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Chemistry (with a year abroad)

Entry requirements


A level

A,A,B-A,B,B

To include Chemistry.

2 AS Levels accepted in place of 1 A-Level, must be alongside 2 further A-Levels including Chemistry.

Access to HE Diploma

D:30

Access to HE Diploma must be in a relevant science subject, require a minimum of 45 credits at level 3, 30 of which must be at Distinction. To include 15 Level 3 Chemistry credits at Distinction. If A-Level Chemistry is not held an additional entrance exam will be required - please contact Admissions for more information.

Considered when combined with other qualifications.

Considered when combined with other qualifications.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

Grade 5/B in GCSE Mathematics.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

30

To include grade 5 in HL Chemistry. Minimum of 4 in HL Maths or 5 in SL Maths required if grade 5/B not held at GCSE.

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

H2,H2,H2,H2,H3

including H2 in Chemistry. Plus, Ordinary Level 4 in Maths or Higher Level 7 in Maths

BTEC must be in a relevant science subject and should be taken alongside A-Level Chemistry.

Considered when combined with other qualifications, including Chemistry A-level.

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

D*DD

BTEC in Applied Science, including several Chemistry related modules. If you don't have A-level Chemistry you will need to take an entrance exam - please contact Admissions for more information.

Scottish Advanced Higher

A,B,B

Advanced Higher in Chemistry required.

Scottish Higher

A,A,B,B,B

including Chemistry grade A.

Two A-levels including Chemistry and the Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate.

UCAS Tariff

128-152

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

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Chemistry

This four-year degree expands on the Chemistry BSc to prepare you for high-level entry into the industry. It’s also a solid base for pursuing PhD research.

Chemistry is the fundamental cornerstone for many economically important industries today, creating a demand for high quality chemistry graduates. The constant desire for innovation, new products and new solutions continually drives forward research and development. By studying the interaction of molecules, their structure and properties, we learn vital information about the world we live in and this offers opportunities to find answers to many of the problems we, as a society, face today.

If you choose to study for a BSc or MChem degree in Chemistry, you will find it is an incredibly exciting science, with substantial hands-on practical work. You will graduate with the skills and expertise that may lead you to make new discoveries. These discoveries can result in advances in many important fields such as health and medicine, energy and the environment, materials and technology or food and agriculture. As a chemistry graduate you will have a diverse range of career options open to you.

The Department of Chemistry at Leicester is one of the best in the UK for both teaching and research. We have a reputation as a friendly, supportive department that produces highly trained graduates with skills valued by employers. This is because we offer high quality courses that are designed to give you a wide range of employment opportunities, and are carefully structured to ensure you will cover all the relevant topics.

Whichever degree you study, you will always benefit from our excellent teaching, our well-equipped laboratories, our high-quality welfare provision and academic support. You will also reap the benefits of the cutting-edge research being carried out in the department by our academics – the same academics who teach you.

Our specialist research areas include atmospheric chemistry, chemical biology, materials and interfaces, spectroscopy and dynamics, and sustainable synthesis and catalysis. You can be sure of learning about the very latest breakthroughs in each area throughout your course. In your final year, you will carry out your own personal research project, working under one of our academic staff and applying the knowledge and practical skills which you have gained on the course – placing you at the cutting-edge of chemistry research.

What's the difference?
Study for a BSc and you will receive rigorous training in chemistry and related, transferable skills – which will put you in a strong position to apply for a range of different employment sectors. Or you may want to continue your studies by applying for a Masters degree (MSc).

If you specifically want to find work as a chemist, whether in industry or the public sector, you should consider an MChem. The extra depth of experience and knowledge you will gain is valued by prospective employers that use chemical processes, and will keep you competitive in the job market against graduates who may have studied for the longer degrees taught in some European countries. Alternatively, an MChem provides a solid basis for progressing to a PhD.

Each of our MChem degrees share a common first two years with the respective BSc, during which you can switch between them (transfer from BSc to MChem is subject to satisfactory progress). Both the MChem and BSc degrees are taught and assessed to the same high standards. The difference is one of content, not quality.

Also please note that the Year Abroad option is not available on our BSc degrees.

Modules

For more information on this course and a full list of modules, visit the course information page on our website

Assessment methods

For more information on the methods of assessment on this course, visit the course information page on our website

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
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 location:

University of Leicester

Department:

School of 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

69%
Staff make the subject interesting
93%
Staff are good at explaining things
72%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
72%
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

69%
Library resources
76%
IT resources
90%
Course specific equipment and facilities
79%
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?

90%
UK students
10%
International students
53%
Male students
47%
Female students
77%
2:1 or above
9%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
C

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.

£21,000
med
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education
77%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

21%
Science, engineering and production technicians
14%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
14%
Sales, marketing 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.

£22k

£22k

£25k

£25k

£29k

£29k

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:

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