Overview
Choose our BEng (Hons) Chemical Engineering course if you are looking for a fascinating career working on the industrial processes that make the world work. Chemical Engineering focuses on developing safe and sustainable ways to turn raw materials into everyday products. We run a hands-on course, that includes computer simulation, laboratory practice, industrial days and visits, and a community that is diverse, friendly, and supportive. You also have the opportunity to work in industry on placement for a year. It is this environment that enables our graduates to be well-equipped to work in industries including energy, water, food, drink, chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
Accredited by the Institution of Chemical Engineers, the course offers progression to Chartered Engineer status.
Why Chemical Engineering at LSBU?
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- All students on this programme say that staff support them in their learning (National Student Survey 2024).
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- Students on this programme say that the course is developing their knowledge and skills for the future (National Student Survey 2024).
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- 2nd in the UK for Student Satisfaction for Chemical Engineering (Complete University Guide by Subject, 2025).
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- Top 10 in the UK for Engineering teaching (National Student Survey 2023).
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- We’ve recently invested over £400,000 in new teaching facilities dedicated to chemical and energy engineering.
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- Exciting employment opportunities - Our students have secured placements and graduate jobs at Pfizer, GSK, Dow and Chevron.
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- From AI machine learning boot camp to silent film processing, there is a range of extracurricular activities for Engineering students to get involved in.
| ModeFull-time | Duration3 years | Start dateSeptember | Application codeH805 | Application method UCAS |
Course Accreditations
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ICHEME
Location
London South Bank University student union is located at 103 Borough Rd, London SE1 0AA.
If you are visiting our Southwark Campus, you may wish to use our downloadable campus map (PNG File 466 KB). For information on accessibility, see our DisabledGo access guides. See our location page for more details.
Entry Level Requirements
Want to start your course this September? call 0800 923 8888 for entry requirements.
- 120 UCAS points, with subjects including Maths and Physical Sciences (Chemistry preferred). Visit UCAS for guidance on the tariff.
- GCSE Maths grade C or above or equivalent (reformed GCSEs grade 4 or above).
- If you do not meet the entry criteria above we also review any previous skills, knowledge or experience you have gained outside of your education and are happy to talk through any extenuating circumstances you feel relevant. You may also be interested in our Chemical Engineering with Foundation Year (BEng Hons) programme which has lower entry requirements.
Choose your country
Select country here:
Missing English and Maths qualifications?
If you do not have the required English and Maths qualifications needed to satisfy the entry requirements for this programme, we have courses available at our partner College that you can take to upskill in these areas. Find out more at South Bank College.
Advanced entry
If you have already completed some studies at another university, we may be able to consider you for advanced entry. Please see our advanced entry page for more information.
United Kingdom
£9250
Tuition fees for home students
International
£15900
Tuition fees for international students
Tuition fees are subject to annual inflationary increases. Find out more about tuition fees for Undergraduate or Postgraduate courses.
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Full-time
full-time
BEng (Hons) Chemical Engineering (FT) - Year 1
UK fee: £9250 International fee: £15900 AOS/LSBU code: 5580 Session code: 1FS00 Total course fee: * The full amount is subject to fee increases, the total shown below is based on current fees.
UK (excluding any optional years): £27750 UK (including any optional years): £27750 International (excluding any optional years): £47700 International (including any optional years): £47700 BEng (Hons) Chemical Engineering (FT) - Year 2
UK fee: £9250 International fee: £15900 AOS/LSBU code: 5580 Session code: 2FS00 Total course fee: * The full amount is subject to fee increases, the total shown below is based on current fees.
UK (excluding any optional years): £27750 UK (including any optional years): £27750 International (excluding any optional years): £47700 International (including any optional years): £47700 BEng (Hons) Chemical Engineering (FT) - Year 3
UK fee: £0 International fee: £0 AOS/LSBU code: 5580 Session code: 3FS00 Total course fee: * The full amount is subject to fee increases, the total shown below is based on current fees.
UK (excluding any optional years): £27750 UK (including any optional years): £27750 International (excluding any optional years): £47700 International (including any optional years): £47700 BEng (Hons) Chemical Engineering (FT) - Year 4
UK fee: £9250 International fee: £15900 AOS/LSBU code: 5580 Session code: 4FS00 Total course fee: * The full amount is subject to fee increases, the total shown below is based on current fees.
UK (excluding any optional years): £27750 UK (including any optional years): £27750 International (excluding any optional years): £47700 International (including any optional years): £47700
For more information, including how and when to pay, see our fees and funding section for undergraduate students.
Please check your fee status and whether you are considered a Home, EU or International student for fee-paying purposes and for our regulatory returns, by reading the UKCISA regulations.
See our Tuition Fees Regulations (PDF File 391 KB) and Refund Policy (PDF File 775 KB).
Possible fee changes
The University reserves the right to increase its fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any government guidance or decisions.
