University of Birmingham
Chemistry BSc (Hons)
University of Birmingham

Key Course Facts

Student Reviews

Overall student satisfaction
72 /100
20 total respondents
The NSS is commissioned by the Office for Students

Salary

Salary of Graduates in Molecular Biology, Biophysics and Biochemistry

Important: Salary data below is not course specific, but contains data of all students of Molecular Biology, Biophysics and Biochemistry at the university. Due to data collection methodology, salary data is mainly based on data related to undergraduate students.

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £29000 £25000 £31000
25-75 percentile range £24000 - £30000 £21500 - £31000 £25000 - £38500


Salary of all UK Graduates of Molecular Biology, Biophysics and Biochemistry

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £25986 £23450 £28950
25-75 percentile range £21993 - £30000 £18456 - £28917 £22344 - £35829

Course Description

This Chemistry with Foundation Year is a one-year course designed for students whose qualifications are not appropriate for direct entry on to one of our Honours degree programmes. This programme may also be attractive to mature students who may need a period of retraining before embarking on a degree.

The Chemistry with Foundation Year is an integrated foundation degree, giving you access to our highly ranked chemistry undergraduate courses. Once you’ve completed it successfully and have met the subject-specific progression criteria, you can elect to join your chosen first-year course.

At Birmingham you’ll learn first-hand from world-renowned researchers who are pushing the boundaries of knowledge in areas from nanoscale chemistry and chemical biology to green polymers and chemical imaging. The Chemistry with Foundation Year is multidisciplinary and offers a broad programme of study, providing a solid level of knowledge across science, engineering and mathematics. You will also take modules in physics, engineering and computer science. As well as leading to specific degree courses, these modules will help you develop many transferable skills including teamwork, confidence-building in technology and numeracy, computer literacy and presentation skills.

We’ve been at the forefront of chemistry teaching and research for more than 100 years, producing several Nobel Prize-winners along the way, and we have some of the best facilities and equipment in the country. No wonder our students regularly place us among the top chemistry departments in UK for student satisfaction.

Accredited by the Royal Society of Biology for the purpose of meeting, in part, the academic and experience requirement of membership and Chartered Biologist (CBiol).

Jobs & Career Perspectives

15 months after graduation, graduates of this course were asked about what they do and, if they are working, about their current job and their perspectives.

Current jobs

Required skill level of job after 15 months

Jobs of graduates of this course (15 months after graduation)

Example below based on all graduates of Chemistry BSc (Hons) at University of Birmingham

20% Sports and fitness occupations
20% Elementary occupations
10% Artistic, literary and media occupations
10% Teaching Professionals
10% Sales occupations
10% Skilled trades occupations
10% Web and Multimedia Design Professionals

Grading & Study Time

Grading Distribution

Students of the course received the following grades

Entry Requirements / Admissions

UCAS Tariff of Accepted Students for this course

Qualification requirements

Including a relevant subject/science @ C or above (80 UCAS tariff points)

Access to HE Diploma

31-30 overall or 665-655 in 3 HL subjects.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

Requirements for international students / English requirements

IELTS academic test score (similar tests may be accepted as well)

    • 6.5
    • Graduate Degrees
    • (no subscore less than 6.0)
    • 6.5
    • Undergraduate Degrees
Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Chemistry, BSc (Hons), if you do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of UCAS score, A levels, or English language requirements.

Costs

Tuition Fees Chemistry BSc (Hons)

Ireland £9250 year 1
England UK £9250 year 1
Northern Ireland £9250 year 1
Scotland £9250 year 1
Wales £9250 year 1
Channel Islands £9250 year 1

Additional fee information

For details of the annual tuition fee for International Students please see the course web page listed in the 'course details' section above.

If you are made an offer to study by the University, the yearly tuition fee will be stated in your offer letter.

Average student cost of living in the UK

Rent £518
Water, gas electricity, internet (at home) £50
Supermarket shopping £81
Clothing £35
Eating out £33
Alcohol £27
Takeaways / food deliveries £30
Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food) £24
Holidays and weekend trips £78
Transport within city £17
Self-care / sports £20
Stationary / books £13
Mobile phone / internet £13
Cable TV / streaming £7
Insurance £51
Other £95
  
Average student cost of living £1092

London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.

How to apply

Application deadline:

January 1, 2025

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Possible Entry Points:

  • year 1 (Default entry point)

University Rankings

Positions of University of Birmingham in top UK and global rankings.

Rankings of University of Birmingham in related subject specific rankings.

Natural Sciences

    • #9 
    • #11 
    Chemistry
    CUG The Complete University Guide - By Subject
    [Published 08 June, 2023]
    • #23 
    • #28 
    Chemistry
    The Guardian University League Tables by Subject
    [Published 09 September, 2023]
    • #11 
    • #121 
    Chemistry
    QS World University Rankings By Subject
    [Published 22 March, 2023]
    • #10 
    • #201 
    Chemistry
    GRAS Global Ranking of Academic Subjects - ShanghaiRanking
    [Published 27 October, 2023]

See all 38 university rankings of University of Birmingham

About University of Birmingham

The University of Birmingham is a research university based in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England. The university’s aim is to be at the cutting edge of educational delivery, and to have their curriculum be continually reshaped by new revelations in research. The main campus is situated a reasonable three miles away from Birmingham city centre, which doesn’t take long to get to via bus if the student decides they’d like to spend some of their free time there.

List of 469 Bachelor and Master Courses from University of Birmingham - Course Catalogue

Student composition of University of Birmingham

undergraduates:
24385
postgraduates:
9185
Total:
33570
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Where is this programme taught

Main Site
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