Frequently Asked Questions, and answers, about our Chemical Engineering Application Requirements.

Watch the Chemical Engineering Open Day talk  to find out more about studying chemical engineering at UCT.

• Is Bio-Engineering part of Chemical Engineering?

  Yes. From your 2nd year, you can choose to specialise your degree to be in bioprocess engineering

• Does that include Bio-Mechanical Engineering?

  No, the focus is on bio-process engineering.

• How many first-year students does chemical engineering accept?

  Chemical Engineering typically has a first-year class of around 120

• Can one become a petroleum, nuclear or biomedical engineer through Chemical Engineering?"

  Chemical engineering equips you with the fundamental skills for all of these fields. But specialisation in these particular fields is generally done at the postgraduate level (after your undergraduate).

• Are international high school programmes accepted for admission?

  International high school programme degrees are also accepted at UCT. There are different requirements depending on the programme. The information can be found here.

• What can you do with a chemical engineering degree that you can't do with a chemistry degree?

  A chemistry degree is focused on laboratory work and analysis. A chemical engineering degree is focused on applying chemistry in our everyday lives, through developing and running chemical processes at a production scale.  The chemical engineering degree is four years and is accredited by the Engineering Council of South Africa.

• Is there any relation between Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering?

  Biomedical engineering is available as a postgraduate degree through the Faculty of Health Sciences. You may have any undergraduate engineering degree to apply for a master's in biomedical engineering. Information can be found on the Division of Biomedical Engineering's website

• Is Petroleum Engineering offered as an undergraduate programme?

  Chemical engineering prepares you to work in the field of petrochemicals. Many of our graduates work for Sasol, Engen, etc

• Will there be any tutors in case I don't understand the lecturer?

  Yes. All our undergraduate courses are supported by experienced tutors.

• If you are interested in designing pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, should you study Chemical Engineering or another degree (given you are not accepted for Medicine)?

  Chemical engineering does prepare you to be employable in the pharmaceutical industry (production of the pharmaceuticals). Designing medical equipment is the focus of biomedical engineering, a postgraduate course in Health Sciences

• I saw that a 4th-year language course is required.  What exactly does that entail?

  We require students to do at least one language course, of their choosing

• Do all engineering degrees start with a first-year general degree or is each field’s undergrad different right from the beginning?

  There are some differences in the curriculum across the engineering programmes offered, including in the first year