About Chemical & Petroleum Engineering in University of Pittsburgh

The Chemical and Petroleum Engineering department at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering was established in 1910, making it the first department for petroleum engineering in the world. Today, our department has over 40 expert faculty (tenure/tenure-stream/joint/adjunct), a host of dedicated staff, more than 20 state-of-the-art laboratories and learning centers, and education programs that enrich with strong fundamentals and hands-on experience.

Chemical engineering is concerned with processes in which matter and energy undergo change. The range of concerns is so broad that the chemical engineering graduate is prepared for a variety of interesting and challenging employment opportunities. Chemical engineers with strong background in sciences are found in management, design, operations, and research. Chemical engineers are employed in almost all industries, including food, polymers, chemicals, pharmaceutical, petroleum, medical, materials, and electronics. Since solutions to energy, environmental, and food problems must surely involve chemical changes, there will be continued demands for chemical engineers in the future.

• Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR). We encourage you to complete the SRAR rather than sending a transcript to improve application processing time. Please note that we will compare your SRAR to your official high school transcript if you enroll at Pitt. Accuracy in completing the SRAR is very important. Discrepancies and misrepresentations could result in the Admissions Committee revoking your admissions decision.
• Original or certified, official secondary school records from grades 9-11 (transcripts, marksheets, certificates, examination results, etc.) and any national/state examination results required in your country. You will also need to send literal translations of your records if they are not in English. If your secondary record only includes grades 10-12, please submit the third year of your middle school transcript. Note: Students may be required to complete a transcript evaluation.
  • If you have a General Education Diploma (GED) email the Admissions Office pitt.admissions@pitt.edu about your options. In some cases the GED is not accepted.

English Language Requirements

• For the Pittsburgh campus, a 100 or higher TOEFL composite score with subscores of 21 or higher is considered competitive, a 7.0 IELTS with subscores of 6.0 or higher, or a 120 or higher Duolingo score.

  Applicants are reviewed holistically, however, and those with a 95-99 TOEFL and a solid academic record will be given strong consideration in the admissions process for the Pittsburgh campus. Applicants with TOEFL scores between 80-94 (6.5 IELTS) will most often be considered for admission to a regional campus at Bradford, Greensburg or Johnstown. We recommend that students rank the campuses on their admission application in order of preference.

University of Pittsburgh Cost of Attendance

The cost of attendance varies depending on whether the candidate has applied to graduate or undergraduate programmes, as well as the necessary fees that must be paid. The tuition charge varies according to the programme to which one has applied. The following is a breakdown of expenses in the form of an expected budget for international students interested in studying in the United States.

Undergraduate Cost of living (Per year)

Graduate students Cost of Attendance (Per year)