University Website: http://www.ceb.cam.ac.uk/ 

Director of Studies: Mr Bob Skelton

Number of students admitted each year: 1-2

 The University Course

Chemical Engineering is taught in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology. The department at Cambridge has an international reputation for excellence in its teaching and its research both in traditional chemical engineering and also in biotechnology.

Chemical Engineering is not an admissions subject though applicants should now indicate their desire to read Chemical Engineering by using the appropriate UCAS code.  Students join the Department at the start of their second year in residence after having studied either Engineering, Natural Sciences or Computer Science in their fist year. It is still possible to transfer to Chemical Engineering even if it was not expressed at admission, though in the event of the course being over-subscribed preference will be given to those who do.

The selection of entry route is a matter of personal choice, each has its advantages and disadvantages and reference should be made to the sections on those subjects. Note that whilst A level physics is desirable for all routes it is essential for those applying via Engineering.

First year: In this year, chemical engineers study Part IA Engineering, Part IA Natural Sciences or Part IA Computer Science.

Second year: In this year, students study Part I Chemical Engineering. It introduces the discipline and covers many of the fundamental principles of chemical engineering.

Third year: In this year, students study Part IIA Chemical Engineering. It completes the study of "core" chemical engineering and is a preparation for immediate professional practice. Students who pass this course are entitled to leave the University with the BA degree. (Cambridge offers Bachelor of Arts degrees, even to scientists and engineers, for historical reasons).

Fourth year: Almost all students stay on to study the course in the fourth year at University, termed Part IIB Chemical Engineering. This is an advanced course in chemical engineering that is intended as preparation for a long-term career in the discipline. The course provides the opportunity to study the subject in greater depth, to consider recent advances, and to undertake some original research work. Students who pass this course are entitled to both the BA and MEng degrees. The MEng degree satisfies the academic requirements for full membership of the IChemE leading to Chartered Engineer status.

The diagram below shows the course structure while the following pages give more detailed information on the actual topics that are studied.

Chemical Engineering at Christ's

Every student at Cambridge must be a member of one or other of the 31 Colleges for undergraduates of the University. The course content, lectures and examinations are the responsibility of the University Faculty, and are the same for every student reading Chemical Engineering at Cambridge regardless of their College. In the first years, lectures are given in whichever Department is chosen as the entry route. All are in the City centre close to Christ's College. In the subsequent years lectures and laboratories take place in the Shell Chemical Engineering Building on the New Museums site which is about 5 minutes walk.

Colleges are responsible for the selection and admission of undergraduates, the provision of social facilities such as accommodation, and ongoing personal and academic support. Every College has a Director of Studies in Chemical Engineering, part of whose job is to advise students in their choice of options and to arrange supervisions for them. Supervisions are tutorial teaching sessions in small groups: students will typically have two supervisions per week in groups of two. Any difficulties with the lectures or their associated examples and problem sheets are tackled during these sessions. Supervisions are one of the major advantages of a Cambridge education, providing individually tailored help and tuition. They offer a more directed and relevant approach to a student's own work than is possible at most other universities, where similar material can only be covered in example classes involving much larger numbers of students. Each College makes its own arrangements for supervisions. As a small subject Chemical Engineering Christ's does not have an internal Director of Studies, i.e. one who is a Fellow of the College but current uses the services of Mr R L Skelton of Magdalene College as an external Director. Prior to coming to Cambridge on 1990 Mr Skelton worked for over 30 years on the process plant contacting industry so he has a wide experience of the world of Chemical Engineering outside Cambridge. Though now retired from a full time post of Senior Lecturer in the Department he continues to run a small research programme on bio-fuels and still does some teaching both in Chemical Engineering and Engineering particularly in nuclear power engineering. He is a member of the editorial board of the Institution of Chemical Engineers.

Students with interests beyond chemical engineering may also attend almost any other lecture in the University; many members of the University take advantage of this in order to learn or improve a foreign language. In some cases it may be possible to use this study to gain a formal qualification (Certificate or Diploma) in a foreign language in addition to a student's degree in Chemical Engineering though there is also an option to study a foreign language in the final year of the Chemical Engineering Tripos. In addition there are many academic societies in Cambridge which arrange talks that may be of interest to students of Chemical Engineering including the Departmental Cambridge University Chemical Engineering Society.

Chemical Engineering is one of the most marketable of degree subjects, and graduates from the Cambridge Chemical Engineering Tripos are highly sought by employers.

College Facilities

Christ's is distinctive amongst the Cambridge Colleges. It offers strong tutorial support to its students as they pursue their academic work, and is able to offer accommodation for three years to all of its undergraduates. The College also provides a modern library, a theatre, sporting facilities, playing fields, social activities and clubs and societies open to all. More information can be found here.

How to Apply

In addition to nominating Cambridge as one of your selected universities on the UCAS application form, it is also desirable to choose a College of preference (the alternative is to submit an Open Application and allow a College preference to be chosen for you by computer). This can appear to add to the complexity of applying to Cambridge, but in reality the option of stating your particular College preference increases the control which you have over your own application. Many criteria can be used for choosing a College of preference, including such factors as location, architecture and accommodation, and academic, musical or sporting reputation. If you are able to visit Cambridge (preferably on a College Open Day) you may get a better idea of the location, atmosphere and facilities of various Colleges.

Chemical Engineering is not an admissions subject though applicants should now indicate their desire to read Chemical Engineering by using the appropriate UCAS code as well as stating whether they wish to enter via Engineering or Natural Sciences.

Christ's College does not have fixed quotas of places for different subjects and the exact numbers admitted in any one year will depend upon the strengths of the fields of applicants in various subjects. However, Christ's aim is to admit two or three students each year in Chemical Engineering. Applicants are usually interviewed in November or December: normally applicants will have two interviews (about 25 minutes each) in their entry subject ie. Engineering or Natural Sciences. During the subject interviews, we may ask questions on topics with which you are not already familiar: the aim here is to assess your innate engineering and/or scientific ability when working through unprepared questions and your ability to absorb quickly new ideas. This approach minimises the effects of a candidate's background and teaching and creates a level playing field. We will not try to “catch you out” but rather will help you work through unseen problems. We normally ask candidates to think out loud as they tackle interview problems as a means of helping us to understand their individual approach to the subjects.

A point worth making is that we only make conditional offers to candidates that we believe they have a realistic chance of achieving. Our aim is to admit the best students regardless of their background.

Application information and further details can be found here.

Further Information

If you are able to come to a College Open Day, we will be glad to tell you more about the College and the Chemical Engineering course in person. If you are not able to come to an Open Day, we will be happy to answer any queries you may have that are not covered by the normal literature. Please address any such enquiries to the Admissions Tutor, Christ's College, Cambridge, CB2 3BU, or by e-mail to admissions@christs.cam.ac.uk.