BEng (Hons) Chemical Engineering 48 months Undergraduate Programme By Heriot-Watt University |TopUniversities
Subject Ranking

# 201-250QS Subject Rankings

Programme Duration

48 monthsProgramme duration

Tuitionfee

25,808 GBPTuition Fee/year

Scholarship

6Scholarships

Programme overview

Main Subject

Engineering - Chemical

Degree

BEng

Study Level

Undergraduate

Study Mode

On Campus

Our BEng programme explores the fundamentals of chemical and process engineering. This grounding in science, maths and engineering will provide you with the practical abilities highly sought after by industry. After graduation, you can build upon these skills to become professional engineers. 

Heriot-Watt was ranked 1st in the UK for Chemical Engineering, based on overall student satisfaction, by the 2024 National Student Survey.

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 ranked Heriot-Watt 2nd in Scotland and 10th in UK for Chemical Engineering. 

The BEng in Chemical Engineering is a four-year degree. At the end of fourth year, you can choose whether to swap to the five-year, more advanced MEng degree. The career-focused degree has specialist pathways in pharmaceutical chemistry, computational chemistry, biology or materials and nanoscience. This offers the flexibility to decide which degree and pathway best suits your career ambitions. 

In the final year of the BEng, you will undertake a group project, drawing upon the knowledge gained through your studies. 

As part of the programme, you will receive a student membership for the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), paid for by the department. 

Our expertise

Our Chemical Engineering programmes have recently been ranked 1st in the UK by the National Student Survey 2024.


Your learning will be informed by the expertise of our research-active chemical engineers and academics. The research relevance of this undergraduate programme ensures your studies remain cutting-edge and industry focused. 


96% of Heriot-Watt University’s engineering research was classed as world-leading in the REF 2021 review, which ranked us 1st in Scotland and 3rd in the UK for engineering research through a joint submission with the University of Edinburgh. 


Our BEng Chemical Engineering is directly informed by the world class research carried out by Heriot-Watt’s Mechanical, Process and Energy Engineering (IMPEE) and the Research Institute for Biological Chemistry, Biophysics and Bioengineering.  


Research Institute for Biological, Chemistry, Biophysics and Bioengineering focuses on four main themes: 


  • Biological Chemistry 
  • Bioengineering 
  • Brewing and Distilling 
  • Health Research 

IMPEE research institute focuses on promoting excellence across four main research themes: 


  • Biomedical Engineering 
  • Digital Engineering 
  • Energy Harvesting and Conversion 
  • Multiphase Flow 

Heriot-Watt University is the leader amongst UK universities in promoting energy activities through its Energy Academy, a virtual centre which connects all energy-related research across the University.


Your Learning Environment

The BEng Chemical Engineering programme is taught though a combination of lectures, tutorials, and laboratory practicals, allowing you to get to know and build relationships with your teaching staff, academics, and peers. You will be assessed by coursework, exams, and your dissertation, and will receive support and feedback throughout the programme.  


During your studies, you’ll benefit from and have access to our specialist equipment, software and laboratories used by professional chemical engineers. Our labs have a full range of services including modern cooling, steam, and compressed air systems. 


You will learn the foundations of electronics and programming through the curriculum, becoming proficient in both Arduino and LabVIEW as graphical programming platforms. 


Outside of the classroom, you can apply your learnt knowledge and skills to a number of Chemical Engineering related societies including: 

  • Chemical Engineering Society 
  • Engineers without Borders 
  • Watt Women in STEM 

Societies provide a great opportunity to meet likeminded people, get involved in regular social events and networking events, and gain insights into career prospects in Chemical and Process Engineering, and other relevant industries.

Customise Your Learning

You’ll have the opportunity to focus on the areas of mechanical engineering that interest you the most. You can customise your degree to match your specific interests or desired career pathway by studying a set of core mandatory courses and choosing additional optional modules over the course of your four-year studies. You will choose optional courses from an extensive list, including Fluid Mechanics, Industrial Chemical Processes, Heat Transfer, Chemical Reaction Engineering, Sustainable Development and Engineering management, Process Control, Multiphase Thermodynamics, and Bioprocessing.  

In your fourth and final year, you’ll undertake your process engineering design project, in which you’ll integrate, develop and demonstrate your knowledge of chemical and process engineering to an open-ended problem, whilst demonstrating the importance of sustainability, economics and safety in chemical and process engineering design. In your project, you will apply the engineering science to a current engineering problem to offer a real-world solution. The project will give you a realistic exercise in the practice of engineering at professional level and receive feedback on your working ability in a simulated professional situation to help ease you into life after graduation.   

