Durham University
UCAS Code: F100 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
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
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
Subject specifics required for entry: Chemistry and Mathematics.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
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)
Subject specifics required for entry: Chemistry and Mathematics.
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma
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)
Subject specific A-levels (or equivalent) required for entry: Chemistry and Mathematics both at grade A.
Scottish Advanced Higher
Specific subjects/grades required for entry: Chemistry and Mathematics at grade A.
Scottish Higher
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.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
The chemistry department at Durham is one of the leading departments in the UK. 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
Core modules:
Core Chemistry 1 provides the foundation for your future studies and covers organic, inorganic and physical chemistry.
Practical Chemistry 1A and Practical Chemistry 1B 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.
Assessment methods
Assessment is mainly by end-of-year examinations and coursework including laboratory reports, essays and project reports and presentations. In your final year, you will submit your research-led dissertation and an oral presentation.
The range of assessment methods is designed to assess your knowledge and understanding of the course content, test your capacity to solve problems, enhance your written and oral communication skills, and assess your ability to relate your learning to real-world scenarios.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
Extra funding
We're committed to supporting the best students irrespective of financial circumstances. https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/scholarships/
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.
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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
£33k
£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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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:
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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?
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