Chemistry - BSc (Hons)
with a Professional Placement

Undergraduate Open Day

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Interested in developing chemical compounds? Curious about the structure of chemicals and the reactions they have with one another? Enter the fascinating world of Chemistry at Kent to gain the knowledge and practical skills to help tackle global challenges such as developing renewable energy and biomaterials and combating chemical warfare.

Overview

Our distinctive programme includes a set of ‘chemistry in context’ modules where you can apply your knowledge to specific case studies - in our state of the art facilities - as well as the opportunity to work with our leading research teams on your own project. You also benefit from our expert careers advice to give you the best possible start with a strong focus on your future career and how to get you there.

This programme is fully accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).

Reasons to study Chemistry at Kent

  • Study a wide range of modules from core chemistry concepts to how it can help build a better world with an introduction to chemistry and the environment.
  • Study abroad for a year or complete a professional placement to increase your employability skills and professional networks
  • Fantastic industry-standard facilities, including a Raman spectrometer, two scanning electron microscopes (SEM), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system
  • Take a final-year research project which can help prepare you for further study including PhDs
  • Join ChemSoc, the Chemistry Society for all budding chemists, and take part in a range of social and career focussed talks and activities.
  • Our lecturers are both innovative teachers and active researchers.
  • Flexible Foundation Year options available.

What you'll learn

In the first year you’ll develop a broad base on which chemistry is founded before further developing your knowledge of organic, inorganic and physical chemistry and your practical laboratory skills in year two. In your final year, alongside advanced modules in organic, inorganic, analytical and physical chemistry, you complete an individual research project with one of our research groups.

See the modules you'll study

Professional placement

Tailor your degree to suit you with a professional placement where you’ll work in industry for a year, giving you the chance to put into practice the skills you’ve learnt and build important connections. Taken between your second and final years, a professional placement provides an excellent opportunity to gain relevant work experience in industry in the UK or abroad. During your placement you are paid by your employer and produce an independent research project.

You can also expand your horizons with our year abroad, where you'll study at one of our partner institutions for a year, or undertake cutting-edge work as part of a research group with our four-year integrated masters, the MChem. Or you can also take our three-year Chemistry degree, without a year abroad or a professional placement.

We also offer a foundation year, giving those without the relevant scientific background, or who don't meet the entry requirements, the knowledge and skills needed to take on any of our Chemistry degrees.

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Entry requirements

The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications. All applications are assessed on an individual basis but some of our typical requirements are listed below. Students offering qualifications not listed are welcome to contact our Admissions Team for further advice. Please also see our general entry requirements.

  • medal-empty

    A level

    BCC including Chemistry, Biology or Physics at grade B

  • medal-empty GCSE

    Mathematics grade C or 4

  • medal-empty Access to HE Diploma

    The University welcomes applications from Access to Higher Education Diploma candidates for consideration. A typical offer may require you to obtain a proportion of Level 3 credits in relevant subjects at merit grade or above.

  • medal-empty BTEC Nationals

    The University will consider applicants holding/studying BTEC Extended National Diploma Qualifications (QCF; NQF;OCR) in a relevant Science subject at 180 credits or more, on a case by case basis. Please contact us via the enquiries tab for further advice on your individual circumstances.

  • medal-empty International Baccalaureate

    30 points overall or 15 points at Higher Level including HL Chemistry, HL Biology or HL Physics at 5

  • medal-empty International Foundation Programme

    N/A

  • medal-empty T level

    The University will consider applicants holding T level qualifications in subjects closely aligned to the course.

Please contact the School for more information at studynats@kent.ac.uk.  

The University welcomes applications from international students. Our international recruitment team can guide you on entry requirements. See our International Student website for further information about entry requirements for your country.

If you need to increase your level of science ready for undergraduate study, we offer a Foundation Year programme which can help boost your previous scientific experience.

Meet our staff in your country

For more advice about applying to Kent, you can meet our staff at a range of international events.