Throughout your studies, you’ll have the opportunity to Go Global on Heriot-Watt’s global student programme. You can continue your studies on an inter-campus transfer to Dubai where you will experience new cultures, expand your horizons, meet new friends, and emerge a true global citizen prepared for wherever your career journey will take you. Alternatively, you can choose to go on exchange to study Chemical Engineering at Edith Cowan University in Australia for a full academic year.   

Accreditation

The BEng (Hons) Chemical Engineering is accredited by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) on behalf of the Engineering Council*. As part of the programme, you will receive a student membership of the IChemE, paid for by the department. 

IChemE accreditation demonstrates the academically sound and industrially relevant nature of our BEng Chemical Engineering and provides you with a pathway to qualify as a Chartered or Incorporate Engineer with the Engineering Council.   

*for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as an Incorporated Engineer and partially meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered Engineer. Candidates must hold a masters or doctorate accredited as further learning for CEng to hold accredited qualifications for CEng registration. 

Programme overview

Main Subject

Engineering - Chemical

Degree

BEng

Study Level

Undergraduate

Study Mode

On Campus

Our BEng programme explores the fundamentals of chemical and process engineering. This grounding in science, maths and engineering will provide you with the practical abilities highly sought after by industry. After graduation, you can build upon these skills to become professional engineers. 

Heriot-Watt was ranked 1st in the UK for Chemical Engineering, based on overall student satisfaction, by the 2024 National Student Survey.

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 ranked Heriot-Watt 2nd in Scotland and 10th in UK for Chemical Engineering. 

The BEng in Chemical Engineering is a four-year degree. At the end of fourth year, you can choose whether to swap to the five-year, more advanced MEng degree. The career-focused degree has specialist pathways in pharmaceutical chemistry, computational chemistry, biology or materials and nanoscience. This offers the flexibility to decide which degree and pathway best suits your career ambitions. 

In the final year of the BEng, you will undertake a group project, drawing upon the knowledge gained through your studies. 

As part of the programme, you will receive a student membership for the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), paid for by the department. 

Our expertise

Our Chemical Engineering programmes have recently been ranked 1st in the UK by the National Student Survey 2024.


Your learning will be informed by the expertise of our research-active chemical engineers and academics. The research relevance of this undergraduate programme ensures your studies remain cutting-edge and industry focused. 


96% of Heriot-Watt University’s engineering research was classed as world-leading in the REF 2021 review, which ranked us 1st in Scotland and 3rd in the UK for engineering research through a joint submission with the University of Edinburgh. 


Our BEng Chemical Engineering is directly informed by the world class research carried out by Heriot-Watt’s Mechanical, Process and Energy Engineering (IMPEE) and the Research Institute for Biological Chemistry, Biophysics and Bioengineering.  


Research Institute for Biological, Chemistry, Biophysics and Bioengineering focuses on four main themes: 


  • Biological Chemistry 
  • Bioengineering 
  • Brewing and Distilling 
  • Health Research 

IMPEE research institute focuses on promoting excellence across four main research themes: 


  • Biomedical Engineering 
  • Digital Engineering 
  • Energy Harvesting and Conversion 
  • Multiphase Flow 

Heriot-Watt University is the leader amongst UK universities in promoting energy activities through its Energy Academy, a virtual centre which connects all energy-related research across the University.


Your Learning Environment

The BEng Chemical Engineering programme is taught though a combination of lectures, tutorials, and laboratory practicals, allowing you to get to know and build relationships with your teaching staff, academics, and peers. You will be assessed by coursework, exams, and your dissertation, and will receive support and feedback throughout the programme.  


During your studies, you’ll benefit from and have access to our specialist equipment, software and laboratories used by professional chemical engineers. Our labs have a full range of services including modern cooling, steam, and compressed air systems. 


You will learn the foundations of electronics and programming through the curriculum, becoming proficient in both Arduino and LabVIEW as graphical programming platforms. 


Outside of the classroom, you can apply your learnt knowledge and skills to a number of Chemical Engineering related societies including: 

  • Chemical Engineering Society 
  • Engineers without Borders 
  • Watt Women in STEM 

Societies provide a great opportunity to meet likeminded people, get involved in regular social events and networking events, and gain insights into career prospects in Chemical and Process Engineering, and other relevant industries.

Customise Your Learning

You’ll have the opportunity to focus on the areas of mechanical engineering that interest you the most. You can customise your degree to match your specific interests or desired career pathway by studying a set of core mandatory courses and choosing additional optional modules over the course of your four-year studies. You will choose optional courses from an extensive list, including Fluid Mechanics, Industrial Chemical Processes, Heat Transfer, Chemical Reaction Engineering, Sustainable Development and Engineering management, Process Control, Multiphase Thermodynamics, and Bioprocessing.  

