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2024 Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region

18 Colleges in the Southwest Region
1,506 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$69,230 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.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 18 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for chemical engineering students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,506 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 the Southwest Region 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

Associate Degrees in Chem Eng
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 the Southwest Region. 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 the Southwest Region

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 Southwest Region Schools in Chem Eng

1
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
46 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$78,801 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in chemical engineering has to take a look at Rice University. Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Houston. A Best Colleges rank of #16 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Rice is a great university overall.

There were roughly 46 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent data year. Chemical Engineering degree recipients from Rice University get an earnings boost of approximately $9,571 over the typical income of chemical engineering graduates.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Rice University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
276 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
1.1% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Texas A&M University - College Station if you want to pursue a degree in chemical engineering. Located in the medium-sized city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Texas A&M College Station is a great university overall.

There were about 276 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent data year. Those chemical engineering students who get their degree from Texas A&M University - College Station make $6,880 more than the typical chem eng grad.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Texas A&M University - College Station

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
203 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$77,308 Median Starting Salary

The University of Texas at Austin is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in chemical engineering. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were approximately 203 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Those chemical engineering students who get their degree from The University of Texas at Austin receive $8,078 more than the standard chem eng graduate.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
98 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$77,026 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat University of Houston if you wish to pursue a degree in chemical engineering. Located in the large city of Houston, UH is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #211 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UH is a great university overall.

There were about 98 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UH in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the chemical engineering program at University of Houston get $7,796 above the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
111 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$75,153 Median Starting Salary

Texas Tech is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Lubbock. A Best Colleges rank of #168 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Texas Tech is a great university overall.

There were approximately 111 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Texas Tech in the most recent data year. Chemical Engineering degree recipients from Texas Tech University receive an earnings boost of around $5,923 over the average earnings of chemical engineering graduates.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Texas Tech University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
192 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$76,062 Median Starting Salary

ASU - Tempe is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Tempe. A Best Colleges rank of #119 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were about 192 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent data year. Those chemical engineering students who get their degree from Arizona State University - Tempe receive $6,832 more than the average chem eng grad.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Arizona State University - Tempe

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
94 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
1.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #133 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means University of Arizona is a great university overall.

There were about 94 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent year we have data available. Chemical Engineering degree recipients from University of Arizona get an earnings boost of about $2,259 above the typical income of chemical engineering majors.

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

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
75 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$64,837 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Norman, University of Oklahoma is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #140 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means University of Oklahoma is a great university overall.

There were roughly 75 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at University of Oklahoma in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the chem eng program earn about $64,837 for their early career.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
69 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
2.9% Growth in Graduates

OSU is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Stillwater. A Best Colleges rank of #227 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means OSU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 69 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at OSU in the most recent year we have data available. Those chemical engineering students who get their degree from Oklahoma State University - Main Campus make $3,132 more than the standard chem eng graduate.

More information about a degree in chemical engineering from Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Chem Eng Degrees Awarded
$54,580 Median Starting Salary

University of Tulsa is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Tulsa. This university ranks 3rd out of 32 colleges for overall quality in the state of Oklahoma.

There were about 35 chemical engineering students who graduated with this degree at University of Tulsa in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the chem eng program report average early career earnings of $54,580.

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

Best Chemical Engineering Colleges by State

Explore the best chemical engineering schools for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 317 914
Arizona 287 286
Oklahoma 257 182
New Mexico 219 120

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 1,506

View All Chem Eng Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Chem Eng

Related Major Annual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering 5,420
Electrical Engineering 3,662
Civil Engineering 2,298
General Engineering 1,837
Computer Engineering 1,801
Industrial Engineering 1,352
Biomedical Engineering 1,324
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 1,000
Petroleum Engineering 629
Materials Engineering 324

View All Chem Eng Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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