Chemistry
Aston University, Birmingham
UCAS Code: F100 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
BBC: including grade B in Chemistry - Standard offer BCC: If the student is also presenting either Core Maths or Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) grade B BCC: Contextual offer (more details https://www2.aston.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/contextual-offer)
Access to HE Diploma
30 Distinctions and 15 Merits at level 3 including at least 15 credits at Level 3 in Mathematics and 15 credits at Level 3 in Chemistry
GCSE/National 4/National 5
Maths Grade C/4 and English Language or Literature Grade C/4
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
with minimum 5, 5, 4 at Higher Level subjects including Chemistry grade 5.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
with minimum grade B in A Level Chemistry. Please check Aston's website for other BTEC combinations.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
Our BSc Chemistry course is offered as either a three or four year course with integrated placement year. It emphasises the commercial as well as industrial application of chemistry. We aim to expand your fundamental chemical knowledge, refine your professional, scientific and technical skills and to develop your personal, communication and management skills.
This course caters for the needs of ‘pure’ chemists whilst providing the opportunity to explore the industrial, pharmaceutical, technological and commercial dimensions of chemistry. Business and other specialist topics are built into our courses enabling you to develop valuable management skills. You share your first year with chemical engineers, to gain a deeper insight into industrial processes.
The broad grounding in the principles of chemistry will prepare you to enter research, development or production in the chemical industry or to undertake postgraduate research or teaching certificates. Alternatively you may pursue a career in areas as diverse as commerce, administration, accounting, banking or the civil service.
Ultimately you will be equipped for a successful career in chemistry, the chemical industries or a vast range of alternative scientific, business and professional occupations such as teaching.
Key course benefits:
- Our Chemistry courses achieved 100% student satisfaction (National Student Survey 2022)
- Ranked Top 10 in the UK for Course Satisfaction (Guardian University Guide League Tables, 2023)
- Internationally recognised for research
- Our optional placement year offers you the opportunity to gain valuable experience and set your studies in the context of a working environment, designed to boost your future employment prospects.
Modules
Year One:
Core Modules
Sustainability, Design and Build
Organic Chemistry I
Physical Chemistry I
Inorganic Chemistry I
Mathematics for Chemists
Year Two
Core modules
Organic Chemistry II
Biological Chemistry I
Physical Chemistry II
Polymer I
Inorganic Chemistry II
Choose one optional module:
Introduction to Business Management
Introduction to Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Molecular Cell Biology
Environmental Chemistry I
Year Three
Optional Placement Year
Final Year
Core Modules
• Physical Chemistry III
• Organic Chemistry III
• Polymer II
• Inorganic Chemistry III
Choose 4 optional modules, with two choices from Group A, and two from Group B:
Group A
Advances in Lipid Chemistry
Advanced NMR Techniques
Biological Chemistry II
Surfaces, Nanomaterials and Catalysis
Environmental Chemistry II
Advances in Biomaterials Science
Frontiers of the Periodic Table
Renewable Technologies
Group B
Literature Research Project
Demonstrating Chemistry
Chemistry with Computers
Please Note: All modules are based on the current academic year. Course information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to review.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
Aston University, Birmingham
School of Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering
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.
£21k
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 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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