Studying to Be a Chemical Engineer? Snag Some Scholarship Dough
Chemical Engineering students have diverse pathways to careers. Security, military, research, healthcare, academics, private industry, are all viable. The field overlaps with various other engineering fields and subject disciplines. Biomedical, biochemical, and nanotechnology may fall under the umbrella of Chemical Engineering.
You will have a much more narrow—and TARGETED-- list of scholarships if you have education and career goals clearly established.
Federal Government Gives Chemical Engineers Money for College
The Federal government aggressively supports the educational pursuits of students particularly interested in studying within the STEM subjects: Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math. Not only that, but scholarships expand to appeal directly to minorities, disadvantaged students, and women—all of whom have been poorly represented in any of these fields.
- Department of Homeland Security digs Chemical Engineering students. So milk this for all it’s worth and explore the big money scholarships offered by the DHS. You can find both undergraduate and graduate scholarships and fellowships up for grabs, though most of them favor graduate students. Required criteria include your study in a specialty that directly relates to the DHS’s goals. Part of their research falls under “Chemical Threats and Countermeasures,” a niche of chemical engineering study. Students receive full-tuition scholarships PLUS monthly cash stipends PLUS paid summer internship. This is a type of scholarship for service agreement in which recipients agree to work for no less than one full year at a DHS site.
Colleges and Universities
If your chief source for scholarship dough isn’t your college or university, then you are leaving easy money on the table.
Other than the general academic scholarships likely offered through your school’s main financial aid or scholarship department, you should track down the subject-specific awards hiding out in the College of Engineering, or better yet the Department of Chemical Engineering. Some schools receive valuable funds from major chemical corporations that help provide thousands of dollars in scholarships.
Private and Professional Sources for Chemical Engineering Student Aid
Getting great new talent for a private business takes one thing: CASH INCENTIVE. You betcha big business and industry wants a piece of the new blood coming out of the Chemical Engineering schools. Top strategy for attracting new talent: cash scholarships bundled with paid internships.
But professional associations for chemistry professionals and engineers are also solid sources for educational money aid.
- The American Chemical Society sponsors a number of annual awards specifically aimed at African American, Hispanic and Native American students. Applicants must be enrolled in a chemistry or chemical engineering major and have both academic talent and financial need. Awards are $2,500 annually and may be renewed.