Core modules
We offer a high degree of flexibility, allowing you to transfer between Chemistry degree courses at any time in the first two years as you develop your interests and future plans. (Please note, all course transfers are subject to meeting academic requirements and, for overseas students, are subject to UK visa regulations.)
In Years One and Two, you will study a range of key topics across inorganic, organic and physical chemistry to provide a solid foundation across the main areas of chemistry. You will also be supported in developing essential skills, including practical laboratory skills, coding and digital skills, intercultural communication to enhance your global employability, and research skills to spark your intellectual curiosity for the subject.
In Year Three, you will build on your experiences from Years One and Two, choosing optional modules that tailor your degree to suit your own interests. At this stage, you could find out how Chemistry is tackling the energy crisis, explore scientific writing, or discover how polymer synthesis can be used to design drug delivery systems.
Your final MChem year gives you the opportunity to further your skills set while actively making a real difference by working on a research project. Under the supervision of our internationally recognised academic staff, you might, for example: discover a significant improvement in solar cell technology, develop an electrochemical sensor for pharmaceutical analysis, a novel compound for cryopreservation of cells, a renewable polymer made from vegetables, an improved catalyst or an antibacterial agent extracted from plants.
In Year Four, you will also choose optional modules to support your project and create a wide base of knowledge in other advanced areas of chemistry.
Options in 2021/22 have included:
- Electrochemistry and Nanotechnology
- Advanced Biophysical Chemistry
- Colloid Science
- Advanced Computational Chemistry
You may also wish to investigate an intercalated placement year to gain extensive professional experience (increasing the course duration to five years). Or, you could consider transferring to our MChem with Industrial Placement or MChem with International Placement at the end of Year Two.
RSC accreditation is subject to the appropriate choice of options in Years Two to Four. You will be supported by following an accredited course throughout your degree.
Important information
We are planning to make some changes to our Chemistry (MChem) degree for 2023 entry. Changes to core and optional modules go through the University's rigorous academic processes. As changes are confirmed, we will update the course information on this webpage. It is therefore very important that you check this webpage for the latest information before you apply and prior to accepting an offer. Sign up to receive updates.
Year One
Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry
Here, you will build a solid understanding of chemical bonding and interatomic interactions, and how they determine the structure and reactivity of inorganic compounds. You will apply your understanding to the chemistry of transition metal complexes, Bronsted and Lewis acidity, and the redox properties of main group compounds. You will examine fundamental aspects of crystal field theory and develop your practical skills in using the models studied in light of their industrial applications and use in materials science.
Read more about the Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Introduction to Organic Chemistry
You will start this module by developing a keen understanding of the structures, properties and reactions of organic molecules. You will expand your knowledge of different types of organic compounds, discover methods for creating new molecules, and be able to describe bonding in organic compounds to predict the reactivity of molecules. You will apply your understanding to the synthesis and chemistry of key functional groups and to the structure, properties and reactivities of biologically important molecules and organic macromolecules.
Read more about the Introduction to Organic Chemistry moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Introduction to Physical Chemistry
You will develop a firm grounding in core concepts in physical chemistry: quantum mechanics, kinetics, thermodynamics and spectroscopy. You will learn how the laws of quantum mechanics can be used to predict the properties of atoms and molecules, how observed kinetic rate laws of multistep chemical processes emerge from elementary reaction steps, how thermodynamics can be used to predict the properties of gases, and how light interacts with matter.
Read more about the Introduction to Physical Chemistry moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Practical and Professional Chemistry Skills I
You can study the theory of chemistry, but the laboratory is where science comes alive. You will put your chemistry knowledge to work with experiments that build your expertise in using scientific instrumentation, data collection, and data analysis. You will use new techniques and lab skills to synthesise chemical compounds, investigate key concepts and experimentally verify some of the chemical theories introduced in lectures. You will also have opportunities to combine established techniques, equipping you with the understanding and practical competence needed to develop your own research methods and problem-solving techniques.
Read more about the Practical and Professional Chemistry Skills I moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Year Two
Practical and Professional Chemistry Skills II
In this module, you will experience more hands-on laboratory investigations as the skills you have developed allow you to conduct more complicated multistep syntheses, learn advanced lab and instrumentation techniques, and take more control and ownership of your work. By the end of this module, you will be able to plan new experiments, set up and monitor instrumentation to record your results, and characterise and assess reactions using spectroscopy alongside other sophisticated techniques. You will also learn to process and present your results in statistical, graphical and written form.
Read more about the Practical and Professional Chemistry Skills II moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Selective Organic Synthesis
Having already developed a foundation understanding of organic chemistry you will now broaden your knowledge of the range of synthetic routes available to design new molecules. You will examine a variety of methods for forming different bond types and functional groups and consider the factors influencing the choice of reagents and reaction conditions. You will use your knowledge to form your own strategies to design organic synthesis routes to target molecules.
