Professional Interview:  Biological & Biosystems

Biological and Biosystems Engineers draw on the biotechnologies found in the food, pharmaceutical, petroleum and textiles industries and combine them with engineering design.  Engineering in these areas may develop process in which microorganisms produce antibiotics more efficiently, or conduct research into how microbes can be used to digest oil spils

Examples:  Biological and biosystems engineers deal with structures, machinery, energy, labor, land, water, waste, energy and resource variables related to the efficient creation of products and processes to fill human needs.

Biological and biosystems engineers have:

 Developed new sources of pharmaceuticals like insulin

 Find new uses for naturally occurring fibers

 Studied ways to convert grass, woodchips and garbage into automobile fuel

 Developed sensor systems to detect nutrients in crops

Engineering in your Community

Making medicines, dyes, glue, fertilizer, pesticides and paint from plant and animal products requires an intimate understanding of biology, chemistry and the ways things interact. What you may think of as a traditional practice - such as growing corn, squash and beans together - is actually a form of biosystems engineering.

Employment [About this section] [To Top]

Chemical engineers held about 33,000 jobs in 2002. Manufacturing industries employed 55 percent of all chemical engineers, primarily in the chemicals, electronics, petroleum refining, paper, and related industries. Most others worked for professional, scientific, or technical services firms that design chemical plants or perform research and development or other services, mainly for chemical companies.

Job Outlook [About this section] [To Top]

Little or no growth in employment of chemical engineers is expected though 2012. Although overall employment in the chemical manufacturing industry is expected to decline, chemical companies will continue to research and develop new chemicals and more efficient processes to increase output of existing chemicals. Among manufacturing industries, pharmaceuticals may provide the best opportunities for jobseekers. Many of the jobs for chemical engineers, however, will be in nonmanufacturing industries, especially services industries such as research and testing services. Even though no new jobs due to growth are expected to be created, many openings will result from the need to replace chemical engineers who transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force



Earnings [About this section] [More salary/earnings info] [To Top]

Median annual earnings of chemical engineers were $72,490 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $58,320 and $88,830. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $48,450, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $107,520.

According to a 2003 salary survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, bachelor�s degree candidates in chemical engineering received starting offers averaging $52,384 a year, master�s degree candidates averaged $57,857, and Ph.D. candidates averaged $70,729.

[Please note that the earnings and salary data listed here is usually from government sources and may be dated, so please make adjustments accordingly. If you would like to access current salary data for literally thousands of occupations, access our Salary Wizard.]