To become a process development engineer, you will need to know how to develop efficient processes for product development in a wide variety of scientific fields. Process development engineers are typically found within the manufacturing and industrial industries. A bachelor's degree in certain hard science and engineering disciplines is required. Oftentimes, a Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD) in these same disciplines will be required if you wish to become a process development engineer.
Going to university to obtain a bachelor's degree is the first step in becoming a process development engineer. Manufacturing and industrial companies usually require that process development engineer candidates have a bachelor's degree in materials science or chemical engineering. Materials science is the study of the chemical and physical properties of various materials and how best to optimize their performance for use in industry. Chemical engineering is the study of turning chemical compounds into materials that can be useful in the industrial fields. Either subject will give you a solid footing in the skills that you will need to come up with secure and highly profitable processes to create industrial products.
Internships are another good way to foster process development engineering skills. Careers in this field are usually so specialized that only on the job engineer training will expose you to the true nature of the job. If you want to become a process development engineer, as an undergraduate student you should begin looking for internships at eligible companies. Your university's career office can help you in your search, or you can look for industrial companies which already have engineering student internships in place. Such internships often connect students to intelligent mentors who have years of experience in process development in their chosen fields.
Many of those with an interest in process development engineering go on to obtain a PhD degree in chemical engineering or materials science. To become a process development engineer you are typically required to specialize in a certain chemical or materials field, such as organic compounds or semiconductors. It is not possible to achieve such specialization during your undergraduate engineering training. This sort of unique training will be available to you as a PhD candidate because you will be able to focus your research on whatever subjects or industry sector suits your interests. PhD programs often pay students to perform research for top-notch professors who direct and mentor students throughout the PhD training phase.