Bachelor of Chemical Engineering at Pennsylvania State University

    Bachelor of Chemical Engineering at Pennsylvania State University

    Bachelor of Chemical Engineering at Pennsylvania State University

    International students can study the Chemical Engineering at Pennsylvania State University across its Any Penn State Campus and University Park campuses in United States of America. This Bachelor degree is available as a Full Time program delivered on campus in English. The program has a duration of 4 years and is offered across its Any Penn State Campus and University Park campuses. Students can apply for the next intake starting on June 1, 2027.

    About Bachelor of Chemical Engineering

    Chemical engineers draw extensively on a strong foundation in the chemical, physical, and biological sciences. They focus on the processes involved in making new products or treating the environment, such as pharmaceuticals, plastics, alternative fuels, therapeutic proteins, and artificial organs. Chemical engineering is a broad discipline that encompasses many different scientific principles in engineering and technology. Chemical engineers apply the principles of chemistry, biology, and physics to solve problems involving the production of chemicals, fuel, drugs, food and energy solutions.

    You Might Like This Program If...

    • You want to solve some of today's most critical global issues involving food, energy, pharmaceutical drugs and environmental sustainability using the principles of chemistry, biology, physics and technology.
    • You enjoy supervising the design of chemical reactions for energy production or human development.
    • Designing the equipment and processes needed to efficiently create viable products out of raw materials appeals to you.

    Chemical Engineering is one of the most versatile professions--you'll find Chemical Engineers employed in a broad array of industries ranging from pharmaceutical and biotechnical companies to semiconductor manufacturing to start-up companies converting the latest laboratory discoveries to large-scale commercial production. Chemical Engineers work with catalysts to develop new ways to manufacture medicines and plastics; they develop control systems that enable the safe production of products from semiconductors to household soap; they design chemical and petroleum plants; they research the effects of artificial organs on blood flow; and they develop the equipment and processes necessary for advances in biotechnology. While chemistry emphasizes the facts and principles of science, chemical engineering emphasizes its practical application for the development of new products and processes.

    The undergraduate program in Chemical Engineering provides students with fundamental skills in problem solving, analysis, and design, along with hands-on experience in practical applications. The curriculum builds upon the traditional foundation in the chemical and energy-related industries and introduces new material in the life sciences, polymers, and environmental fields.

    The undergraduate program in chemical engineering at Penn State has been designed so that students can identify and pursue their personal and professional goals while obtaining a strong foundation in the principles and practice of chemical engineering.  The program aims to produce graduates who will attain one or more of the following:

    • Careers as practicing chemical engineers in traditional chemical and energy-related industries as well as in expanding areas of materials, environmental, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries.
    • Advanced degrees in chemical engineering (or a related technical discipline), medicine, law, or business.
    • Positions that provide the technical, educational, business, and / or political leadership needed in today's rapidly changing, increasingly technological, global society.

    Student Outcomes

    Student outcomes describe what students are expected to know and be able to do by the time of graduation. The Chemical Engineering program is designed to enable students to:

    1. Identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
    2. Apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
    3. Communicate effectively with a range of audiences
    4. Recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
    5. Function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
    6. Develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
    7. Acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

    Disciplines

    Engineering

    Requirements and Admission Criteria for Bachelor of Chemical Engineering at Pennsylvania State University

    Entry Requirements

    Penn State requires the submission of specific academic credentials to complete your application. Review the secondary and post-secondary requirements for your country below.

    If you are a first year student applying to Penn State:

    Click Apply to start your Penn State application. Before starting, you can also review the Applying Online Worksheet for more details and helpful hints about the application.

    Your application work can be saved at each step of the process by clicking the Save and Continue button at the bottom of the page. This feature will allow you to move back and forth within the application or log off and return to complete your application at a later time.

