(337a) Chemical Engineering Education Trends in Latin America

The purpose of theis study was to assess the trends in the number of graduates from chemical engineering university programs in Latin America, including statistics about the faculties, research areas, and industrial employment. Information was obtained from the AIChE Chemical Engineering Faculty Directory(s) from 1983-present and computer data bases: Scifinder, Google, and HEGIS; when warranted specific universities were contacted directly.

The available results include data from eleven nations in 1)South America, 2)Central America, the )Caribbean, and 4) Mexico. Graduation rates from more than two dozen universities since 1983 were tabulated as a function of time for over twenty years. Preliminary results indicate that the greatest increase (two times) in chemical engineering graduation rates occurred from two universities in Brazil. Chile and Mexico each had one university that more than doubled there graduation rates over a twenty year period. This assessment describes selected programs from the four Latin American regions, above. The results of this study indicate that there is a significant opportunity for additional growth for chemical engineers in Latin America.