Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology

Chemical engineers design industrial processes that convert raw materials into valuable products. Biotechnologists use living systems and organisms to make valuable products. The need for sophisticated products and sustainable processes means chemical engineers and biotechnologists are in great demand.

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Overview

Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at Cambridge

Our course concentrates on the scientific principles that underpin the discipline. These principles are essential to develop processes and products that address some of the problems currently facing humanity. These include the energy transition away from fossil fuels, the need for sustainable food and water supplies as climate change occurs, and the provision of improved global healthcare solutions and therapeutics.

The aim of our course is to produce graduates who meet the needs of today’s process and biotech industries by providing a thorough understanding of the subject, technical competence and transferable skills. The underlying theory is complemented by projects that teach process and product design for chemical engineering and biotechnology.

We have strong links with industry. The course is supported by a consortium of seven industrial companies which provide input on content and assist with teaching. These links also mean that there are opportunities for vacation placements with some of the world’s top companies.

Teaching and facilities

Our Department enjoys a reputation for excellence in its teaching and research, regularly topping national league tables. The Department’s purpose-built building features the highest quality teaching and research facilities.

Qualifications and accreditation

It’s possible to graduate with a BA degree after three years. However, virtually all students stay for the fourth year leading to the BA and MEng degrees (progression to the fourth year is dependent on satisfactory performance). Accreditation by the Institution of Chemical Engineers is pending for 2023 entry. This accreditation allows graduates to apply for Chartered Engineer status once they have four years of relevant experience, without taking further exams.

Course costs

Tuition fees

Information on tuition fee rates for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology is available on the tuition fees page.

Additional course costs

Required: a University approved scientific calculator - Estimated cost £20
Required: a lab coat - Estimated cost £15

Changing course

To be able to change course, you need the agreement of your College that any change is in your educational interests, and you must have the necessary background in the subject to which you wish to change – in some cases you may be required to undertake some catch-up work or take up the new course from the start/an earlier year. If you think you may wish to change course, we encourage you to contact a College admissions office for advice. You should also consider if/how changing course may affect any financial support arrangements.

After Cambridge

Within chemical engineering and biotechnology, there are many well-paid career opportunities. Graduates might work as engineers or scientists in industry, form part of research teams, or occupy management positions. The wide variety of skills acquired also provides career opportunities outside the discipline. Previous graduates have worked in industry, in finance or management consultancy, or gone on to take higher degrees.

Course Outline

You are taught primarily through lectures, which are supported by projects, laboratory classes, supervisions and coursework.

In a typical week students attend 10 lectures and have two supervisions. In the first two years there is significant laboratory work, while the amount of project work increases each year.

Assessment is by a combination of written examinations and coursework. In the light of the course’s new structure for 2023 entry, please visit the Department website for more details.

Year 1 (Part IA)

You study:

Compulsory papers in chemical engineering, introducing the discipline, sustainability and product design.
Cell biology as the fundamental science behind biotechnology.
Chemistry from Part IA of the Natural Sciences Tripos.
Mathematics from Part IA of the Natural Sciences Tripos.

You also undertake workshop activity for chemical engineering and biotechnology, and do the Chemistry practical laboratory class of Part IA of the Natural Sciences Tripos.

Year 2 (Part IB)

You study:

Compulsory papers in chemical engineering such as thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, separation technology and reaction engineering.
Compulsory paper in biotechnology which includes gene editing, cell production at scale, bioprocessing and biological characterisation techniques.

You also take laboratory classes relating to chemical engineering and biotechnology, undertake assessed exercises, and have classes in computing skills.

Year 3 (Part II)

You study:

Compulsory papers in chemical engineering that deepen knowledge of earlier topics.
Compulsory papers in chemical engineering that relate to process design.
Compulsory paper in biotechnology – including applications of biotechnology for agriculture, healthcare and energy.

You also undertake assessed exercises.

