Thread: What is the differnce between chemical Engineering and Chemi

Hello All Science Lovers...
Iam 14 years I decided that my way of life to be with chemistry
but Iam confused about choosing chemistry or chemical engineering
I don't see big diference ,I saw a university's lesson in my country for chemical engineering It just contains same as chemistry

My own beleif that ChemEng. uses chemistry to build factories and places which uses petrochemicals and such things
And Chemist is Nature Philosopher who stay in lab to find out the secrets of the life (that Is what I want)
SO

Is my beleif right?? I need some one to tell me the right thing please
THANKS ALL

At one time, chemical engineering meant learning how to build and run factories that could make huge amounts of chemicals. More recently the lines between chemistry and chemical engineering have begun to blur, and you will see a lot of chemists and chemical engineers going to the same conferences and publishing in the same journals. In general chem. engineering is more concerned with real-world application, while chemistry is more concerned with pure research. But there are plenty of chemistry research groups that work on nothing but real-world applications, and an increasing number of chem. e. groups doing basic research.

I think the move away from chem. e. being all about factories has a lot to do with the fact that chemical factories are now mostly being built in developing countries, so the western chem. e. people have to find a way to stay relevant.

Originally Posted by AhmedMagdy

Hello All Science Lovers...
Iam 14 years I decided that my way of life to be with chemistry
but Iam confused about choosing chemistry or chemical engineering
I don't see big diference ,I saw a university's lesson in my country for chemical engineering It just contains same as chemistry

My own beleif that ChemEng. uses chemistry to build factories and places which uses petrochemicals and such things
And Chemist is Nature Philosopher who stay in lab to find out the secrets of the life (that Is what I want)
SO

Is my beleif right?? I need some one to tell me the right thing please
THANKS ALL

Hello,

Nowadays chemical engineering and chemistry can overlap a lot depending on the area that you are studying...

If you stay at the Bachelors level and you want to have a more active role in your job then you should get the BSE in chemical engineering because you will have a lot more access to good jobs this way....

If you are looking to get a master's then I would still suggest the chemical engineering degree if you want to have a more high profile job for the degree earned... while you can definitely get good jobs with a chemistry BS or MS you're going to be able to go just a little farther in industry with the engineering degrees...

Now at the PhD level there is room for theory and a more philosophical approach to either degree.... By nature chemical engineering is much more applied - but both areas have a hands on approach regardless of the level of degree you're getting...

The real question is do you like math and physics?
I personally love them so I pursued an area of chemistry for my PhD that permitted me to use both on a daily basis...

you are still young so good luck with your future and remember that at your age the sky is the limit...
So take all the math and sciences classes you can and when the time comes you'll be well qualified to go into whatever field you want to.

Good luck kiddo.

if this wasn't helpful or you have more questions about the differences in chemistry and chemical engineering please don't hesitate to ask....

If you study chemical engineering you could find yourself working in an oil refinery or chemical plant as a plant operator, at least initially, supervising the operation of a fractionation column or a reactor or a train of heat exchangers. You would be heavily involved with the hardware, and the hydraulics, and would have to figure out why the process doesn't work quite the same as it did on the laboratory bench or in the computer simulation. You would work closely with mechanical engineers and instrumentation engineers. You would also have to take night shifts and be on call on holidays to deal with emergencies.

On the other hand you would make more money than the average chemist.

Good luck, whatever you choose.

Originally Posted by Bunbury

If you study chemical engineering you could find yourself working in an oil refinery or chemical plant as a plant operator, at least initially...

Not likely at the rate that chemical plants are closing and/or moving oversees. I'm in chemistry, not chem. e., but I hear the chem. e. guys complain about this all the time. Chemical plants, refineries, etc. close down faster than new ones are being built. This makes it very, very hard for new graduates to find those sorts of industry jobs. Not only are there fewer positions, but the job market is flooded with out-of-work guys whose plants moved to India, so new graduates are usually competing against applicants who already have years of experience.

There are certainly jobs out there for chem. e. graduates, but probably not that sort of large-scale factory stuff.

I noted that the poster was in Egypt, and I assume the jobs market there may be different from those in Europe and the US. As a (presumably) Arabic speaker there would be potential opportunities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Abu Dhabi etc. as well as Egypt. However, I don't have any direct knowledge and am merely speculating.

Only 2 years older than you Ahmed so I don't know exactly


Chemistry is the entire subject of essentially the Structure of matter and how it changes under reactions, Chemistry is needed usually to be a Teacher or Researcher of some description


Chemical Engineering is the application of science with maths to making stuff, it deals with developing new scientific technology and processes to make chemicals and such on large scale


In short, Chemistry is the theory, while ChemEng is the practical application




p.s, Don't let names fool you, just as there are Biochemical/Neurochemical Engineers etc there are Bio/Neuro chemistry

I'm not sure how to answer but once a classmate asked my lecturer about the same thing and the answer is about something like this:

"Chemical engineers innovate, make new methods, discover and find other ways to do something regarding to chemistry. A chemist applies what was discovered and uses it."

Then again, to be frank, there are parts of the job that overlaps each other. So, there's no real harm in just going along with anything chemistry for now. You still have a few years till you have to really choose it. And really, there are some university that have majorings that are similar in both the Physical Sciences and Engineering programmes. Just be sure to know what you really want to do and choose the right path when it comes to you.

All of you great science lovers:
Thank Yo all I could really know that my beleif was kind of right ...
so I wish to tell you that my choice is for sure Chemistry
also My Sentence will be for ever
Chemistry Is The Best Policy
For The user "Chemist" I'd like to tell you Iam kind of like you
Loving Maths , Physics and The best Is Chemistry
So It is chemistry
for the user "Bunbury":Good note after all Iam Egyptian and you are right about jobs but I don't care about money I have to suffer more if my goal is greater
and studying science(its philosophy not engineering and technology) Is so hard and kind of bad in Egypt but this is my path "Path Of The Chemist"
For all Other users "Scifor Refugee","izumabakumatsu" Thanks alot You made it so clear.
last one "Booms": Good luck in your Journey Hope we meet in a research group or something(if you wanna be academic like me)and I know already the names they are fooling for sure but I read alot my path is PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY dunt know which field in it (Not soooo expert to understand clearly) but soon I will know.

Thanks All

All the best then young friend.

I've just finished my bsc chemistry, and from my experience you will definitely have a much easier time getting a job if you take the engineering course. That said I am personally glad i took straight chemistry rather than medicinal chemistry or chemical engineering like I had originally inteneded. I always thought that I would enjoy both these topics, but turns out (from doing modules in both) that I find them very boring. My advice is do the basic chem degree and find out what area you enjoy most (for some strange reason I really like transition metal catalysis) then you can always do your phd in the specific area you find interesting. No need to specialise too soon.