![A student sitting in front of the computer and an instructor standing behind him in a chemical engineering lab](/main/images/colleges-schools/engineering/cme/components/cb-cheme-major.jpg)
Major in chemical engineering
Chemical engineers apply scientific principles -- along with a healthy dose of creativity -- to the creation of new chemicals and chemical processes that can improve our quality of life. Chemical engineers are involved in the design and manufacture of everything from a zestier version of your favorite toothpaste to a life-saving pharmaceutical to new and inexpensive fuel sources.
![Four students in lab coats in a battery engineering lab](/main/images/colleges-schools/engineering/cme/components/cb-matsci-major.jpg)
Major in materials science and engineering
Self-healing plastic. Night-vision contact lenses. It seems like the stuff of science fiction, but it's reality for materials scientists and engineers, who study the relationship between a material's atomic structure and its physical properties. These engineers learn to manipulate materials at the atomic level to create new ones that are lighter, stronger or more flexible than their predecessors.