Chemistry major with Chemical engineering? (1 Viewer)

[andySBHS2014]

How much would an Advanced Science degree with a major in chemistry complement a chemical engineering degree? Would it make you more qualified, or increase job opportunities?

 

[andySBHS2014]

I think just the chemical engineering degree would suffice. You'd be better off doing masters, because chemistry (theoretical) and chemical engineering overlap so much anyway

The thing I've heard though is that the chemistry in chemical engineering is really basic, and I really like chemistry :/

 

[anomalousdecay]

Engineering and Science are quite different fields. Science leads to more research and academia based job opportunities. Engineering is more related to the application of Science to the real world.

Now, it depends where you end up in Chemical Engineering. In Chemical Engineering you can end up working on factories or industrial sites (similar to what you would expect from HSC Chemistry course option module "Industrial Chemistry", except you would do the designing!!!) or you can end up doing Industrial Chemistry as an engineer (which is more lab design based and you will be in labs every day).

Leaving uni with a Bachelor in Science (Chemistry), you could possibly end up doing an Industrial Chemist's job too (though they do have their differences in a way so it depends on the job specification). However, if you do Chemical Engineering, you will end up with that flexibility to work on sites.

So having a BE (Chemical Engineering) / BE Advanced Science (Chemistry) would leave you more open to different types of jobs. In a sense it won't make you too much more employable as a Chemical Engineer (so a minimal effect), but it will make you way more employable as an individual altogether comparatively as it leads you up to more flexibility for different types of jobs in the end.

However, I dare say that doing Chemistry in university would help a lot as a Chemical Engineer, though it is not a requirement to be a Chemical Engineer. And I would not say the Chemistry in Chemical Engineering is basic at all. You will learn all the difficult stuff, but in engineering roles, less of the work comparatively will purely be Chemistry compared to a more Science related job.

Looking at the UNSW handbook, it seems that the only time you start doing "different" courses is in second year. I am not sure as to what degree of difference exists.

My advice is to do whatever you like that makes you feel happy. If you want, and you get the ATAR for it, do the dual program BE / BE, then drop whenever you like to (first year you will have common units)..

 

[anomalousdecay]

Once again, really good advice

I know you were personally exploring chemical engineering whilst in high school, so just wondering if you knew anything about the UNSW co-op program? Because I've looked at the sponsors for chemical engineering, and honestly besides Quenos none of them are that great. Do you reckon its worth doing the extra year of co-op?

Co-op is definitely worth it. It scaffolds the base of your future career. If you use the time wisely, you can accelerate yourself to good roles early on in your career.

Well there is not too much to know about co-op apart from getting $16750 a year for either four or five years (not sure) and that you get one year of work experience in the end (Not sure if you get paid full amount of full time work or just $16750 again).

Don't know where you got your info from but:

http://www.coop.unsw.edu.au/future_students/programs/chemical_engineering/index.html

Caltex Refineries (NSW) Pty Ltd
Lion Nathan, Tooheys Brewery
Mars Australia Pty Ltd
Qenos Pty Ltd
Shell Refining (Australia) Pty Ltd
Siemens Water Technologies
Sydney Water Corporation
Veolia Water Australia

That is one awesome list.

Also, do note that only maybe 0-3 students each year will get an offer from a specific engineering strand. Co-op is very difficult to get into in the first place.