Overview
Research and test new products
With demand for graduates across industrial sectors from energy to food and drink, pharmaceuticals and the financial and environmental sectors, chemical engineering is a great choice. This course will prepare you for a career in which you'll research and test new products - be they petrol, plastics, medicines, food or drink - and make them commercially viable.
We use the expertise developed at LSBU with a vibrant and creative team to deliver an exciting undergraduate programme, bringing together all the essentials of chemical engineering to develop a deep understanding of the subject.
We offer the opportunity for all undergraduate Home/EU students to undertake a work placement, internship or work experience while studying a full-time course starting in September 2022.
Why Chemical Engineering at LSBU?
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- Ranked 1st in the UK for Student Satisfaction for Chemical Engineering (Complete University Guide, 2023).
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- Ranked 3rd in London for Chemical Engineering (Guardian League Tables, 2022).
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- Exciting employment opportunities - Our students have secured placements and graduate jobs at Pfizer, GSK, Dow and Chevron.
| ModeFull-time | Duration4 years (5 years with placement) | Start dateSeptember | Application code5581 | Application method UCAS |
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.
Register your interest
Entry Level Requirements
In order to be considered for entry to the programme you will be required to have:
- A Level (AAB) or;
- BTEC National Diploma (DDD) or;
- Access to HE qualifications with 28 x Distinctions, 24 x Merits or;
- Equivalent Level 3 qualifications worth 150 UCAS points
- Applicants must hold 5x GCSEs A-C, including Maths and English or equivalent (reformed GCSEs grade 4 or above).
Equivalent international qualifications can be accepted. English language qualifications for international students: IELTS score of 6.0 or Cambridge Proficiency or Advanced Grade C.
Academic Technology Approval Scheme
If you are a non-EU/EEA national, you may need to apply to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) for clearance from the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) in order to study this course. ATAS certificate is a requirement for enrolment at the University, you will need one if you are an international student applying to study for a postgraduate qualification in the UK and it is now a requirement for every Visa application. Please note, an ATAS certificate is not needed for you to submit an application for a course at LSBU and to receive an offer.
You can find more information about whether you will require this via the FCO website and in our MyLSBU guide to the Academic Technology Approval Scheme.
The process for obtaining an ATAS certificate can take some time so it is important that you check whether you need one as early as possible so that you can make your application for the certificate to obtain it in good time. Failure to produce a valid ATAS certificate could result in delays to receiving your CAS or we may be unable to enrol you at the University.
The CAH code for this course is CAH10-01-09.
Choose your country
Select country here:
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 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.
Home/EU applicants
| Mode Full-time | Duration 4 years (5 years with placement) | Start date September | Application code 5581 | 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 course is an integrated distinctive as it covers the theory of chemical engineering coupled with computer simulation, laboratory practice and industrial placement, enabling graduates to be well equipped with the desired skills sought after by employers.
The course consists of modules with a total credit value of 480 credits which are made up of 20 standard modules of 20 points each, a design project module of 40 points in third year and group project module of 40 points in fourth year.
Each year you need to complete 120 credits. In the first year, you are introduced to basic engineering principles, design and fundamentals of chemical engineering.
The second year focuses on core unit operations such as fluid flow, thermodynamics, chemical reactions, separation processes, process design and simulation and control.
In third year, the course further trains you in areas of process safety and control, process engineering and clean technologies. You apply all the knowledge gained in your previous study into the design project covering raw materials to final desired products. In the fourth and final year, you further learn, at advanced level, about energy technologies and subsurface engineering, as well as undertaking a research project.
After two-years study, you are encouraged to opt take a one year industrial placement (sandwich course).
Year 1
- Introduction to chemical engineering
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. - Engineering principles 2
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. - Design and practice
The aim of the module is for you to begin your engagement with engineering design and develop your transferable skills by. You will undertake small engineering design projects, learn to use Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software, and develop your Personal Development Planning (PDP). - Computing for chemical engineering
The module provides you with an understanding of the principles of programming and the use of programming languages. It enables to solve chemical engineering problems using numerical techniques and programming languages such as Matlab software.
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 on the scientific principles underlying separation processes such as distillation and absorption, and their fundamentals design procedures. - Chemical engineering processes 1
This module imparts your knowledge and understanding in heat, mass and momentum transfer, describing classical and modern theories and techniques. It also provides you with principles of reaction engineering. The teaching is supported by laboratory experiments. - 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. - Earth resources
The aim of this module is to introduce you geological knowledge in order to understand energy systems from geothermal and fossil fuel sources. This covers knowledge, understanding and practical skills you need to analyse the contribution of such systems for meeting future energy requirements. - Emerging energy and sustainability
This module develops your knowledge about emerging field of renewable power and fuel generation, such as solar, wind, wave/tidal, nuclear power, geo- and solar thermal technologies and biofuels. It also discusses the concept of energy density and its relationship to energy storage such as hydrogen storage, batteries and capacitors. - Fluid flow and process control
This module further develops your knowledge of control strategies for complex systems. You will also gain knowledge of fundamentals of compressible fluid flow for engineering systems such as nozzles, fluidised beds, and two-phase flow in a liquid-gas system. - Energy technologies
This module is about the sciences behind technologies involved in energy generation and utilisation. It develops a broad overview of energy engineering and the current status of important issues surrounding energy supply and demand.
Year 5
- Group project
This year-long module grows your knowledge in research methods to solve engineering problems. You work on a research project of your choice as a team and apply your knowledge and skills you gained through study of earlier modules to fulfil the objectives of the project. - Process management
This module introduces the principles of management and the role they play in process design and optimisation. The module also highlights the role of ethics, sustainability and life cycle considerations in the design of processes. - Process modelling and simulation
This module introduces rigorous approaches to the application of physical laws to formulate dynamic models and their analysis using linear and nonlinear mathematical methods. It also explores advanced techniques and widely used industry-standard modelling and simulation software and design methodologies. - Advanced reaction engineering
This module provides you with a deep understanding of the principles of reactor design and of the reasons underlying the selection of reactor type to meet particular sets of process conditions, as well as accounting for safety and sustainability considerations.
Optional modules:
- Advanced materials engineering
Through this module you learn the importance of material engineering in the process industry for improving performance, efficiency, sustainability and profitability. It describes, through a broad range of industrial case studies, how engineers develop, synthesise and analyse materials to create a range of products with distinct material properties used in industry. - Multiphase fluid flow
This module equips you with the principles, mathematical equations and problem-solving approaches for the transport of multiphase fluids in chemical engineering practices, with a focus on applications such as; packed columns for gas absorption; bubble columns, and bubble motion in fluidised beds; and gas-oil-water flow through porous media.
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.
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.
