Bachelor Degree in Paper Science and Engineering

Even in this highly digital world, the paper industry continues to thrive and engineers specialized in the field are in high demand. Our ABET* accredited paper science and engineering program combines elements of chemical engineering, environmental science and business management to convert trees into everyday products from shipping and packaging materials to household items and medical supplies.

Students in this STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) major gain a comprehensive understanding of the entire process of paper making and the conversion of any biomass into useful products.

Our students apply the principles of math, physical and life sciences to convert raw bio-materials into paper- and cellulose-based products.

Students learn applied skills on our $12 million in-house laboratory equipment, including a state-of-the-art paper machine. We are the only school in North America with equipment in-house that can convert any biomass material, such as grass, corn stalks and wood, into pulp and paper.

To help our paper science and engineering students transfer their skills and knowledge to the real-world, our Career Services office brings more than 25 companies a year to campus to interview students for internships, co-ops and full-time jobs. This program is so successful that all students participate in at least one internship, with pay between $15-30 per hour, prior to graduation. The average starting salary of students entering the workforce from this program is $75,000, and 100 percent of our graduates secure a job within six months of graduation.

At NC State’s College of Natural Resources, our mission is to leave the world better than we found it. We seek to protect and nurture the environment, engineer sustainable products and solve the grand challenges facing society.

Across a broad array of programs, we supply students with the technical expertise and hands-on experience they need to thrive out in the world. We encourage our award-winning faculty to work across disciplines and find innovative solutions to global challenges. And we partner with industry and government to put our research to work in communities everywhere.

For almost a century, the college has served vital industries in North Carolina — including the state’s largest manufacturing sector, forest and wood products; its largest service sector, tourism; and more than half a million forest landowners. Together, these industries sustain more than half a million jobs and generate $50 billion in annual economic impact.

But our research goes even farther afield: We’re recognized globally as experts in sustainability, the management of land and water, and solutions at the intersection of built and natural environments. In keeping with NC State’s land-grant mission, we’re dedicated to securing a healthier, more sustainable future for all.