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2024 Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Illinois

4 Colleges in Illinois
442 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$67,203 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in chemical engineering, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #70 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 4 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Illinois ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 442 degrees in chemical engineering to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Chemical Engineering School

Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Illinois The chem eng program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Chemical Engineering rankings. For our Best Overall Chemical Engineering School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Chemical Engineering Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Chem Eng
Master's Degrees in Chem Eng
Doctor's Degrees in Chem Eng

The chem eng school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Illinois. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Chemical Engineering in Illinois

The schools below may not offer all types of chem eng degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

Top Illinois Schools in Chem Eng

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$71,607 Median Starting Salary

Northwestern University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in chemical engineering. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were approximately 48 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the chemical engineering program at Northwestern University get $4,404 above the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Northwestern University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
181 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
8.8% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign if you want to pursue a degree in chemical engineering. UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 181 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the chemical engineering degree program at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign get $6,290 more than the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
85 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
1.2% Growth in Graduates

University of Illinois at Chicago is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in chemical engineering. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 6th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 85 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the chem eng program make around $59,645 for their early career.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of Illinois at Chicago

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
73 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$65,635 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in chemical engineering has to take a look at Illinois Institute of Technology. Illinois Tech is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. This school ranks 9th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 73 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Illinois Tech in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, chem eng degree recipients typically earn around $65,635 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology

Best Chemical Engineering Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Chemical Engineering Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 523
Ohio 314 764
Indiana 294 381
Wisconsin 273 147

View All Rankings >

One of 41 majors within the Engineering area of study, Chemical Engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.

Chem Eng Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Chemical Engineering 387
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering 55

View All Chem Eng Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Chem Eng

Related Major Annual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering 1,183
Electrical Engineering 1,029
Civil Engineering 816
Computer Engineering 742
General Engineering 427
Industrial Engineering 408
Biomedical Engineering 369
Materials Engineering 203
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 185
Other Engineering 140

View All Chem Eng Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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