Professor Alexander Gorin
KUCHING: Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus (Swinburne Sarawak) is now accepting applications for its chemical engineering degree, with classes scheduled to begin on Sept 3.
The Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Chemical Engineering is a four-year programme that has recently been approved by the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia.
Graduates may be employed as designers and advisors for engineering projects, in engineering consultancies, environmental agencies and government departments.
“Like specialists in all engineering fields, chemical engineers employ physics, mathematics, and engineering principles to solve technical problems. Yet, chemical engineers apply a knowledge of chemistry in addition to other engineering disciplines to solve a wide range of technical problems,” said Professor Alexander Gorin of Swinburne Sarawak who is heading the programme.
The curriculum includes Engineering Mathematics, Engineering Materials, Chemistry, Heat and Mass Transfer, Thermodynamics, Engineering Sustainability, Fluid Mechanics, Transport Phenomena, Process Control and Measurements, Process Modelling, Reaction Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Safety and Risk Management, Engineering Management and Process Plant Design.
Students consolidate technical and problem-solving skills they acquire over the four years through a research project in their final year.
As today’s industries require more specialists with chemical engineering background, graduates of the discipline have a diverse and exciting range of careers to choose from. Careers can be pursued in the chemical industry, energy production, oil and gas industry, dairy and food industries, petrochemical and other industries.
“This makes chemical engineering very unique in the fields of science and technology. Chemical engineers are in great demand and are employed in a range of operations outside traditional areas,” said Alexander.
Chemical engineering graduates with specialisation in areas not traditionally considered as chemical engineering are required by industry.
Among them are biotechnology and the metals processing industry, which includes light metal manufacture to separation of rare metals, Alexander said.
To widen the horizons of chemical engineering, Swinburne Sarawak offers a range of elective courses allowing specialisation in biotechnology or metallurgy.
“This will make chemical engineering graduates from Swinburne Sarawak more universal with better opportunities for employment,” he said, adding that such an approach meets the expectations of local industry.
Chemical engineering graduates are eligible to apply for registration with the Board of Engineering Malaysia and graduate membership of Engineers Australia.