Chemical engineering courses defy national trend

London - The number of students opting to study chemical engineering in the UK has risen again despite a 6% overall decline in student numbers nationally.

UCAS, the UK’s higher education admissions service, estimates that the chemical engineering student intake has risen by 4% totalling 2201 students across the country. Elsewhere, physics and mechanical engineering intake are both up by 6% and 3% respectively.

There are a record number of students now studying chemical engineering in the UK and student intake has doubled over the last decade.

The encouraging figures may reflect a shift in student attitudes to higher education, believes Matt Stalker, head of communications at the IChemE.

“More than ever, students are going to be thinking about which disciplines represent best return on investment, in terms of career opportunities and earning potential,” said Stalker. “Chemical engineering scores highly in both cases.

“Chemical engineering graduates command a typical starting salary of £28,000/y - the third highest graduate starting salary in the country and there is a wealth of international career options available to graduates in the discipline that are very much in demand.”

For instance, new chemical engineering courses have been launched at both the University of Hull and Westminster University over recent years. Likewise, Bradford University has opted to reinstate its degree offering in the subject.

Meanwhile, IChemE claims that its careers campaign whynotchemeng? has been a key driver behind the rise in student interest throughout the last ten years.

Independent data also shows that the percentage of overseas students opting to study chemical engineering in the UK has been largely unchanged during the same period, the institution notes.