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Postgraduate taught
Why study a postgraduate taught programme at UCL Chemical Engineering?
Embarking on postgraduate study is an intense and challenging commitment. You will be part of a community seeking to push the boundaries of our knowledge by applying theoretical rigour and fundamental principles to challenge ideas. We engage all our students in creating an environment that will enable them to flourish and realise their potential.
What does the weekly timetable for our Postgraduate Programmes look like?
Review the UCL Timetable to see when and where classes are held by department, subject area, degree programme, or selected modules, and create a personalised schedule.
Disclaimer: This timetable reflects the programmes and modules taught in 2023/24 and may be subject to change in 2024/25.
Explore testimonials from our postgraduate students
Facilities and Equipment
We are proud to offer outstanding facilities and state-of-the-art equipment. Our modern laboratories and specialist tools create an ideal environment for innovation and academic growth. With access to these resources, students have the opportunity to delve into cutting-edge research and contribute to meaningful advancements in the field.
Discover our state-of-the-art facilities and equipment available at Bloomsbury and UCL East.
Discover our state of the art facilities and equipment available at Bloombury and UCL East.
UCL East
UCL East is the more recent chapter in our disruptive thinking, the biggest development in UCL's nearly 200-year history. Our East campus on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park offers exciting new degrees and the space needed to tackle the biggest challenges facing our planet.
The Marshgate Building at UCL East has eight floors of hi-tech, cross-disciplinary research labs, teaching areas, fabrication workshops, collaboration spaces, a library, a refectory, and a UCL Institute of Making.
Within UCL East, two laboratories, the Advanced Propulsion Laboratory (APL) and the Manufacturing Futures Laboratory (MFL) host activities from the Department of Chemical Engineering, including these three MSc programmes:
- Advanced Propulsion MSc (APL)
- Digital Manufacturing of Advanced Materials MSc (MFL)
- Nature-Inspired Solutions MSc (MFL)
Advanced Propulsion Lab (APL)
- Core features
Taking up residence on the eighth floor of the campus’ Marshgate building, and in a standalone facility, the APL will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and R&D space to tackle low – to mid-range technology readiness level challenges in the advanced propulsion sector. Together, these spaces provide: enhanced teaching and workspace provision for students and researchers; a vehicle propulsion research laboratory specialising in electrochemical power sources, energy storage and alternative fuels; a standalone testing facility for automotive-scale battery and fuel cell technology enabling the testing of component elements and whole systems – the UK’s first integrated fuel cell and battery testing facility at a university; space for large-scale R&D activities, including environmental testing and rapid prototyping; an innovation lab to boost incubator potential and develop new intellectual property.
- Expanding the impact on cleaner, greener, future transport solutions
APL will tackle the grand challenge of zero emission transport head-on, developing key technologies to clean our air and mitigate negative impacts on the environment. It will provide a unique combination of teaching, research, commercial innovation and outreach, a translational approach that means new research ideas can be developed and applied to real-world solutions to support a global reduction in the environmental impacts of transport. Building on the world-leading research and development activity of UCL’s Electrochemical Innovation Lab, it will scale up the impact of Bloomsbury-based activities, in bigger cutting edge facilities, in line with the scale of progress required to secure national and international vehicle electrification and emissions reduction targets. It will turn research excellence into impact: uniquely placed to develop hydrogen fuel cells, electromechanical propulsion and advanced battery technology, integrate them all, and apply these innovations to a wide range of mobility and transport options.
- A living laboratory on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and beyond
Leveraging the Olympic Park as an environmental laboratory for new vehicle technologies where we can test innovations at scale, in real-world conditions, and working with industry, APL will provide the best environment for engaging the local community. Co-location with colleagues, such as peers at the Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub), will help to engineer new sustainable and inclusive transport solutions. It will provide a critical resource for academia and industry, and also supply data for policymakers shaping future manufacturing standards and promoting the take-up of new technology. The facilities will support collaboration with industry partners, taking innovative research concepts to the marketplace.
Manufacturing Futures Lab (MFL)
- Core features
The MFL is a unique, interdisciplinary research hub where researchers and students from biochemical, chemical and mechanical engineering, and chemistry develop novel materials and chemicals manufactured via sustainable approaches impacting a range of sectors. MFL is also open to industry and the local community as a location for extra-curricular school activities, training, support for start-up ventures, summer residential courses, and events. Research-led teaching forms the basis to create a multi-skilled future workforce. The emphasis is on experiential learning, innovation, enterprise, and the wider regulatory environment. Programmes span from nanoscale and digital manufacturing, stem cell and gene therapy, to nature-inspired engineering, and they leverage wider UCL research strengths in ‘big data’ analytics, artificial intelligence, process monitoring and control technologies, and multi-scale modelling.