The fees for international students are reviewed annually and the University reserves the right to increase the tuition fees in line with the RPIX measure of inflation up to 4 per cent.
Scholarships
We offer several types of fee reduction through our scholarships and bursaries. Find the full list and other useful information on our scholarships page.
International students
The course is not currently open to international students.
International (non Home) applicants should follow our international how to apply guide.
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| Mode Full-time | Duration 3 years | Start date September | Application code H805 | Application method UCAS |
Accommodation
Once we have made you an offer, you can apply for accommodation. You can rent from LSBU and you’ll deal directly with the university, not third party providers. That means we can guarantee you options to suit all budgets, with clear tenancy agreements and all-inclusive rents that include insurance for your personal belongings, internet access in each bedroom and on-site laundry facilities.
Or, if you’d rather rent privately, we can give you a list of landlords – just ask our Accommodation Service.
Read more about applying for accommodation at LSBU.
Finance
You don't need to wait for a confirmed place on a course to start applying for student finance. Read how to pay your fees as an undergraduate student.
Prepare to start
Applicant events
After you’ve received your offer we’ll send you emails about events we run to help you prepare for your course.
Enrolment
Before you start your course we’ll send you information on what you’ll need to do before you arrive and during your first few days on campus. You can read about the process on our Enrolment pages.
This bachelor’s level undergraduate course covers the theory of chemical engineering with a focus on application to research and industry, as well as introducing topics that are important for future energy, mixed with a focus on renewables and oil and gas. Along with in-class and online teaching, in the form of lectures and tutorials, we provide a broad, engaging, and supportive taught experience, including:
- Laboratory practice
- Computer simulation
- Practical skills – presenting, report writing, teamwork and organisation
- Wide-ranging support services
- Talks and workshops from the industry
- Site visits and field trips
- The CEE Green Energy Society
- Optional industrial placement
In the first year, you are introduced to basic engineering practice, design engineering and the fundamentals of chemical engineering. The second year focuses on core unit operations such as thermodynamics, chemical reactions, separation processes, process design, simulation, and control.
After two years of study, you are encouraged to have a one-year industrial placement (sandwich course), with support on how to search provided by LSBU’s Careers Hub.
In the final year, the course trains you in specific areas of process control, safety, sustainability and environmental management, and advanced areas of compressible fluids, separation, and reactor design. The final year design project covers a wide range of aspects of industrial scale process design from raw material feedstocks to final marketable products, taking into account cost estimation, HAZOP, environmental impact assessment, sustainability analysis and process optimization.
The total credit value of the course is 360 credits, made up of 16 standard 20-credit modules and one final-year project module worth 40 credits. Each year you need to complete 120 credits.
Year 1
- Design and practice
This module provides you with an understanding of the chemical industries, their economic significance and the career pathways available to professional engineers in these industries. It also equips you with basic principles of chemical processes such as mass and energy balances. - Engineering mathematics and modelling
This module consolidates your knowledge of a broad range of mathematical methods and techniques appropriate for engineering courses, and enables you to apply mathematical methods, tools and notations proficiently in the analysis and solution of engineering problems. - Engineering principles
This module consolidates your knowledge and understanding of a broad range of engineering principles such as measurement systems and units, thermal physics and mechanical and electrical principles. The teaching is supported by laboratory experiments. - Mass and energy balances
This module develops your knowledge of engineering concepts such as material science, fluid mechanics and thermodynamics, allowing them to be further developed in future years of study. - Chemical Engineering computing
The module provides you with an understanding of the principles of programming and the use of programming languages. It enables you to solve chemical engineering problems using numerical techniques and programming languages such as Matlab software. - Materials and Thermofluids
This module develops your knowledge of engineering concepts such as material science, fluid mechanics and thermodynamics, allowing them to be further developed in future years of study.
Year 2
- Advanced engineering mathematics and modelling
This module develops your knowledge of advanced engineering mathematics, and the skills which enable you to apply mathematical methods and tools proficiently in the analysis and solution of a variety of engineering problems. - Thermodynamics
This module provides you with the fundamental principles of thermodynamics (heat, energy and power) and their role in chemical engineering processes and systems. - Separation processes
This module equips you with an understanding of the scientific principles underlying separation processes such as distillation and absorption, and their fundamentals design procedures. - Kinetics and reaction engineering
In this module you will learn the principles of reaction kinetics and reactor design, including basic concepts such as rate laws, ideal reactors and reactor arrangements. The teaching is supported by laboratory experiment. - Principles of control
This module is designed to provide you with a good foundation in control systems. The main aim is to provide the tools to mathematically model dynamical systems, predict their time and frequency responses, analyse their stability and understand the role of feedback loops to modify the behaviour of a system. - Process design and simulation
This module introduces the principles of process design, flowsheeting and flowsheet calculations, process simulation, as well as process economics and concepts such as capital and operating costs. It also introduces heat exchanger design and concept of pinch analysis.
