Chemical Engineering deals chiefly with industrial processing to produce value-added products from raw materials. The processing of organic (crude oils, natural gas, lumber), inorganic (ores, air, salts) and biological (starches, cellulose, fats) materials into a wide range of useful commodity products, such as fuels, plastics, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, and foods is carried out within a framework of environmental sustainability and concern for worker/public safety. Emphasis is on the design, construction and economic operation of equipment in these areas, and on related research and development. Some emphasis on environmental studies, mineral processing, petrochemicals and biochemicals is permitted through the choice of electives. All undergraduate students within the College of Engineering are required to complete a first-year common core. Students that secure admission to a specific upper-year discipline must follow the program of study that was in place at the time of their admission to an upper-year academic discipline, recognizing that course and program changes may result in modification to the original program of study. It is recommended that students contact the Engineering Student Centre to confirm their program of study on a regular basis. An "Option" within the College of Engineering is a prescribed set of courses that provides a concentration of specialized training in one particular field of study. Options are approved at the College level but are unique to Departments within the College, consisting of at least 18 credit units, none of which are core courses taken by all students within the Department. This option provides specialization in sciences/engineering courses that apply to traditional bioprocessing industries such as food and beverage processing, enzyme production, biofuels and pharmaceuticals.

Career Opportunities include- designing clean engergy systems devising innovative fuel and biological fuel cells solving environmental and pollution problems producing pharmeceuticals within the biotechnology sector devising technologies to extract and refine metals and minerals improving food, beverage and drug processing designing and operating petroleum and petrochemical plants developing enhanced oil recovery systems and carbon-capture processes building software to simulate chemical and biochemical systems and processes