What is Chemical Engineering?
Chemical engineering is the application of the principles of chemistry and engineering to solve problems involving the production or use of chemicals. The knowledge and duties of chemical engineers utilize the principles and applications of many fields including chemistry, physics, mathematics, and mechanical and electrical engineering. Chemical engineers design equipment and develop processes for large scale chemical manufacturing, plan and test methods of manufacturing the products and treating the by-products, and supervise production.

Chemical engineering jobs may be found in a variety of settings including research institutes, consulting organizations, government departments and a variety of manufacturing industries other than chemical manufacturing such as electronics, photographic equipment, and pulp and paper mills. Chemical engineers may specialize in a particular operation such as oxidation or polymerization or in a particular area such as pollution control or the production of specific products such as automotive plastics or chlorine bleach. Computer technology is increasingly used to optimize all phases of research and production such applications may include process analysis, automated control systems, and statistical quality control.

Research Areas at UCLA:

• Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering
• Energy and the Environment
• Chemical Process Systems Engineering
• Molecular and Nanoscale Engineering Materials
• Semiconductor Manufacturing and Nanotechnology

What are some occupations related to Chemical Engineering?
Control Systems
Design or Development Engineer (Environmental and Waste Management)
Consulting - Chemical Engineer
Operations / Production

What are some industries that recruit Chemical Engineering majors?

Chemical Industry
Agricultural Chemicals
Cosmetic
Environmental
Food Processing
Govt. (Dept. of Energy/ EPA)
Industrial Chemicals
Petroleum
Pharmaceutical
Plastics

Manufacturing plants
Airplane
Automotive
Consumer Products
Food & Beverage
Metals
Microelectronics
Pulp & Paper
Rubber
Textiles

Other
Semiconductor
Biomedical
Bioengineering

Who are some employers that have recruited UCLA Chemical Engineering majors?
AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES
ALLIED SIGNAL
AMD
ANADIGICS
ANDERSEN CONSULTING
ANHEUSER-BUSCH
ARTHUR ANDERSEN
BIOSENSE WEBSTER
CAPSTONE TURBINE CORP
CHEVRON
CIA
CIM VISION INTL.
CYTEK INDUSTRIES
ELI LILLY & CO.
ESI – ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS
EXXONMOBIL
FLUOR DANIEL
GLOBIX CORP
GUIDANT
I2 TECHNOLOGIES
IBM CORPORATION
IDEA EDGE
INTEL CORP
INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER
KLA TENCOR
LSI LOGIC CORPORATION
MOBIL CORPORATION
MOTOROLA
NUTRITE DIVISION OF AMWAY
PHILLIPS SEMICONDUCTOR
PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS
PROCTOR & GAMBLE
ROCKWELL SCIENCE CENTER
SCHLUMBERGER
SPECIAL DEVISES, INC.
STATE WATER RESOURCES CNTRL BD
TETRA TECH
TEXACO
TOKYO ELECTRON AMERICA
TRILOGY
US DEPT OF THE STATE
VITESSE SEMICONDUCTOR
VIZIONAL TECHNOLOGIES
XEROX

Which Student Groups are related to Chemical Engineering:
American Institute of Chemical Engineers www.seas.ucla.edu/aiche
Engineering Society of University of California www.esuc.seas.ucla.edu
Engineering Graduate Student Association www.seas.ucla.edu/egsa

Professional Associations:
American Institute of Chemical Engineers www.aiche.org
American Chemical Society www.acs.org
American Institute of Engineers www.members-aie.org
American Association of Engineering Societies www.aaes.org
American Society for Engineering Education www.asee.org
Resources - Scholarly Societies www.scholarly-societies.org/chem_soc.html

Some Web Resources for further research and information:
Chemical Engineering Progress www.cepmagazine.org

Some resources available in the UCLA Career Center Library:

• For Career Exploration
  “Chemical Engineers” In The Chronicle Occupational Library By CGP
  Career Management for Scientists and Engineers by John K. Borchardt
  Careers in Engineering by Geraldine O. Garner
  Directory Of California Technology Companies By Harris Info Source
  Great Jobs for Engineering Majors by Geraldine O. Garner
  The Insider Guide To Jobs In The Biotech And Pharmaceuticals Industry By Wet Feet Press
  Is There an Engineer Inside You?: A Comprehensive Guide to Career Decisions in Engineering by Celeste Baine
  Job Choices In Science, Engineering, And Technology By Nace
  Jobs Available: A Listing Of Employment Opportunities In The Public Sector [Periodical]
  Opportunities in Petroleum Careers by Gretchen D. Krueger
  Opportunities In Plastics Careers By Jan Bone
  Plunkett’s Energy Industry Almanac by Jack Plunkett, ed.
  Plunkett's Engineering and Research Industry Almanac by Jack Plunkett, ed.
  Professional Careers Sourcebook: Where to find help planning careers that require college or technical degrees, 5th ed. Kathleen E. Maki & Kathleen M. Savage, eds.
  The Space Publications Guide To Space Careers By Scott Sacknoff & Leonard David
  
  
• GRADUATE SCHOOL
  The Best Graduate Programs: Engineering, 2nd ed. By the Princeton Review
  The Grad School Handbook By Richard Jerrard & Margot Jerrard
  Graduate School Admissions Advisor by Kaplan [See: “Chapter 7: Engineering”]
  Graduate Admissions Essays: Write Your Way Into The Graduate School Of Your Choice by Donald Asher
  Peterson’s Graduate Programs In Engineering And Applied Sciences by Peterson’s
  Rea’s Authoritative Guide To Graduate Schools by the Research and Education Association [See “Chapter 11: Chemical Engineering”]

Prepared by Iris Morgan in collaboration with HSSEAS faculty/staff, 2004.