Chemical Engineering is that branch of Engineering which deals with the design, construction and operation of facilities in which materials undergo chemical and physical change. This covers such diverse processes as crude oil refining, antibiotic production, mining, food processing, power generation, microprocessor manufacture, electronics...
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
The first students (3 in total) from the fledgling Chemical Engineering Department graduated in 1956. In fact, the 60th Anniversary of this momentous event will be celebrated in 2016; all graduates take note.
New graduates can expect a starting salary in the range €30,000 - €45,000 per annum.
If you opt for a post-graduate research degree then you can expect to be paid about €15,000 per annum here in Ireland and $20,000 - $25,000 per annum if you study in the US.
The majority of students will opt to get a job as a chemical engineer on graduating, working in Ireland or abroad. A small number will continue on with their academic career and study towards the attainment of a Master’s degree or PhD by either research or as a taught course; some students will decide to take a “time-out” period for travel etc. before settling down to an career in engineering. Research students are paid and will normally assist with the teaching of undergraduate students while conducting their research. Students may remain at UCD for to complete their research degree programmes or may pursue a higher degree at any of the other third level institutions in Ireland. Many of our graduates have completed their studies in such prestigious international universities as(opens in a new window) Cornell University, the (opens in a new window)University of Pennsylvania, (opens in a new window)Notre Dame, (opens in a new window)Yale, (opens in a new window)MIT, (opens in a new window)Princeton, (opens in a new window)Carnegie Mellon, (opens in a new window)Caltech, (opens in a new window)McGill University, the (opens in a new window)University of New Brunswick, (opens in a new window)University of Cambridge, (opens in a new window)University of Sydney, (opens in a new window)Technical University of Berlin,(opens in a new window) Imperial College London, (opens in a new window)University College London, to name but a few (opens in a new window)(click here for more Universities).
As a UCD Engineering student, you’ll enrol in a common first year (DN150), which allows you to gain an understanding of the many different engineering disciplines available, before being offered an unrestricted choice of specialisation. The 2015 minimum entry points requirement was 500*. At the end of first year you pick your preferred option and there are no restrictions on the number of places available in any of the programmes.
The numbers vary from year to year but the percentage of females is on average greater than 30%. You can see for your self by clicking on the alumni section to view past graduating class photos.