An engineer in glasses and a white lab coat adjusts a valve on a tall system of pipes, tubes and tanks inside a processing plant.
Photo: Lance Cheung, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Maker's name on the control box and company logo on the lab coat blurred; cropped to 3:2 and resized to 1000 px wide.
Engineering & Tech

Chemical Engineer

Chemical engineers design and run the plants that make fuel, food, drinks, medicines and materials, safely and cleanly.

At a glance

Pay

No reliable figure yet

Years of study

UTech's BEng in Chemical Engineering takes four years, or three years on its accelerated pathway.

University of Technology, Jamaica, Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering (course of study), checked Oct 2026

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Jobs

High for engineers in general: the government says Jamaica is going to need a lot more engineers

Jamaica Information Service, Local Engineers Urged to Take Lead in Bolstering Professionals (JIS News, 17 September 2024), checked Oct 2026

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The path

  1. Your CSEC subjects and where to study

    Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering (four-year pathway)

    University of Technology, Jamaica

    You need: 5 CSEC passes, including English A, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry

    University of Technology, Jamaica, Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering (course of study), checked Oct 2026

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    Pre-Engineering Programme, then BSc Chemical & Process Engineering (in Trinidad)

    The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine

    You need: 5 CSEC passes (grade III or better), including English A, Additional Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry and CSEC Mathematics (grade II or better)

    The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Faculty of Engineering Undergraduate Regulations & Syllabuses 2026/2027, checked Oct 2026

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  2. Your licence

    After you graduate, you work for at least two years under a registered professional engineer, with at least one of those years in Jamaica or another CARICOM state. Then you can apply to the Professional Engineers Registration Board (PERB) to register as a professional engineer.

    Professional Engineers Registration Board, Registration Process & Fees, checked Oct 2026

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  3. Your first job

    UTech lists jobs such as process engineer, process analyst, process control engineer, quality and food manager, water and wastewater engineer and production supervisor for graduates of its BEng.

    University of Technology, Jamaica, Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering (course of study), checked Oct 2026

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    UWI St. Augustine's Chemical and Process Engineering degree is built to set its graduates on the way to becoming professional engineers.

    The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Department of Chemical Engineering: Programmes, checked Oct 2026

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    Chemical engineering is one of the kinds of engineering the PERB registers in Jamaica.

    Professional Engineers Registration Board, Frequently Asked Questions, checked Oct 2026

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    In Jamaica, a person who is not registered under the Professional Engineers Registration Act may not practise engineering or use a title saying they may.

    Professional Engineers Registration Board, Frequently Asked Questions, checked Oct 2026

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Sources for these sections

No AI writes these facts. Each one comes from the source named under it and is checked again every year.