You undertake a full-time group project in the third term to design a plant making a particular chemical or biological product. You consider all aspects of engineering design (including specification of equipment and control procedures), safety, environmental impact and economic assessment. This design project brings together much of the taught subject matter whilst giving students the opportunity to work in a team on an open-ended problem.

Year 4 (Part III)

You study some compulsory topics; these are currently energy technology, sustainability and advanced design.

You choose further topics from a list of optional papers, which changes every year to reflect the research interests of academic staff. Past examples include pharmaceutical engineering, adsorption and nanoporous materials, fluid mechanics and the environment, interface engineering, optical microscopy, biophysics, bionanotechnology, biosensors and bioelectronics, and healthcare biotechnology.

In addition, students undertake a research project. This might involve experimental, theoretical and/or computational work. Some projects support ongoing Department research, while others are ‘blue sky’ investigations leading to new research programmes. Successful projects sometimes lead to students becoming authors of publications in scientific literature.

For further information, see the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology website.

Entry Requirements

This page details the standard entry requirements for this course. Check the document below for any variations between Colleges:

PDF icon Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology entry requirements by College for 2023 entry

Typical offers require

A Level: A*A*A
IB: 40-42 points, with 776 at Higher Level
Other qualifications: See Entrance requirements.

Subject requirements

All Colleges require: A Level/IB Higher Level Mathematics* and Chemistry
Some Colleges require: A Level/IB Higher Level in a third science/mathematics subject; STEP (STEP 2 is likely to be requested by Peterhouse – see the College website for details)

See Entrance requirements and Choosing your post-16 subjects for additional guidance and conditions of entry.

* IB applicants are expected to take IB Higher Level 'Analysis and Approaches' for this course. If this option is not available at your school, please contact the College you wish to apply to for further advice and guidance.

Admission assessment

All applicants for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (including applicants to mature Colleges) are required to take the Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment (NSAA) at an authorised assessment centre (usually their school or college), for which you must be registered in advance.

Please see the Cambridge Admissions Testing website for information about dates and registration deadlines, and check admission assessments for further details.

See Natural Sciences admission assessment for more information about the assessment format, and to download past papers.

Please note that your performance in the assessment will not be considered in isolation, but will be taken into account alongside the other elements of your application.

Submitted work

Applicants are not typically asked to submit examples of written work. Some may be asked by their College to do some reading in advance of their interview, but if this is required the College will provide full details in the letter inviting the student to interview.

All undergraduate admissions decisions are the responsibility of the Cambridge Colleges. Please contact the relevant College admissions office if you have any queries.

Typical Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology entrants (A Level and IB)

For 2017, 2018 and 2019 entry, the majority of entrants from an A Level background achieved at least grades A*A*A* (88% of entrants). All of these successful applicants took Mathematics and Chemistry, 86% took Further Mathematics, 91% took Physics and 8% took Biology. For the same period, the majority of IB entrants achieved at least 43 points overall and/or grades 777 at Higher Level.

This information is intended to give you a sense of the academic standard of our typical A Level entrants. We welcome applicants from a range of qualification backgrounds.

Resources

Find out more about Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at Cambridge

Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology - Find out more about the Department’s research and teaching

CEB department’s YouTube channel - Find out more about the Department’s activities

Whynotchemeng.com - An introduction to chemical, biochemical and process engineering

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Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology

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Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at Cambridge

Teaching and facilities

Qualifications and accreditation

Course costs

Tuition fees

Additional course costs

Changing course

After Cambridge

Course Outline

Year 1 (Part IA)

Year 2 (Part IB)

Year 3 (Part II)

Year 4 (Part III)

Entry Requirements

Typical offers require

Subject requirements

Admission assessment

Submitted work

Typical Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology entrants (A Level and IB)

Find out more about Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at Cambridge

Discover Uni data

Contextual information

Course Film

Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at Cambridge | #GoingToCambridge

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Cambridge Admissions Office

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