Chemical engineers can earn salaries ranging from $40,000 to $150,000 annually according to a 2008 survey. They work in diverse fields such as food production, nuclear energy, space travel, alternative fuels, and environmental studies using their knowledge of physics, math, and chemistry gained through bachelor's degree programs focusing on these subjects. The top schools for chemical engineering are the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of California at Berkeley, and the California Institute of Technology.