- A trans-disciplinary environment for innovation
Working across traditional science and engineering disciplines and from the microscopic to the macroscale, research at MFL pushes the frontiers of future energy technologies (e.g., clean hydrogen production), micro/nanoscale engineering, nature-inspired engineering, bio-molecular assembly, novel materials, digital and automated process technologies, and multi-scale modelling. It supports the development of new materials and new products using digital manufacturing technologies. MFL also develops new organic synthesis, synthetic biology and circular economy approaches that enable the robust scaled-up manufacture of sustainable, cost-effective products with reduced the CO2 footprint of (bio)chemical transformations.
- Inside the MFL
MFL aims to future-proof manufacturing and train future industry leaders in diverse areas, from healthcare to energy to consumer and specialty products. To do so, it leverages the potential of digitisation, artificial intelligence, robotics, biomanufacturing and additive manufacturing to boost performance, shape new business models, and drive sustainable growth. Drawing on rich expertise from Biochemical, Chemical, Mechanical Engineering and Chemistry, it provides an ideal foundation for creating future manufacturing solutions. A deep desire to understand underpins the conversion of scientific discoveries into commercially viable products, on a truly global scale, to meet real-world problems.
Careers and Employability
A Chemical Engineering degree will provide you with many options for your future career and roles for graduates can be varied. Find out more about the experience of past students and their careers.
Example graduate destinations:
- Chemical Process Engineering MSc
Graduates are typically employed as:
- Process engineers.
- Energy engineers/analysts.
- Consultants.
- Data and AI analysts.
- Operations engineers.
- HSE supervisors.
- Fuel cell engineers.
- Researchers, including PhD students.
Example companies past students have worked for include:
- Unilever, Wood, Arcadis, National Grid, Health & Safety Executive (HSE), ENI, Procter & Gamble, Shell Plc, BP, Subsea 7, Deloitte, Ceres, Anthesis Group, etc.
- Global Management of Natural Resources MSc
Graduates are typically employed as:
- Consultants (mining, social, environmental, resource processing and management).
- Analysts (economic forecasting for various natural resources).
- Specialists combining their first degree with the MSc (Policy Experts, HR specialists, accountants, etc..).
- Engineers, in combination with a first degree (mining engineer, petroleum engineer, systems engineers).
- Scientists and researchers, including PhD students.
- Teachers and educators.
Examples of companies past students have worked for include:
- McKinsey, Accenture, Arthur D. Little, EY, Deloitte, PWC, KPMG, Aviva, S&P Global (Consultancy).
- Guidehouse, Xodus, Sizewell C, WSP, Energie, Wardell Armstrong, Minviro (Resource Consultancy).
- CRU, Argus Media, Baylis Emerging Markets, Copenhagen Offshore Partners, ExxonMobil (Sales and Analytics).
- Energean, A2 Site Investigation, ERCE, Siemens, Affinity Water, Schlumberger (Engineers).
- U.K. Civil Service, Swiss Government, US Department of Energy, UNESCO (Policy and Government).
- Advanced Propulsion MSc
The MSc in APL is a new programme launched in September 2023. Potential careers may include:
- Battery cell engineer
- Fuel cell engineer
- Electric powertrain engineer
- R&D chemist or materials scientist
- R&D electrochemist
- Consultant (focus on net zero sector)
Applicable areas graduates may work in include:
- Advanced materials
- Energy and Net Zero
- Electric vehicles
- Electric motors and drives
- Consultancy
- Policy
- Digital Manufacturing of Advanced Materials MSc
The MSc in DMAM is a new programme launched in September 2023. Potential careers may include:
- Automation engineer
- R&D scientist (various fields)
- Digital chemical/process engineer
- Process development scientist/engineer
- Process modelling scientist/engineer
Applicable areas graduates may work in include:
- Pharmaceuticals manufacturing
- Oil and gas
- Materials manufacturing
- Consultancy
- Healthcare and diagnostics
- Energy
- Policy making
- Academia
- Nature-Inspired Solutions MSc
The MSc in NIS is a new programme launched in September 2023. Potential careers may include:
- Developer of sustainable chemical processes
- R&D scientist/engineering (in various fields, both academia or industry)
- Materials scientist/engineer
- Manufacturing engineer
- Biochemical/bioengineering process developer
- Policy maker(energy, environmental, materials, etc.)
Applicable areas graduates may work in include:
- Scalable manufacturing & process intensification
- Energy & environmental engineering
- Functional materials
- Biomedical & healthcare engineering
- Architecture & built environment
Bursaries and funding opportunities
Explore the bursaries and scholarship opportunities offered to postgraduate taught students at UCL and within the Department of Chemical Engineering.