Chemistry
Entry requirements
A level
Overall: BBB We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking in our offers. Required Subjects: Chemistry grade B and a second science subject. Applicants taking the Science Practical Endorsement are required to pass.
Access to HE Diploma
Overall: QAA-recognised Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 Credits including: 27 at Distinction and 18 at Merit Required Subjects: Modules must be in relevant subjects.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE English Language at Grade C(4) and Mathematics at Grade C(4).
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Overall: 32 Required Subjects: HL5/SL6 in Chemistry and a second science subject. GCSE or Equivalent: English, HL4/SL4 (including MYP). Maths, HL4/SL4 (including MYP). Maths Studies, SL4.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Overall: DDM in the BTEC Extended Diploma. Required Subjects: BTEC must be in a relevant subject.
Scottish Advanced Higher
Overall: BBB Required Subjects: Chemistry grade B and a second science subject. GCSE or Equivalent: English Language: Scottish National 5 - C Mathematics: Scottish National 5 - C
Scottish Higher
Overall: ABBBB Required Subjects: Chemistry and a second science subject. GCSE or Equivalent: English Language: Scottish National 5 - C Mathematics: Scottish National 5 - C
Overall: Pass overall with BBB from a combination of the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate and two A levels. Applicants taking the Science Practical Endorsement are required to pass. Required Subjects: A level Chemistry grade B and a second science subject. GCSE or Equivalent: Completion of GCSE English and Mathematics equivalents within the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
**Why choose this course**
Our professionally accredited BSc and MChem teach you the fundamentals of chemistry while allowing you to make your own discoveries.
Our chemistry programmes offer one of the best staff-to-student ratios in the country, with 92.5 per cent of our students saying that they are satisfied with their course in the National Student Survey 2022.
We also offer award-winning Professional Training placements, giving students industry work experience opportunities with leading organisations in the UK and abroad.
We are ranked Top 20 in the UK for chemistry in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023 and the Complete University Guide 2023.
**What you will study**
Our courses combine modern, practical chemistry with core theory. You’ll explore topics including energy and fuel cells, advanced materials, natural products and advanced analytical techniques.
You can also choose to complete a Professional Training placement, with opportunities available among leading chemical companies in the UK and further afield. You can apply to study for either a BSc or an MChem (Master of Chemistry).
The MChem builds on the BSc course with a masters year and is a direct route to a masters qualification. On an MChem, you’ll spend a year doing research with an industry partner before returning for a final year of masters-level modules. Depending on your progress, you may have the option to switch to a BSc or MChem during your studies.
Modules
To see the full range of modules for this course please visit our website – the link is under the Course contact details. You will also find full details of the programme, including programme structure, assessment methods, contact hours and Graduate prospects.
Extra funding
The University of Surrey offers a range of scholarships and bursaries to support our students, please visit https://www.surrey.ac.uk/fees-and-funding/scholarships-and-bursaries for more details.
The Uni
Stag Hill
FEPS - Department of Chemistry
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
£31k
£30k
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.
Explore these similar courses...
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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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