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Chemistry

Entry requirements


A level

A*,A,A

Specific subjects/grades required for entry: Chemistry at grade A. Mathematics at grade A. Specific subjects excluded for entry: Critical Thinking and General Studies. Information: Applicants taking Science A-levels that include a practical component will be required to take and pass this as a condition of entry. This refers only to English A Levels.

Access to HE Diploma

D:30,M:15

We require 60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at level 3 (or equivalent). Subject specific A-levels (or equivalent) required for entry: Chemistry and Mathematics both at grade A.

Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal

D2,D3,D3

Subject specifics required for entry: Chemistry and Mathematics.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

38

Eighteen points (6, 6, 6) from Higher Level subjects including HL Chemistry and HL Maths. Under the new scheme we will accept HL Maths Analysis and Approaches or HL Maths Applications and Interpretation.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H1,H2,H2,H2,H2

Subject specifics required for entry: Chemistry and Mathematics.

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma

D*DD

Subject specific A-levels (or equivalent) required for entry: Chemistry and Mathematics both at grade A.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

D*DD

Subject specific A-levels (or equivalent) required for entry: Chemistry and Mathematics both at grade A.

Scottish Advanced Higher

A,A,A

Specific subjects/grades required for entry: Chemistry and Mathematics at grade A.

Scottish Higher

A,A,A,A,A

We will normally make offers based on Advanced Highers. If an applicant has not been able to take 3 Advanced Highers, offers may be made with a combination of Advanced Highers and Highers, or on a number of Highers. Must include Chemistry and Mathematics.

At Durham we welcome applications from students of outstanding achievement and potential from all educational backgrounds.  We will consider applicants studying T level qualifications for entry to many of our courses. Where a course requires subject specific knowledge and this is not covered within the T level being studied, you may need to supplement your T level studies with a suitable qualification to meet this requirement, for example at A level.  Where this is needed this will be clearly stated in our entry requirements. Detailed entry requirements can be found on individual course entries on our courses database. https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/courses/f100/#entry-requirements-1237453

UCAS Tariff

152-168

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Chemistry

The chemistry department at Durham is one of the leading departments in the UK and within the Top 100 across the world. When you choose the BSc in Chemistry you will join a dynamic and focused learning community that is home to multiple research institutes, a range of first-class facilities and experts with close links to industry. Current developments in both research and industry are used to bring theoretical learning to life.

Chemistry degrees at Durham offer a high level of flexibility. The BSc in Chemistry contains the same core curriculum in Years 1 and 2 as our other chemistry degrees, and you can switch to one of the other degrees up to the end of the second year.

You will build strong foundations in inorganic, organic and physical chemistry and learn practical skills in our modern teaching laboratories. In your final year, you will continue to learn the core aspects of modern chemistry and examine how it is applied to real-world issues. Your studies will culminate in a research-led dissertation.

You will learn how chemistry is the central science with learning interfaces with biosciences, earth sciences, engineering, physics and astronomy. You will be exposed to cutting-edge analytical techniques and learn how they can be used to assist research and tackle global issues. Graduates are ready to either move straight into employment in a wide range of industries or advance into further studies and scientific research.

Modules

Year 1
Core modules:
Core Chemistry 1 provides the foundation for your future studies and covers organic, inorganic and physical chemistry.

Practical Chemistry A and Practical Chemistry B are two modules of laboratory work. These will allow you to learn and practise the skills required to accurately and safely use chemical reactions to create target substances and concludes with project work.

The Mathematical and Experimental Tools Required in Chemistry (METRiC) module builds on your pre-university mathematical skills and ensures that you understand the vocabulary of physics and biology that interfaces with chemistry.

Introduction to Materials Chemistry introduces the fundamentals of solid state and materials chemistry.

Finally, you will choose some optional modules allowing you to tailor your learning in subjects such as mathematics, biology, languages or the chemistry module Molecules in Action.

Year 2
Core modules:
Core Chemistry builds your knowledge of inorganic, physical and organic chemistry into more specialised concepts.

Chemistry of the Elements focuses the principles of bonding as well as the unique chemistry of the transition metals.

Structure and Reactivity of Organic Chemistry explores how the structure of molecules affects reactions.

Properties of Molecules advances your understanding of physical chemistry in the areas of magnetic resonance, surface chemistry and electrochemistry.

Practical Chemistry becomes more intensive with three modules, one each for Inorganic, Organic and Physical.

Once again, you can personalise your studies with one option module, including Biological Chemistry or Computational Chemistry.

Year 3
Core modules:
Core Chemistry takes your final year knowledge up to degree standard.

You will also produce a research-led Chemistry Dissertation which will demonstrate your attained skills of literature review, data collection and critical analysis as well as literacy and presentation skills.

Examples of optional modules:
Chemistry into Schools
Chemistry and Society
Inorganic Concepts and Applications
Advanced Organic Chemistry
Molecules and their Interactions
Materials Chemistry
Advanced Computational Chemistry
Computational Chemistry
Advanced Biological Chemistry.
Placement
You may be able to take a work placement. Find out more.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£30,500
per year
International
£30,500
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course locations:

Durham City

College allocation pending

Department:

Chemistry

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

85%
Chemistry

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Chemistry

Teaching and learning

81%
Staff make the subject interesting
96%
Staff are good at explaining things
92%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
77%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

73%
Library resources
74%
IT resources
84%
Course specific equipment and facilities
69%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

89%
UK students
11%
International students
55%
Male students
45%
Female students
88%
2:1 or above
8%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A*
A*
A

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Chemistry

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£25,000
high
Average annual salary
95%
med
Employed or in further education
80%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

23%
Business, research and administrative professionals
20%
Natural and social science professionals
8%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

Chemistry graduates are in demand from a wide range of industries, from the food, oil, chemicals and pharmaceuticals to consultancy, technical analysis and teaching. They're also prized by business and finance employers for their research and data handling skills — anywhere there is research and data to be explained, you can find chemistry grads. If you want a career in research, you need a doctorate, so start planning now if you fancy one of these exciting and challenging jobs - but good students can usually get grants to take a doctorate, so don't worry about the financing if you think you have what it takes. The recession wasn’t too kind to chemists, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry (one of the key employers for chemists), but things are getting back to normal for this flexible group and it's one of the few degrees that is bucking the current trend and increasing graduate numbers.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Chemistry

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£26k

£26k

£33k

£33k

£38k

£38k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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Lower entry requirements
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Same University
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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here