields—engineering, math, physics, chemistry—to create processes and applications, then work to maintain and refine them, for the use of chemical reactions.

As a STEM field, students leaving college with a chemical engineering degree can expect a financially rewarding experience when entering the workforce. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), 93 out of 100 STEM occupations had wages exceeding the national average. More so, a Georgetown study shows that STEM majors not only have the highest wages, they experience the largest wage growth over the course of their careers.

Chemical engineers can expect high wages, even when compared against other STEM degrees—U.S. News includes it in its list of 10 Bachelor’s Degree Jobs With $100K+ Salaries and the BLS reports that, in 2017, chemical engineers took home a median salary of $102,160. In fact, more than 25% of chemical engineers work in three of the most lucrative industries: petroleum and coal products, research and development, and engineering services.

In addition to the monetary advantage offered by a STEM degree, there is also more job growth. A BLS report shows that between 2009 and 2015, employment in STEM occupations grew by 10.5%, more than twice as fast as the 5.2% job growth in non-STEM fields.

A student with a chemical engineering degree will find a variety of career paths available to them upon entering the workforce. Fields such as aerospace, biomedicine, electronics, environment, medical, and energy are all in need of people to improve their products.

Furthermore, chemical engineering majors acquire an assortment of transferable skills during their college career including the ability to problem solve, think analytically, manage projects, and work within a team. While your student may be planning for a career in chemical engineering, about half of students with a STEM degree are employed in a non-STEM occupation.

Increase Your Odds of Getting Accepted Into a Chemical Engineering Program

One of the best steps a student can take to secure a spot at the institution of their choice is to maintain a high grade point average (GPA) and rank near the top of their class. Along with a strong GPA, colleges expect chemical engineering majors to have taken challenging coursework in high school—classes like AP chemistry, physics, and calculus will both impress admissions officers and give a student a sound academic foundation to build on in college.

Extracurricular activities are a fantastic way for students to exhibit their willingness to pursue interests outside of the classroom. Being a member of your high school’s science or math team is an easy way to show an interest in learning about key fields to chemical engineers, while participating in a robotics competition is a great way to demonstrate your engineering skills to prospective colleges. Top schools look for well-rounded applicants and extracurricular activities offer an opportunity for students to stand out to admissions officers. But not every extracurricular activity needs to be focused around chemical engineering; if a student participates in sports, art, music, or is active in their community, here is the place to showcase it.

For 9th and 10th graders, college can feel like a lifetime away; however, with the promise of a lucrative career, getting into a top-ranked chemical engineering program can be extremely competitive. Our Early Advising Program helps 9th and 10th graders maximize the relatively limited time they have in high school by building a college profile that will attract interest from top schools by helping them clearly define their college goals and creating a roadmap to achieve them.

For juniors beginning to seriously look at college, our College Strategy Program is designed to guide students through the complex college application process—assisting them in avoiding pitfalls and optimizing their profiles. Working one on one with a CollegeVine advisor, 11th graders will build a college list, participate in attention-getting extracurricular activities, and secure moving letters of recommendation.

Which Colleges Have a Chemical Engineering Major?

One of the first steps of building a college list is to find the schools that offer the major you’re interested in, and we’ve taken that step for students interested in pursuing a degree in chemical engineering. Below is a list of all the colleges and universities in the United States that offer a chemical engineering major.

Andrews University

Auburn University

Benedictine College

Bethel University (Minnesota)

