Studying Chemistry at Birmingham

Chemistry experiment in lab

Royal Society of Chemistry logoJoin our friendly and ambitious community to learn from world-leading chemistry researchers addressing global challenges in sustainable materials, clean energy, drug discovery and more.

Our degree programmes combine core chemistry subjects with the flexibility to explore different options or specialise in areas including medicinal chemistry and sustainability. We embed the key transferable skills that top employers look for through our innovative approach to developing your chemistry abilities. If you want to learn a language, gain business skills or learn computer science, you can do it all with Chemistry at Birmingham.

In year 3 you can undertake a paid industrial placement or study abroad. If you choose to stay in Birmingham then all our students have the opportunity to undertake real research projects. The CTL hosts our innovative Year 3 mini-projects where you’ll use state-of-the-art instrumentation working with one of our academic research leaders.

Welcome to Chemistry (Video transcript)

On an MSci programme, you join one of our leading research groups for a major research project in an area that you. By doing your research project in year 4 you will reinforce and build upon the project skills learnt in year 3, whether in Birmingham or Industry, and can study advanced research topics.

At Birmingham, you’ll join a thriving and supportive Chemistry community where you’ll experience innovative teaching in outstanding facilities. We get consistently high levels of student satisfaction and our graduates go on to diverse and rewarding careers.

The School of Chemistry offers

  • A personal academic tutor to oversee your academic progress and personal development.
  • A supportive academic and welfare framework, with a dedicated welfare tutor directors of year.
  • Dedicated academic placement tutors to help identify, apply for and succeed on industrial and study abroad placements.
  • Small group subject tutorials, office hours and workshops to support in-person lectures.
  • A flexible degree structure and range of chemistry degree programmes.
  • Superbly equipped teaching and research laboratories.
  • Choice of chemistry-related options modules in years 2 to 4 and research projects in years 3 and 4.
  • A variety of entry scholarships and in-course prizes and internally and externally funded internship opportunities.
  • Teaching from internationally recognised research leaders.
  • Prize-winning educational leadership recognised by the Royal Society of Chemistry (Team Prize for Excellence in HE) and AdvanceHE (two National Teaching Fellowship winners and two Collaborative Awards for Teaching Excellence).
  • Outreach opportunities through the Royal Society of Chemistry Horizon Prize winning ChemBAM
  • 98.7% of our research assessed as world leading or internationally excellent in the last REF assessment