    After completing your Academic History, you will need to provide your Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR). As you begin the SRAR process, a new window will open allowing you to complete your SRAR. SRAR will focus on your high school coursework. It is important that this step is a complete and accurate representation of your school record. Therefore, have a copy of your secondary school records available as you complete your SRAR. You will need to enter every class and every grade earned for the last three years, as well as those classes in progress.

    After completing your SRAR, you will be directed back to the Penn State application in order to complete the Program of Study portion of the application. Here, you will indicate your desired starting semester, your intended program of study, and your starting and ending campus. For further details on how to complete this portion based on your applicant type, please see the steps to apply for first-year students.

    After completing this section of the application, you will provide some additional information, an activities resume, and a personal statement. You will be able to paste in this information from other sources, but note that the formatting may not always paste in as intended.

    If you are a transfer student applying to Penn State:

    All international transfer students will be required to submit official high school transcripts in order to complete the application. International transfer students will not complete the Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR) for either their high school or college coursework.

    If you have accepted your offer of admission to Penn State:

    If you completed SRAR and are accepted to Penn State, please provide the following for grade verification:

    • Official transcript from years 9, 10, 11, and 12. If the transcript is issued in a language other than English, it must be accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.
    • Official copy of the Tawjihi, accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.

    English Requirements

    • IELTSMin 6.5
    • TOEFLMin 80

    Career Opportunities after Completing Bachelor of Chemical Engineering

    Graduates go onto careers in technical roles across a wide variety of industries, including in chemical production, fuels and energy technology, microelectronics, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, materials, design and construction, food processing, environmental health, and safety industries. Students take roles in large and small companies as engineers in production, process development, product development, process automation, among others, as well as consulting and sales positions.

    MORE INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIAL CAREER OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES OF THE CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM

    Opportunities for Graduate Studies

    Our undergraduate curriculum prepares students for graduate studies at the master's or doctoral level in chemical engineering and related engineering and science fields. Fundamental classwork as well as computational and experimental research experiences help students progress towards graduate studies, and eventual research positions in industry, academia, and national laboratories. Graduates are trained to be independent researchers with the ability to solve some of today's most challenging real-world issues. As trained problem solvers, students completing the chemical engineering bachelor of science degree also progress to further studies in medicine and business.

    MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATE STUDIES

    Professional Resources

    • American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
    • Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Association
    • Omega Chi Epsilon - Chemical Engineering Honors Society
       

    Tuition and Fee Information for Bachelor of Chemical Engineering at Pennsylvania State University

    Application Fee 75

    How to Apply for Bachelor of Chemical Engineering at Pennsylvania State University

    Step 1: Choose Your Application Method

    Apply through MyPennState

    The first step of the application process is to create a Penn State account, if you do not have one already. MyPennState is where future students can access the online application.

    If you are new to MyPennState, you will need to establish a Penn State User ID and password, which you will access during the MyPennState profile creation process. Once you have your log in information, you can sign in to begin work on your application.

    When creating the profile, please use the name that is on your passport. Because materials are filed alphabetically under the family name on the application, it is important that all correspondence and records consistently use the same name (family and given) and spelling. If this name does not match your academic records, please notify us of the difference. Please note: In the U.S., the family name is usually referred to as the last name, and the given name is referred to as the first name.

    Additionally, Penn State requires a current, valid email address, as that is our primary means of communication with international students. To ensure deliverability, please make Penn State (psu.edu) an eligible sender to the account.

    Applying through the Common App

    Applying to Penn State via the Common App is available to first-year (freshman) international students. If applying through the Common App, Penn State will create a MyPennState profile when the application is submitted and you will receive instructions on how to access your profile. If you intend to apply with the Common App, you do not need create a MyPennState profile prior to submitting your application.

    Step 2: Access the Application and Review Important Dates

    While you can create a MyPennState profile at any time, the application for admission becomes available on the following dates:

    Fall/Summer Admission: August 1

    Spring Admission: June 1

    The application submission dates vary by applicant type and intended program of study. Some programs have specific deadlines or admissions requirements. Please refer to our Dates & Deadlines for more information about application deadlines, as well as our Admissions Requirements to review information about any additional materials required for your intended program of study.

