How to become a chemical engineer in Australia
Chemical Engineers design and prepare specifications for chemical process systems and the construction and operation of commercial-scale chemical plants, and supervise industrial processing and fabrication of products undergoing physical and chemical changes.
Pay and growth are for the wider chemical and materials engineers group, which is as fine as the data goes. The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the chemical and materials engineers group are projected to grow 23.2% between May 2025 and May 2035, faster than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Prepares designs for chemical process systems and plans control systems for processes, such as those used to remove and separate components, effect chemical changes, test and evaluate fuels, transfer heat, and control the storing and handling of solids, liquids and gases.
- Monitors the operation and maintenance of equipment to achieve maximum efficiency under safe operating conditions.
- Ensures correct materials and equipment are used and that they conform to specifications.
- Diagnoses malfunctions in chemical plants and instituting remedial action.
- Studies product utilisation and pollution control problems.
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the chemical and materials engineers group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 92% a degree or higher, 2% a diploma, 2% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria4 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Engineering-Chemical (Honours) · RMIT, City81.70 Science-Chemistry/Engineering-Chemical (Honours) · RMIT, City88.10 Chemical Engineering (Honours)/Pharmaceutical Science · Monash, Clayton87.15 Engineering-Chemical (Honours)/Pharmaceutical Sciences · RMIT, City / Bundoora83.55NSW and ACT6 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Bachelor of Engineering Honours (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering) · Sydney90.80 Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Chemical Process · UTS86.00 Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (Honours) · Newcastle77.45 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mat Sc & Eng)/Bachelor of Eng Sc (Chemical Engineering) · UNSW99.30 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Chemical/Chemical Product Engineering) · UNSW94.10Diplomas and other ways in
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Chemical Process Diploma in Industry Practice · UTS85.50Queensland0 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
No match in QTAC's list. Some courses, medicine especially, don't publish a cutoff or use their own admissions.
Western Australia4 matches
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) Honours · ECU, Joondalup80.00 guaranteed Bachelor of Technology (Chemical) · ECU, Joondalup60.10 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Chemical Engineering), Bachelor of Science (Extractive Metallurgy) (double degree) · Curtin, Perth80.25 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Chemical Engineering), Bachelor of Science (Science) in Chemistry (double degree) · Curtin, Perth75.10Matched on course names, 14 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Realistic, Investigative, Conventional.
From O*NET ratings for "Chemical Engineers", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a good match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
Careers with similar interests
Electrical engineer$2,553 Mechanical engineer$2,614 Civil engineer$2,217 Structural engineer$2,217 Mining engineer$3,518Done this job, or studied for it?
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.