Students say "yes" to biotech, but not minerals processing

Biotechnology is the field of choice for chemical engineering graduates, according to recent survey findings published by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE).

The report - published in the IChemE's Education for Chemical Engineers journal - shows biotechnology a clear leader out of 15 preferred career options for undergraduate chemical engineering students asked to select their most desirable employment sector on graduation.

The survey was completed by more than 2,500 undergraduate students across 15 universities in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Thailand, the UK, the USA and Vietnam. The report's author, David Shallcross (a professor at the University of Melbourne, Australia) says that the findings reflect a changing attitude to chemical engineering: