Chemical Engineer

Also known as: Process Engineer, ChemE, Chemical Process Engineer

Science & ResearchBachelor's DegreeStable

Design and optimize industrial processes for manufacturing chemicals, fuels, pharmaceuticals, and food products at scale.

Salary Range

Entry Level

$75K

Starting salary

→

Top Level

$310K

Top salary

VP Process Engineering (Petroleum/Pharma)

The highest-paid specialization or seniority level for chemical engineers.

About 1 in 200 reaches this level

About 21,600 chemical engineers per BLS; VP Process Engineering at $310K+ exists at maybe 80-120 major petroleum and pharmaceutical companies.

Salary data based on 2025 BLS, Glassdoor, and industry reports. Actual compensation varies by location, experience, and employer.

How to Become One

This career typically requires a bachelor's degree. Here are the top colleges for it:

CaltechChemistry

MITChemical Engineering

UC BerkeleyChemical Engineering

CornellChemistry

StanfordChemistry

Explore all colleges →

AI Risk Assessment

Increasing Risk (Level 3/5)How we score ›

AI is automating process simulation, reaction optimization, safety analysis, and regulatory documentation. A report from The Chemical Engineer found AI could impact almost half of chemical engineering jobs at the task level. Plant visits, hazardous materials handling, and physical oversight stay human, but the engineering analysis — which is what juniors do — is being automated. The entry-level funnel is narrowing.