Pharmaceutical Chemistry
University of Reading
UCAS Code: F108 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
University of Reading
UCAS Code: F108 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
A level Chemistry at grade B
Access to HE Diploma
including relevant science units.
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
to include Chemistry
Extended Project
In recognition of the excellent preparation that the Extended Project Qualification provides to students for University study, we now include achievement in the EPQ as part of a formal offer. Eligible applicants would receive two offers, our usual offer plus an alternative offer of a B in the EPQ and one grade lower in their A level subjects
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE Mathematics at grade B (or 6). SL4 for IB. English Language or English Literature C (or 4).
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Chemistry at grade 5 at Higher Level.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
including relevant science modules.
Scottish Higher
Chemistry at grade B
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
Apply your knowledge of chemistry and biology to pharmaceutical practice with our BSc Pharmaceutical Chemistry degree.
Our new pharmaceutical chemistry degree has been developed with our industrial partners to produce high quality graduates for the pharmaceutical sector – an area that already employs 67,000 people in the UK, and contributes £30.4bn to the national economy per year.
You will develop a strong grounding in basic chemistry and biology, and also cover advanced topics relevant to modern pharmaceutical chemistry. We go beyond organic chemistry – which is traditionally associated with pharmaceutical programmes – to cover many other areas of chemistry and biology. As such, we consciously address the needs of this modern and growing industry.
For more information, please visit our course page: https://www.reading.ac.uk/ready-to-study/study/subject-area/chemistry-ug/bsc-pharmaceutical-chemistry
Modules
The following modules have been approved in principle for delivery in 2025/26. Please note that as part of our current curriculum improvement process, all modules require final University approval and may be subject to change. Please check our website for more details about the course structure.
Sample modules for this course include:
- Fundamentals of Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
- Cellular and Molecular Principles of Life
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- Polymers in Nature and Industry
- Solid State Chemistry
- Chemistry practicals.
The University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. Further information about the content of final approved modules will be available in the summer of 2024. We suggest that you regularly revisit our course page during this time to ensure you have the most up-to-date information regarding the modules offered on this programme.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
University of Reading
School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
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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.
£23k
£30k
£35k
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 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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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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