The report - published in 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 2500 undergraduate students across 15 universities in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Thailand, UK, USA and Vietnam.

Report author Professor David Shallcross from the University of Melbourne in Australia said that the findings reflect a changing attitude to chemical engineering.

'Chemical Engineering education has traditionally focused on supplying graduates to the petrochemicals, and oil-and-gas industries with examples used throughout the courses often drawn almost exclusively from these industries,' said Shallcross.

'As the same time new industries, such as the biotechnology industries, have emerged to employ chemical engineers while older industries such as the dairy industry have also turned to chemical engineering graduates.' 

The survey also highlights considerable differences between students in different countries, as well as between the different sexes. The finds reveal a lower interest in the environmental sector in the UK than in Australia, Canada, US, and Vietnam and considerably greater interest in the financial sector amongst UK students than all other nations.

There is a strong appeal from the food and drink sector in Australia, New Zealand and Vietnam compared to other countries and a greater appeal of the IT sector amongst Canadian students than other nations.

Students expressed little interest in the glass and ceramics, minerals processing, nuclear, and pulp and paper sectors generally.

Male students prefer the traditional oil, gas and petrochemical industries while female students favour the bioprocessing and food and drink engineering industries.