In your fourth and final year, you’ll undertake your process engineering design project, in which you’ll integrate, develop and demonstrate your knowledge of chemical and process engineering to an open-ended problem, whilst demonstrating the importance of sustainability, economics and safety in chemical and process engineering design. In your project, you will apply the engineering science to a current engineering problem to offer a real-world solution. The project will give you a realistic exercise in the practice of engineering at professional level and receive feedback on your working ability in a simulated professional situation to help ease you into life after graduation.   

Throughout your studies, you’ll have the opportunity to Go Global on Heriot-Watt’s global student programme. You can continue your studies on an inter-campus transfer to Dubai where you will experience new cultures, expand your horizons, meet new friends, and emerge a true global citizen prepared for wherever your career journey will take you. Alternatively, you can choose to go on exchange to study Chemical Engineering at Edith Cowan University in Australia for a full academic year.   

Accreditation

The BEng (Hons) Chemical Engineering is accredited by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) on behalf of the Engineering Council*. As part of the programme, you will receive a student membership of the IChemE, paid for by the department. 

IChemE accreditation demonstrates the academically sound and industrially relevant nature of our BEng Chemical Engineering and provides you with a pathway to qualify as a Chartered or Incorporate Engineer with the Engineering Council.   

*for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as an Incorporated Engineer and partially meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered Engineer. Candidates must hold a masters or doctorate accredited as further learning for CEng to hold accredited qualifications for CEng registration. 

Admission Requirements

6+
29+
  • Standard entry requirements
    • Highers AABB (over two sittings). Must include Chemistry and Maths with one at A.
    • A-Levels BBC- ABB. Must include Chemistry and Maths, with one at B.
    • International Baccalaureate 29 points. Must include Chemistry and Maths, both at Higher Level 5.
    • BTEC Extended Diploma DMM. Must be relevant science subject including sufficient Chemistry and Maths.
    • HNC A in graded unit. Must be relevant science subject including sufficient Chemistry and Maths.
    • HND BB in graded unit. Must be relevant science subject including sufficient Chemistry and Maths.

    Year 2

    • Advanced Highers AB. Must include Advanced Higher Chemistry and Maths, and meet Year 1 Higher AABB requirements.
    • A-Levels BBB to include Chemistry and Maths.
    • International Baccalaureate 34 points. Must include Chemistry and Maths at HL 6.
    • BTEC Extended Diploma: Not available.
    • HNC A in graded unit with 120 SCQF credit points and must include sufficient Chemistry and Maths. (Available for Access Threshold eligible only).
    • HND AB / BA (standard) or BB (Access Threshold Eligible only). Must include sufficient Chemistry and Maths.
    • Global College Successful completion of our Engineering with Accelerator Programme.

    Year 3

    • Entry to Year 3 is only available via our associate student partnership college route.

    4 Years
    Sep

    Tuition fees

    International
    25,808 GBP

    Scholarships

    IMechE Scholarships (for Mechanical Engineers)

    IMechE Scholarships (for Mechanical Engineers)
    Master Bachelors Open

    Value

    $21800

    Deadline

    31 Aug 2026

    Application requirements

    QS Event Attendance is NOT required

    Entry requirements

    You must be admitted to this school to be awarded

    Norway Early Bird Scholarship

    Norway Early Bird Scholarship
    Bachelors Master Open

    Value

    $6000

    Deadline

    1 May 2026

    Application requirements

    QS Event Attendance is NOT required

    Entry requirements

    You must be admitted to this school to be awarded

    International Merit Scholarship

    International Merit Scholarship
    Bachelors Master Open

    Value

    $2000

    Deadline

    30 Jun 2026

    Application requirements

    QS Event Attendance is NOT required

    Entry requirements

    You must be admitted to this school to be awarded

    Heriot-Watt University Expenses Bursary

    Heriot-Watt University Expenses Bursary
    Bachelors Master Open

    Value

    $525

    Deadline

    31 Aug 2026

    Application requirements

    QS Event Attendance is NOT required

    Entry requirements

    You must be admitted to this school to be awarded

    Heriot-Watt Sports Scholarships

    Heriot-Watt Sports Scholarships
    Master Bachelors Open

    Value

    25% tuition fee waiver

    Deadline

    31 Jul 2026

    Application requirements

    QS Event Attendance is NOT required

    Entry requirements

    You must be admitted to this school to be awarded

    Americas and Europe (Non-EU) Scholarship

    Americas and Europe (Non-EU) Scholarship
    Bachelors Master Open

    Value

    $5000

    Deadline

    15 Jun 2026

    Application requirements

    QS Event Attendance is NOT required

    Entry requirements

    You must be admitted to this school to be awarded

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