The chemical engineering program in the William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering educates engineers to design, develop and operate chemical processes by which chemicals, petroleum products, food, pharmaceuticals and consumer goods can be produced economically and safely. Products and processes must be environmentally friendly and safe. Chemical engineering processes usually involve chemical reactions and separations to produce more useful and valuable products. Chemical engineering students study changes in the composition, energy content or state of aggregation of materials and take into consideration the fundamentals of the nature of matter and its properties (chemistry); the forces that act on matter (physics); and the relationships between them (mathematics). Chemical engineering differs from chemistry in its emphasis on commercial applications of chemical reactions and separations and techniques for designing, operating and controlling processes. Chemistry, on the other hand, emphasizes development of new compounds that may become useful products and the determination of their structures and properties.

Chemical engineers are responsible for commercial applications of chemistry. These applications often involve processes that provide the basic necessities of life—food, clothing, shelter, energy, transportation and communications. Chemical engineers often do on a large scale what chemists may do on a test tube scale. For example, a team can design, build and operate a process that produces millions of pounds per year of a polyester resin used for soft-drink bottles. Chemists who formulate that resin may produce only a few grams per day. Chemical engineers may help produce, purify and even determine appropriate dosage for pharmaceuticals. Chemical engineers are able to succeed in such diverse activities because of their education in a variety of scientific subjects. Some employers of chemical engineering graduates include Abbott, Anheuser-Bush, Cargill Inc., Dow, ExxonMobil, General Mills, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., L’Oreal USA, Marathon Petroleum Co., Nestle, Procter & Gamble, Scotts Miracle-Gro Co., and Toyota.