Study@DEQ
Why Chemical Engineering?
Do you want to contribute to solving the major challenges of the 21st century, including circular economy, energy transition, renewable carbon, and green hydrogen?
Do you want to explore the boundaries of industrial, analytical, and computational technology to address increasingly complex and multiscale problems faced by industry and society today?
Do you want to receive solid and up-to-date training, recognized for its quality and prestige by national and international employers, with an employability rate exceeding 98%?
Do you want to put molecules to work in a world facing significant economic, social, and environmental challenges?
By choosing training in Chemical Engineering at the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra (FCTUC), you will be building your future in close proximity to a highly qualified teaching team composed of Ph.D. holders in various scientific domains. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with research teams and their projects, and interact with companies across various sectors, from industry to services.
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What is Chemical Engineering?
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Chemical Engineers are traditionally Process Engineers who, as such, have the mission of scaling up chemistry from the laboratory scale to the industrial scale, enabling the large-scale production of basic chemicals and various consumer products. Just to name a few examples, it can be said that the activities of Chemical Engineers are directly or indirectly related to: the quality of the water that comes out of our taps, the hygiene and cosmetic products we use daily, the food and beverages we consume, the medications we take when we are sick, the fuel that powers automobiles, the paper we constantly use, as well as the paints, ceramics, glass, plastics, and textiles in our homes.
Chemical Engineering is dedicated to the design, development, sizing, and improvement of chemical processes and products. This includes economic analysis, sizing, operation, control, and management of the industrial units that implement these processes, as well as research and education in these domains.
Traditionally, and for much of the 20th century, Chemical Engineering was closely linked to the development of the Petrochemical Industry. However, it is recognized that Chemical Engineering has the capacity to act in various fields in response to evolving social, economic, and technological trends. A report from 1988, known as the 'New Frontiers of Chemical Engineering,' formally opened the doors for Chemical Engineering to operate in areas such as Environment, Biology, Materials, and Electronics, among others. Thus, Chemical Engineering once again assumes a prominent role in the quality of life and as a driving force for sustainable development.
Employability
The fields of activity for a Chemical Engineer trained at FCTUC, with a versatile and multidisciplinary preparation, are not limited to traditional chemical industries (where their involvement can range from design to production, environmental management, quality control, marketing, and sales). They can also effectively address a whole new range of requests in areas such as environment, energy, biorefineries, biotechnology, and new materials.
- Chemical industries: pulp and paper, ceramics, glass, cement, petroleum refining, petrochemicals, biorefineries, plastics, detergents, paints, textiles;
- Environment and Energy: treatment of domestic and industrial effluents, biofuels, waste valorization, industrial ecology;
- Cosmetic, pharmaceutical, biotechnological, biomedical, food, and agri-food industries;
- Quality Control Engineering;
- Consulting and industrial and environmental licensing;
- Scientific research and teaching;
- Public administration: ministries, central and regional administration.
Student Testimonials
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Alumni
“Licenciei-me em Engenharia Química em 1994 e escolhi o curso pelo seu ecletismo na formação em engenharia. Sempre quis ser empresário, sempre quis criar algo e achei que a formação variada e exigente da Engenharia Química da FCTUC seria a melhor ferramenta para o conseguir, à semelhança de muitos outros Engenheiros Químicos que fizeram carreira no empreendedorismo industrial. Em 1995, criei a minha primeira empresa na área da Otimização Industrial e, em 1997, co-fundei a VentilAQUA, com outro Engenheiro Químico, colega de curso, empresa que presido até hoje.”
“O meu percurso académico no Departamento de Engenharia Química ensinou-me a ser resiliente e a ter coragem nos momentos mais difíceis. Foi uma escola onde criei laços com grandes amigos e onde o espírito de ajuda reinou, sempre. Ensinou-me a ir ao detalhe dos processos industriais e químicos e a desafiar todas as possibilidades de diagnóstico, resolução e estratégia. Foi, sem margem para dúvida, dos melhores anos da minha vida e onde iniciei a minha jornada como engenheira para a sociedade."
“O Curso de Engenharia Química, pelo facto de ser multidisciplinar e associar o conhecimento em química com o conhecimento em processos e operações industriais, preparou-me para desenvolver a minha carreira, passando por diversas áreas, desde a produção, gestão da qualidade, gestão ambiental, desenvolvimento de processos e produtos, gestão da saúde e segurança no trabalho, gestão de projetos com equipas pluridisciplinares, entre outras."
“Para além de chave de entrada na vida profissional, os ensinamentos e a experiência proporcionados pelo Curso de Engenharia Química na Universidade de Coimbra foram ao longo da minha carreira uma ferramenta essencial para o meu desenvolvimento profissional. Nos contactos com outros profissionais de percursos e origens diversas, sempre essa preparação de base se revelou como uma vantagem."
“O curso de Engenharia Química na FCTUC proporcionou-me um excelente ambiente de aprendizagem e a oportunidade de integrar uma comunidade dinâmica e rica em conhecimento. Obtive as bases necessárias para enfrentar os desafios atuais da Indústria Química, desde conhecimentos fundamentais fenomenológicos até à Ciência dos Dados e Digitalização.”
“Graças às bases que o curso me deu, consegui evoluir imenso em 4 anos de trabalho. Para além do conhecimento multidisciplinar, a capacidade de resolução de problemas é uma das ferramentas que uso no meu dia-a-dia.”
Colégio de Engenharia Química e Biológica da Ordem dos Engenheiros
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