    Step 3: Start Your Penn State Application

    If applying through MyPennState:

    Click Apply Online to start your Penn State application. 

    Your application work can be saved at each step of the process by clicking the "Save and Continue" button at the bottom of the page. This feature will allow you to move back and forth within the application or log off and return to complete your application at a later time.

    After completing your Academic History, you will need to provide your Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR), unless otherwise directed. You will be directed to enter information about your secondary school coursework. Please have a copy of your secondary school records as you complete SRAR. It is important that this step is a complete and accurate representation of your school record. You will need to enter every grade for every course you have taken in the last three years, as well as your current schedule of classes.

    Students educated in South Korea will not complete SRAR. The document requirements for South Korea can be found by reviewing our International Credential Requirements.

    After this section, you will be directed back to the Penn State application to complete the Program of Study portion. Here, you will indicate your desired starting semester, your intended program of study, and your starting and ending campus. For further details on how to complete this portion based on your applicant type, please see the steps to apply for either first-year students or transfer students.

    After this portion, you will provide some additional application information, an activities resume, and a personal statement. You will be able to paste in this information from other sources, but note that the formatting may not always paste in as intended.

    If applying through the Common App:

    Complete the Common App, which will then direct you to MyPennState to complete SRAR. Applicants using the Common App may feel that they provided their high school record via the Common App, but Penn State requires the completion of SRAR via MyPennState. We strongly encourage you to obtain an official copy of your high school transcript to ensure accurate entry of your coursework completed and grades earned. The SRAR will include all of your high school coursework from your last three years of work and your current year schedule. If your final year grades are available when you enter SRAR, you can enter them at that time.

    Step 4: Submit Your Application

    The application requires a nonrefundable application fee of $75 for international students. Be sure to complete the last step after Summary and Review, which finalizes payment of your fee, and be certain it is successfully submitted. Once the application is submitted, you can verify its completion by accessing your MyPennState profile.

    Step 5: Submit Required Application Materials

    In order to complete your Penn State application, we need the following materials:

    • Application
    • Secondary school record
    • Post-secondary school records (if applicable)
    • First-year applicants only: Official test scores: SAT (code #2660) or ACT (code #3656)

      Writing Component and Subject Tests

      Please note: The writing component of standardized tests (SAT or ACT) is not required. The writing component will not be used as part of our evaluation. If your test scores include the writing component, by all means, have those scores sent to Penn State. Additionally, we do not require SAT Subject Tests.

    • English language proficiency, if your native language is not English

    Please see the admissions requirements for international students to review the details about the required application materials. Some programs require additional items to complete your application. Please review our Admissions Requirements for those details.

    Penn State does not require letters of recommendation, nor are they used in a student’s evaluation (unless required for a specific program).

    Step 6: Check Your Application Status in MyPennState

    You can always check the status of your application in MyPennState. We will communicate with you via MyPennState and through a series of emails regarding the missing items for your application. When everything has arrived, you will see a status in MyPennState confirming the completion of your application.

    Please note: It is your responsibility to check on the status of your application and send us any missing materials.

    Step 7: Receive Your Admission Decision

    Once we have reached a decision regarding your application, we will update your status in MyPennState and provide a printable PDF of your decision letter. Review our Dates & Deadlines to see when you should expect your decision.

    If accepted, you can accept your offer of admission in MyPennState to begin the process of becoming a Penn State student. Visit our Accepted Students section to review the next steps in this process. Once you accept your offer of admission to Penn State, those students completing SRAR will submit their official records for validation purposes as soon as possible.

    Bachelor of Chemical Engineering at Pennsylvania State University
    Pennsylvania State University
    Pennsylvania State University
    United States of America

    United States of America, University Park

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