Brigham Young University | BYU

Bucknell University

California Baptist University | CBU

California Institute of Technology | Caltech

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona | Cal Poly Pomona

California State University, Long Beach | Long Beach State

Calvin College

Campbell University

Carnegie Mellon University | CMU

Case Western Reserve University

Christian Brothers University | CBU

City College of New York | CCNY

Clarkson University

Clemson University

Cleveland State University | CSU

Colorado School of Mines | Mines

Columbia University

Cooper Union

Cornell University

Drexel University

Florida A&M University | FAMU

Florida Institute of Technology | Florida Tech

Gannon University

Geneva College

Howard University

Illinois Institute of Technology | Illinois Tech

Iowa State University

Kansas State University | KSU

Kentucky State University | KSU

Kettering University

Lafayette College

Lebanon Valley College | LVC

Lehigh University

LeTourneau University | LETU

Louisiana State University | LSU

Louisiana Tech University | La. Tech

Manhattan College

Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MIT

Miami University

Michigan State University

Michigan Technological University | Michigan Tech

Milwaukee School of Engineering | MSOE

Mississippi State University | MSU

Missouri University of Science & Technology | Missouri S&T

Montana State University | MSU

New Jersey Institute of Technology | NJIT

New York University | NYU

North Carolina State University | NC State

Northern Arizona University | NAU

Northern Vermont University | NVU

Northwest University

Oakwood University

Oberlin College

Oregon State University | OSU

Pace University

Pennsylvania State University | PSU

Prairie View A&M University | PVAMU

Princeton University

Purdue University

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | RPI

Rice University

Rochester Institute of Technology | RIT

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Rowan University

Rutgers University–New Brunswick | Rutgers

San Jose State University | SJSU

Seminole State College of Florida

Stanford University

Stevens Institute of Technology

Syracuse University

Tennessee Technological University | Tennessee Tech

Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University–Kingsville

The Ohio State University | OSU

The State University of New York at Buffalo | SUNY Buffalo

The State University of New York at Stony Brook | SUNY Stony Brook

Trine University

Tufts University

Tulane University

Tuskegee University

United States Military Academy | Army

University of Akron

University of Alabama

University of Alabama in Huntsville | UAH

University of Arizona

University of Arkansas

University of California, Berkeley | UC Berkeley

University of California, Davis | UC Davis

University of California, Irvine | UC Irvine

University of California, Los Angeles | UCLA

University of California, Riverside | UC Riverside

University of California, San Diego | UCSD

University of California, Santa Barbara | UCSB

University of Cincinnati

University of Colorado Boulder | CU Boulder

University of Connecticut | UConn

University of Dayton

University of Delaware

University of Florida

University of Houston

University of Illinois at Chicago | UIC

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign | UIUC

University of Iowa

University of Kansas

University of Kentucky

University of Louisiana at Lafayette | UL Lafayette

University of Louisville

University of Maine

University of Mary | UMary

University of Maryland, Baltimore County | UMBC

University of Maryland, College Park | Maryland

University of Massachusetts Amherst | UMass Amherst

University of Massachusetts Lowell | UMass Lowell

University of Michigan

University of Minnesota Duluth | UMD

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | Minnesota

University of Mississippi | Ole Miss

University of Missouri | Mizzou

University of Nebraska–Lincoln | UNL

University of Nevada, Reno

University of New Hampshire | UNH

University of New Haven | UNH

University of New Mexico | UNM

University of North Dakota | UND

University of Notre Dame

University of Oklahoma

University of Pennsylvania | UPenn

University of Pittsburgh | Pitt

University of Rhode Island | URI

University of Rochester

University of South Alabama

University of South Carolina | USC

University of South Florida | USF

University of Southern California | USC

University of Tennessee

University of Texas at Austin | UT Austin

University of Texas at San Antonio | UTSA

University of Texas of the Permian Basin | UT Permian Basin

University of Toledo

University of Tulsa

University of Utah

University of Virginia | UVA

University of Washington

University of Wisconsin-Madison | Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin–River Falls | UW–River Falls

University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point | UW–Stevens Point

University of Wyoming

Vanderbilt University

Villanova University

Virginia Commonwealth University | VCU

Virginia Tech

Washington State University | WSU

Washington University in St. Louis | WashU

Wayne State University | WSU

West Virginia University | WVU

Western Michigan University | WMU

Widener University

Worcester Polytechnic Institute | WPI

Yale University

Youngstown State University

Curious about your chances of acceptance to your dream school? Our free chancing engine takes into account your GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and other data to predict your odds of acceptance at over 500 colleges across the U.S. We’ll also let you know how you stack up against other applicants and how you can improve your profile. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account today to get started!