Year 3
Optional placement year
Year 4
- Design project
This module enhances and builds on your knowledge and ability to design a chemical plant with the opportunity to propose new and/or innovative processes. It improves your communication skills and self-esteem through weekly feedback sessions, and your ability to work in a team as well as individually. - Separation and Reactor Design
The module is aimed at developing your understanding of design on advanced separation and reaction processes and enhancing your ability to apply learned fundamental knowledge to process applications. - Process safety and environmental management
This module provides knowledge of the major hazards for chemical engineering industry, both on-site, and to the surrounding and wider environment. You will gain the skills to apply a range of analysis and safety management techniques to enable safe operation of chemical processes. - Sustainability and process integration
This module aims to provide students with the necessary knowledge and technical skills to address global issues regarding to improved sustainability such as clean energy and clean industrial practice. - Process control and compressible fluids
In this module you will learn about process control focused on dynamic modelling and control of first and second order processes. For the fluid flow aspect, you will learn about the flow of compressible fluids/gases for adiabatic and isentropic processes.
Careers
Employability Service
At LSBU, we want to set you up for a successful career. During your studies – and for two years after you graduate – you’ll have access to our Employability Service, which includes:
- An online board where you can see a wide range of placements: part-time, full-time or voluntary. You can also drop in to see our Job Shop advisers, who are always available to help you take the next step in your search.
- Our Careers Gym offering group workshops on CVs, interview techniques and finding work experience, as well as regular presentations from employers across a range of sectors.
Our Student Enterprise team can also help you start your own business and develop valuable entrepreneurial skills.
Chemical engineering is a significant growth sector for the UK and across the world. The solutions to our current problems will be solved by creative and energetic engineers; this is your time to make a difference.
LSBU has an enviable reputation for employability and entrepreneurship. Our graduates find opportunities across the world and make an impact wherever they go. The combination of Engineering and LSBU’s focus on high-quality teaching and skills development with a vocational drive is key to the success of our graduates. Study with us and doors will open as you embark on the journey that is your career.
This degree opens a wealth of sectors to you: chemical industries, food and drink, pharmaceuticals, energy and oil and gas industries. You could run projects designing and simulating chemical processes or be a research and development engineer working on new plants, systems and processes.
The students in our BEng course may wish to transfer to the corresponding MEng Chemical Engineering if they qualify or may also apply for any of the divisions MSc courses; Advanced Chemical Engineering, MSc Future Energy Engineering or MSc Process Safety.
In addition, there are several opportunities to apply to a PhD in Chemical Process and Energy Engineering in our Division
The programme has been designed to give maximum opportunity to demonstrate the skills required for a full career using the techniques learned on the course.
This degree is accredited by the Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered Engineer.
The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) is the global professional membership organisation for people with relevant experience in chemical engineering. Having this accreditation helps progression towards Chartered Engineer status, which is an internationally recognised qualification.
Accreditation is a mark of assurance that the degree meets the standards set by the Engineering Council in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC).
An accredited degree will provide you with some or all of the underpinning knowledge, understanding and skills for eventual registration as an Incorporated (IEng) or Chartered Engineer (CEng).
Some employers recruit preferentially from accredited degrees, and an accredited degree is likely to be recognised by other countries that are signatories to international accords.
- IChemE is the global professional membership organisation for people with relevant experience in chemical engineering. Having this accreditation helps progression towards Chartered Engineer status, which is an internationally recognised qualification.
Placements
You are encouraged to take an industrial placement in your third year (Sandwich Course). During this placement you can start to put your newly acquired skills into practice. This is an opportunity to understand the way industry functions and to gain an appreciation of the priorities of the commercial environment.
Placement years are a great opportunity and many students get their first job offers through their training year or the experience gained helps them towards their first job offer elsewhere. Some students are able to spend the year working outside the UK in Europe, and sometimes further afield.
Teaching and Assessment
As the teaching team in the Division of Chemical and Energy Engineering, we are enthusiastic about our teaching and research. We are a multidisciplinary team with expertise in chemical engineering, energy engineering, and materials engineering, some with industrial experience.
All modules are taught through a combination of three or more of lectures, tutorials, computer workshop, laboratory practical, seminars and group work which deliver the intended knowledge and understanding, and intellectual/practical/transferrable skills. There are workshops which are run by external guest lecturers from relevant industries.
Most modules are assessed through both examination and individual/group coursework, with typical weightings of 70% examination and 30% coursework. There are a few modules which are based on 100% coursework throughout your studies mainly with focus on process or product design.
Your personal tutor is assigned during the first three weeks of starting the course. Your personal tutor will be your first point of contact should you have any questions about the course, academic regulations, and the university facilities to support your studies. You will have a couple of timetabled meetings with your personal tutor each semester during the first year to get to know them.
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