Read more about the Selective Organic Synthesis moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Mechanistic and Biological Chemistry
In this module you will look at the features of organic molecules that affect the reactions that they can undergo. You will develop the ability to use structures and information about rates to predict reactions and identify the mechanisms of organic reactions. You will use your knowledge of the structures and reactivity of small molecules and apply these to the chemistry of carbohydrates, proteins and enzymes. During the module you will also develop understanding of the drug discovery process and its challenges.
Read more about the Mechanistic and Biological Chemistry moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Transition Metal Chemistry
You will develop a formal understanding of bonding in transition metal complexes, as a platform for understanding the reactivity and spectroscopy of such complexes, and acquire a systematic knowledge of organometallic chemistry through exploring some of the conceptual links between organic and inorganic chemistry.
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Materials and Polymers
Materials and Polymers are used across an enormous range of functional and structural chemical applications. They turn molecules into useful devices and items, or are extended arrays of connected atoms that have unique properties as solids. This module will give you an understanding of how polymers and materials can be made and how they can be characterised. This will let you appreciate how materials can be designed for use in energy, healthcare, electronics, personal care and other applications.
Read more about the Materials and Polymers moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Electrons in Molecules and Solids
You will develop in-depth knowledge of symmetry and group theory and its role in molecular structure and bonding, and interpretation of electronic and vibrational spectra. You will study how photo-excited molecules undergo relaxation through radiative and non-radiative decay processes, and how these processes can be harnessed in useful applications. You will be introduced to the fundamental concepts of solid state chemistry that relates to crystal structure, chemical bonding in solids and the electronic properties of solids, and how these used to derive various condensed matter properties, including electrical conduction and opto-electronic characteristics.
Read more about the Electrons in Molecules and Solids moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Statistical Mechanics and Electrochemistry
In this module you will study concepts from across electrochemistry and statistical mechanics. Here, you will learn about fundamental electrochemical processes, such as nerve signalling and the function of nanowires and nanoparticles; through statistical mechanics, you will also develop a better understanding of how properties at the atomic scale connect to the macroscopic world around us.
Read more about the Statistical Mechanics and Electrochemistry moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Year Three
Advanced Organic Chemistry and Laboratory
Here, you will gain the advanced knowledge to allow you to understand and apply empirical rules and models related to the reactions of organic molecules, complex pericyclic reactions, intramolecular cyclisation processes, rearrangement reactions of reactive intermediates, and reactions creating new stereogenic centres by either substrate, reagent or catalyst control.
Read more about the Advanced Organic Chemistry and Laboratory moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Advanced Inorganic Chemistry and Laboratory
This advanced module will help you to understand the issues affecting industrial catalytic reactions. You will study the application of organometallic chemistry and physical chemistry (particularly kinetics), drawing together aspects of this work developed in year two, and extending your understanding to the types of reactions and catalysis used widely in chemical industries, such as those concerned with petrochemicals, polymers, fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
Read more about the Advanced Inorganic Chemistry and Laboratory moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Advanced Physical Chemistry and Laboratory
Here, you will meet two advanced topics in physical chemistry: interfacial chemistry and molecular modelling. You will study a range of surface and interfacial processes, including both solid and liquid interfaces, and learn about advanced experimental methods for characterising them. You will learn the key concepts in molecular dynamics simulations, including periodic boundaries, integration algorithms and thermodynamic ensembles. A significant aspect of this module is to demonstrate the importance of surface processes in chemistry and the borders of chemical engineering, biomedical science, materials science and physics. As well as standard lectures, these aims will be supported by experimental laboratory sessions which have an emphasis on designing and implementing experiments.
Read more about the Advanced Physical Chemistry and Laboratory moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Advanced Analytical Chemistry
You will focus on the theoretical and practical aspects of instrumental analytical techniques, including data generation, acquisition, interpretation, instrumentation and state-of-the-art applications. You will consider the techniques of chromatography, mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in both lecture and workshops. As part of your studies, you will learn to test hypotheses, use databases and software independently, analyse your findings and improve your ability to communicate these in written form.
Read more about the Advanced Analytical Chemistry moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Extended Laboratory
You will build on your previous practical chemistry work by choosing two further optional practical modules. Your studies will see you using a range of resources to design synthetic and measurement experiments, and performing advanced synthetic techniques such as column chromatography, manipulation of air-sensitive compounds and emulsion polymerisation. You will complete this module with a poster presentation on a piece of published research work.
Read more about the Extended Laboratory moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Year Four
Research Project and Methodology
You will carry out an extended research project under the supervision of an academic in an area reflecting your interests. You will become competent in original research practice, including evaluating literature, designing practical or computational experiments, analysing and assessing your results and drawing conclusions to set against the current field. You will learn to present your findings in discussion and debate, and to complete report-writing to a high standard.
Read more about the Research Project and Methodology moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Optional modules
Optional modules can vary from year to year. Examples of Year Three or Four optional modules may include:
- Molecular Structure and Dynamics
- Bioorganic Chemistry
- Polymer and Colloid Science
- Energy
- Communicating Science
- Advanced Coordination and Bio-Inorganic Chemistry
- Secondary School Teaching
- Electrochemistry and Nanotechnology
- Advanced Computational Chemistry
