Chemistry is central to solving humanity's most pressing problems - climate change, renewable energy, sustainable materials, and eliminating hunger and disease. Our chemistry degrees help develop the practical, analytical, numerical, and logical reasoning skills you need to help solve these global challenges – and also offer an exciting route into a wide range of future career paths.

In this degree, you will undertake a 3-6 month overseas research placement in Year Three, performing research with an academic group at an overseas university or research institute. This will give you unique experience of cutting-edge research, but at an overseas university, helping to expand your own horizons and further boost your research experience.

The fourth year of this MChem degree builds on the experience previous years by enabling students to undertake a significant research project, working with an academic group to help solve important real-world problems drawn from the wide spectrum of the chemical sciences.

Course overview

Through Chemistry we can tackle the energy crisis, discover new medicines or develop new materials for 21st century needs, from polymers for drug delivery to more efficient batteries.

Our flexible undergraduate Chemistry degree is delivered by one of the UK's top Chemistry departments, which is ranked highly for both teaching and research. It provides a comprehensive programme of study to prepare you for a lab-based scientific career – but also helps build the practical, numeracy, logical and analytical skills that are valued by top graduate recruiters.

Years One and Two will set you up with a solid foundation in state-of-the-art chemistry. Here, you will build the experimental skills and theoretical knowledge across the core branches of modern chemistry, and learn how chemical scientists understand and shape the material world around us.

This degree is ideal if you are considering a career in research and/or want to explore different fields with an International Placement. In the first two terms of Year Three, this degree diverges to offer you the opportunity to undertake a research project for three to six months at one of our partner institutions in Europe, Australia or Singapore. You will work with an academic on a cutting-edge research project, developing transferable skills including team working, communication, problem solving, analysis and independent investigation. You may even make a discovery that gets published in a scientific journal.

In Year Four you will complete an individual investigative project on a topic that reflects your passion. You can also select optional modules to support your research or broaden your knowledge.

Where our Chemistry degree can take you

Our graduates are active in fields as diverse as:

• Chemical Science
• Sustainable materials
• Drug Discovery and Pharmaceutical Development
• Laboratory Technical Services and Leadership
• Public Health
• Business and Financial Analysis
• Investment Management
• Management Consultancy
• Academic Research and Teaching
• Medicine and paramedic
• Secondary School Teaching

Our graduates have gone on to work for employers such as:

• Amazon
• Deloitte
• GSK
• HMRC
• HSBC
• KPMG
• NHS Trust
• Ovo Energy
• Royal Society of Chemistry
• Unilever
• Vertex Pharmaceuticals.