Chemical engineering preparation
Welcome to Surrey and to the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. We are delighted to have you on board and look forward to meeting you in person in September.
Welcome
This page contains general information about our Chemical Engineering course which may be useful to prepare you for your first semester at the University. This includes the list of modules you will be taking, A-level revision advice and background reading as well as some exercises to make the transition to University smoother help you prepare for the upcoming semester. If you have any questions, please contact the Senior Programme Leader for Chemical Engineering Dr Oleksiy Klymenko.
During your time at Surrey, you will receive outstanding academic and pastoral support, placement opportunities and transferable skills to help you launch your career.
Our Chemical Engineering programme has a BEng and an MEng pathways, and it is easy to transfer between them if your plans change since these programmes are identical until Semester 2 of Year 3. The BEng programme culminates in the Chemical Engineering Design Project in which you will put all your previous learning into practice to design a complete chemical process while considering its sustainability, economic and operational feasibility and engineering practicality. In Year 3, you will also have an opportunity to operate our award-winning FLUOR Pilot Plant.
Year 1 overview
In each academic year at Surrey, you will study eight modules – four per semester. We have listed links to the module catalogue which contain key information on the module including:
- Module overview and indicative module content
- Student workload and its breakdown
- Assessment pattern
- Modules aims and learning outcomes
- Teaching and learning methods
- Reading list.
So that you can get an understanding of what and how you will study as a chemical engineering student.
Semester 1 modules
- Engineering Materials and Sustainability
- Science Principles for Engineers
- Mass and Energy Balances
- Engineering Mathematics
Semester 2 modules
- Transferable and Laboratory Skills
- Mathematics 2
- Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics
- Industrial and Environmental Chemistry
Reading lists
Many chemical engineering textbooks are not available as an individual, and copyright restrictions prevent us from sharing the texts with you. However, once you start at the University of Surrey you will have access to a wealth of information through the Library. Many textbooks are online and there is also a digital textbook scheme through BibliU where you will be able to read and download your own personal copy of key textbooks. Get more information on the digital textbook scheme.
In the meantime, we have put together a chemical engineering document (PDF) which contains some links to background reading and videos on chemical engineering, along with a couple of exercises for you to have a go at.
It would also be useful for you to look at the material supplied by the Library on general skills such as referencing and technical writing, as these will be invaluable to you throughout your degree and in future careers.
Revision
We recommend that you revise your notes from A-level chemistry and maths (and physics if you took it) to make sure you are up to date with everything you should know already. Maths is particularly important, and there are two modules in Year 1 focusing on mathematics for this reason.
To get yourself prepared for these modules and the mathematics present in other modules, we have compiled some revision questions for you to work through over the summer:
We’ve also put together some general revision questions on background knowledge for chemical engineering: