Get a post-graduate work permit for up to three years if you are a full-time UBC international student graduating from a bachelor’s degree program and meet all eligibility criteria.
Want to learn more?
Visit the Faculty of Applied Science (Engineering) website to learn more about Chemical Engineering.
View full program detailsProgram information
Chemical Engineering fuses the physical and chemical sciences with mathematics, process engineering, design, and economics. You’ll learn how to design, build, and operate the manufacturing and industrial processes used to create the products and services essential to everyday life – from energy, food, and fertilizers to pharmaceuticals, plastics, and paper.
Program overview
- Campus
- Vancouver
- Program length
- 4 years
- Honours This option has additional requirements compared to those required in a Major specialization. Students must maintain high academic standing and may have to write a graduating thesis.
- No
- Co-op Co-op is an optional program where students alternate between academic terms and paid work terms. It’s an opportunity to gain relevant job experience while completing your degree.
- Yes
- Faculty
- Faculty of Applied Science (Engineering)
- Degree
- Bachelor of Applied Science (Engineering)
What you'll learn
The program’s objective is to provide an outstanding and distinctive education in chemical engineering, through a comprehensive and progressive range of academic courses and activities that respects society’s needs. Selection of electives from a range of topics prepares chemical engineers for meaningful, satisfying and productive careers in industry, government and academia in British Columbia, Canada and other regions of the world. The Chemical Engineering degree program puts emphasis on the analysis, design, process control and operation of efficient chemical processes within resource-based industries such as oil & gas, pulp & paper, petro-chemical, polymers, inorganic chemicals and fertilizers. In addition, pollution prevention and reduction in industrial processes and systems is emphasized.
The program places emphasis on sustainable engineering in the curriculum. Sustainability principles are integrated in individual courses and in dedicated specific technical electives. In addition, the students are engaged in sustainability projects overseen by the Department’s Sustainability Club.
On completing their first year of Engineering, undergraduate students can apply to one of the two programs in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering:
- Chemical Engineering
- Chemical & Biological Engineering
Both programs are accredited and lead to a Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) degree in their respective areas.
Graduates are eligible, after appropriate industrial experience, for registration as Professional Engineers.
The Chemical & Biological Engineering Building is a new building with undergraduate laboratories equipped to introduce and teach students the concepts of unit operations and processes. A week long third-year field trip is offered in collaboration with British Columbia and Alberta companies to introduce students to industrial operations.
There are over 300 undergrad students in the Chemical and Chemical & Biological Engineering program. The Department also offers programs leading to the Master of Engineering (M.Eng.), Master of Science (M.Sc.), Master of Applied Science (M.A.Sc.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in a number of areas of specialization within chemical and biological engineering. The Department is actively engaged in applied research in chemical and biological engineering, supported in part by external funding of about $6 million a year.
Courses
There are hundreds of courses you can take within Chemical Engineering. Here are a few you might like.
An introduction to the engineering profession including: roles and responsibilities of the engineer, the engineering disciplines, sustainability, an introduction to the engineering design process, introduction and application of the relevant foundational scientific principles, prototyping, engineering graphics, technical communication, and engineering ethics.
Written and oral communication in chemical and biological engineering: business correspondence, laboratory reports, technical description, and poster presentations. Restricted to students in second year of the Chemical and Biological Engineering programs.
Legal, environmental and physicochemical aspects of industrial water pollution and its abatement will be surveyed; techniques for design of wastewater treatment processes currently used in industry; case studies from chemical and process industries will be considered in detail.
8-month project-based course, integrating chemical engineering concepts with economics, life cycle analysis and health and safety considerations in the design of major chemical processes.
Outcomes
Your career opportunities will vary widely across a range of fields including manufacturing and processing, energy, healthcare, pulp and paper, oil and gas, agriculture, plastics and composite materials, and environmental management, and others.
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“Here I have a chance to work with great researchers in hi-tech labs that will certainly increase my knowledge and increase my chances for good jobs when I go back to Brazil.”
Hívio Silva, Chemical Engineering
Take action & plan
Program requirements
Choose application type:
English-language requirements
English is the language of instruction at UBC. All prospective students must demonstrate English-language competency prior to admission. There are numerous ways to meet the English Language Admission Standard.
General admission requirements
IB Diploma Programme
- Completed IB Diploma, including at least three Higher Level courses.
IB Certificate Courses
- IB Certificate courses (Standard and Higher Level) may be used in an admissions average if you are graduating from a recognized high school curriculum that can be used as your basis of admission.
- IB Math Applications and Interpretations SL, or IB Math Studies, do not satisfy the math requirement for admission to UBC’s science-based programs, the Faculty of Management, the UBC Sauder School of Business, or the Vancouver School of Economics.
Degree-specific requirements: Applied Science (Engineering)
- IB Math Analysis and Approaches SL or HL, or IB Math Applications and Interpretations HL. (IB Math Applications and Interpretations SL, or IB Math Studies, are not acceptable.)
- IB Chemistry
- IB Physics
- Academically strong candidates missing either IB Chemistry or IB Physics may be evaluated on a case-by-case basis
Related courses
The following subject categories are particularly relevant for this degree. Consider taking courses in these areas in your junior year and senior year.
- Language Arts
- Mathematics and Computation
- Sciences
Want to get a feel for campus?
If you’re unable to visit UBC in person, or you just want to get a sneak peek at your new home campus before you arrive, take one of our virtual tours. Current UBC students walk you through UBC’s residences, study spots, recreational facilities, lecture halls, academic buildings, and more.
Related programs
Want to learn more?
Visit the Faculty of Applied Science (Engineering) website to learn more about Chemical Engineering.
View full program detailsGet a post-graduate work permit for up to three years if you are a full-time UBC international student graduating from a bachelor’s degree program and meet all eligibility criteria.
Want to learn more?
Visit the Faculty of Applied Science (Engineering) website to learn more about Chemical Engineering.
View full program details