University of the West of Scotland
Chemistry BSc (Hons)
University of the West of Scotland

Key Course Facts

Student Reviews

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

Salary

Salary of Graduates in Chemistry

Important: Salary data below is not course specific, but contains data of all students of Chemistry 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 £24000 £22000 £25500
25-75 percentile range £22000 - £29000 £15500 - £26000 £22500 - £36000


Salary of all UK Graduates of Chemistry

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £26087 £25084 £30411
25-75 percentile range £23037 - £30143 £20483 - £31674 £24333 - £37866

Course Description

OVERVIEW

The BSc (Hons) Chemistry provides you with the fundamental knowledge and practical skills you need for a career in the dynamic fields of drug research, environmental analysis and forensic science. With an emphasis on strong academic content and theoretical underpinnings, practical experience and modern chemical instrumentation, this degree focuses on analytical chemistry and health-related fields.

Our course includes practical aspects to develop your analytical, problem-solving and numeracy skills. Small-group workshops, tutorials and presentations will improve your communication and presentation skills, making you attractive for a successful career in chemical sciences.

  • PRACTICAL FOCUS

You will have access to high-quality laboratory environments and with links to active research groups, the range of subjects and practical opportunities available on this degreee are based on real-life examples from industry to prepare you for the workplace.

You will study the general aspects of chemistry including organic, inorganic and physical chemistry throughout the programme up to an advanced level with additional learning including topics such as enzymes and pharmaceutical production and safety, environmental chemistry, spectroscopy and photochemistry.

In addition, there is the option to undertake a paid 12 month industrial placement between years 3 and 4 within an environment relevant to your specialism. Placements are designed to help cement your learning and can make you more attractive to recruiters upon graduation. In the past, students have undertaken placement/work-based learning with organisation such as Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Doosan Babcock and Taytech Environmental Solutions. Please note that placements are competitive in nature and not guaranteed.

  • PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION

Our course is accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).The RSC is the UK’s professional body for chemical scientists with a worldwide community. The BSc will prepare for Associate Membership (AMRSC) and will help you as you build your professional experience.

  • CAREER PROSPECTS

UWS’s BSc (Hons) Chemistry is recognised by employers for its impressive analytical and applications focus.

Jobs

Many of our graduates move into careers in the oil, chemical or pharmaceutical industries, in production, sales and marketing or research and development roles. Graduates from this degree have gone on to secure the following roles: Process chemist, Laboratory supervisor, Medicinal chemist.

Chemistry graduates are also sought by non-scientific employers such as stockbrokers thanks to their numerical and problem-solving skills.

Further Study

Some graduates choose further study when they complete their studies and we have had graduates progress to MSc, PhD and teaching qualifications.

Accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry for partially meeting the academic criteria for Chartered Chemist (CChem).

Accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry for partially meeting the academic criteria for Chartered Chemist (CChem).

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 the West of Scotland

25% Finance Professionals
15% Business and public service associate professionals
10% Media Professionals
10% Business and Financial Project Management Professionals
10% Elementary occupations
10% Administrative occupations
10% Teaching Professionals
10% Business, Research and Administrative Professionals
10% Sales occupations
10% Artistic, literary and media occupations

Grading & Study Time

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, practical workshops and guided laboratory work. There will also be group work, literature reports and research projects in order to ensure our degrees provide a strong set of additional skills, such as presentational and communicative skills. Our Chemistry degrees use a variety of assessment methods. The below list provides a guide to the types of assessment methods you can expect: Written examinations / Oral presentation / Written reports / Coursework / Academic posters

Entry Requirements / Admissions

UCAS Tariff of Accepted Students for CAH07

Qualification requirements

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

HNC in Care and Administrative Practice or Applied Science with B required in graded unit for entry to Year 1 Sufficient science and discursive subjects and a strong academic profile to be competitive. English and Maths at least at National 5 Grade B.

HND Legal Services: AAA in Graded Units. Other relevant HND qualifications will be considered on an individual basis; please contact us for advice.

Including one in a relevant subject/science (80 UCAS tariff points)

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

Entry to Year 1 with SWAP (BBB) in Access to Science (must include Chemistry); Access to Life Sciences, and Access to Medicine.

English language requirements

test Grade Additional Details
IELTS (Academic) 6

IELTS 60 with 5.5 minimum in each skill / component.

Cambridge English Advanced

176 overall with no sub-test less than 169

Cambridge English Proficiency

176 overall with no sub-test less than 169

Trinity ISE

ISEII with the minimum of a Pass in all sub-tests

PTE Academic 54

An overall score of 54 with no element below 51

TOEFL (iBT) 78

no sub-test less than: Reading: 17; Listening: 17; Speaking: 17; Writing: 17

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. These are shown below.

Visit www.uws.ac.uk/scholarships
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)

England UK £9250 year 1
Wales £9250 year 1
Northern Ireland £9250 year 1
International £16000 year 1

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)
  • year 2
  • year 3
  • year 4

University Rankings

Positions of University of the West of Scotland in top UK and global rankings.

See all 17 university rankings of University of the West of Scotland

About University of the West of Scotland

Located in the Scottish town of Paisley, we find the University of the West of Scotland (UWS). This institution also owns and operates three other secondary campuses in Ayr, Blantyre and Dumfries. Paisley campus is attended by a medium-sized student population of roughly 10,000 and provides the opportunity to study a selection of programmes related to Nursing, Engineering, Social Sciences, Business, and Computing.

List of 62 Bachelor and Master Courses from University of the West of Scotland - Course Catalogue

Where is this programme taught

Paisley Campus
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