College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania

10 Colleges in Pennsylvania
836 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$70,372 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 10 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 836 degrees in chemical engineering during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Chemical Engineering School

Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania Your choice of chemical engineering school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. 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.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Chemical Engineering Degree Level

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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Chemical Engineering Schools in Pennsylvania list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 Pennsylvania

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.

10 Top Pennsylvania Schools in Chem Eng

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
126 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$80,722 Median Starting Salary

Carnegie Mellon University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in chemical engineering. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Carnegie Mellon is a great university overall.

There were roughly 126 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent year we have data available. Chemical Engineering degree recipients from Carnegie Mellon University get an earnings boost of around $10,350 over the average income of chemical engineering graduates.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University

2
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$66,484 Median Starting Salary

University of Pennsylvania is a great choice for students interested in a degree in chemical engineering. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were approximately 48 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, chem eng degree recipients typically earn about $66,484 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of Pennsylvania

3
Lehigh crest
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
66 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
42.4% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat Lehigh University if you want to pursue a degree in chemical engineering. Located in the small city of Bethlehem, Lehigh is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #71 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Lehigh is a great university overall.

There were roughly 66 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Lehigh in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the chem eng program state that they receive average early career wages of $67,293.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Lehigh University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
124 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
4.8% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in chemical engineering needs to take a look at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 7th out of 109 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 124 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Pitt in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the chem eng program report average early career income of $69,207.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

5
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
65 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$80,235 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Villanova is a great university overall.

There were approximately 65 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Villanova in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the chemical engineering major at Villanova University get $9,863 more than the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Villanova University

6
Bucknell crest
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
48.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the distant town of Lewisburg, Bucknell is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #66 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Bucknell is a great university overall.

There were about 35 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Bucknell in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, chem eng degree recipients typically earn around $71,437 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Bucknell University

7
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
121 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
10.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. This university ranks 10th out of 109 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were roughly 121 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Drexel in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the chem eng program earn around $67,486 for their early career.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Drexel University

8
Lafayette crest
Lafayette College
Easton, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
11.4% Growth in Graduates

Lafayette is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Easton. This college ranks 9th out of 109 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 35 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Lafayette in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, chem eng degree recipients usually earn around $64,532 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Lafayette College

9
Widener crest
Widener University
Chester, PA

Widener is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Chester. This university ranks 17th out of 109 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 22 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Widener in the most recent data year. After graduating, chem eng degree recipients typically make around $56,994 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Widener University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$69,207 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the small suburb of Johnstown, Pitt Johnstown is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 76th out of 109 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were roughly 20 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Pitt Johnstown in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the chem eng program report average early career wages of $69,207.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown

Best Chemical Engineering Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 333 857
Maryland 279 285
New Jersey 273 394
District of Columbia 188 23
Delaware 175 108

View All Rankings >

Chemical Engineering is one of 41 different types of Engineering programs to choose from.

Chem Eng Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Chemical Engineering 786
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering 50

View All Chem Eng Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Chem Eng

Related Major Annual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering 2,232
Electrical Engineering 1,590
Civil Engineering 1,000
Computer Engineering 812
Biomedical Engineering 780
General Engineering 493
Industrial Engineering 467
Other Engineering 303
Materials Engineering 235
Robotics Engineering 230

View All Chem Eng Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options