English Language Requirements

Please see our English language entry requirements web page.

Please note that if you do not meet our English language requirements, we offer a number of 'pre-sessional' courses in English for Academic Purposes. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme.

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Course structure

Duration: 4 years full-time

The course structure below gives a flavour of the modules and provides details of the content of this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

Fees

The 2023/24 annual tuition fees for this course are:

  • Home full-time £9,250
  • EU full-time £16,400
  • International full-time £21,900

For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.

For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* 

Your fee status

The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.

Fees for year in industry

Fees for undergraduate students are £1,385.

Fees for year abroad

Fees for undergraduate students are £1,385.

Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status.

Additional costs

Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.

Funding

We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.

Search scholarships

Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details. 

The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence

At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence. 

The scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of A*AA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications (including BTEC and IB) as specified on our scholarships pages.

Teaching and assessment

The degree is made of a combination of lectures, laboratory classes, project work and problem solving seminars.

Assessment is by a combination of written examinations, continuous assessment and other assignments. You must pass the Stage 1 examinations in order to go on to Stage 2. The year in industry mark also counts towards your final degree result.

Coursework assessments include practical laboratory skills, presentation skills as well as essay and report writing.

Please note that there are degree thresholds at stage 1 that you will be required to pass in order to continue onto the next stages. 

Contact hours

For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours.  The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Programme aims

The programme aims to:

  • Instil a sense of enthusiasm for chemistry, an appreciation of its application in different contexts and involve students in an intellectually stimulating and satisfying experience of learning and studying.
  • Provide a broad, balanced foundation of chemical knowledge and practical skills.
  • Widen access to as broad a range of students as practicable.
  • Develop students’ ability to apply their knowledge and skills to the solution of chemical science problems.
  • Develop students’ ability to apply their chemical knowledge and skills to the solution of theoretical and practical problems in chemistry.
  • Teach students a wide range of practical skills including a knowledge, understanding and ability to assess safety in the laboratory environment.
  • Teach students the appropriate generic skills that will be of value in chemical and non-chemical employment.
  • Provide a stimulating, research-active environment in which students are supported and motivated to achieve their academic and personal potential.
  • Enable students to graduate with an understanding of scientific methodology, the ability to use this in the solution of problems in and outside of a laboratory environment, and the ability to undertake and report on an experimental investigation using such methodology.
  • Establish an appreciation of the importance and sustainability of the chemical sciences in an industrial, academic, economic, environmental and social context.
  • Provide the knowledge and skillsfor students to proceed to graduate employment or to further their studies.
  • Further develop students’ work-related skills and provide experience of a workplace culture through the opportunity to spend a year in industry.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You gain knowledge and understanding of:

  • Core and foundation scientific physical, biological, and chemical concepts, terminology, theory, units, conventions, and laboratory practise and methods in relation to the chemical sciences.
  • Areas of chemistry including: properties of chemical elements, states of matter, organic functional groups, physiochemical principles, organic and inorganic materials, synthetic pathways, analytical chemistry, medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, fires and explosions.
  • Appreciate developments at the forefront of some areas of chemical science.

Intellectual skills

You gain the following intellectual abilities:

  • Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of essential facts, concepts, principles and theories relating to the subject and to this to the solution of qualitative and quantitative problems.
  • Recognise and analyse problems and plan strategies for their solution by the evaluation, interpretation and synthesis of scientific information and data.
  • Use computational methods for the practical application of theory and to use IT and data-processing skills to search for, assess and interpret chemical information and data.
  • Skills in essay writing and presenting scientific material and arguments clearly and correctly, in writing and orally, to a range of audiences and communicate complex scientific argument to a lay audience.

Subject-specific skills

You gain subject-specific skills in the following:

  • Safe handling of chemical materials, taking into account their physical and chemical properties, including any specific hazards associated with their use and risk assessment.
  • The ability to carry out documented standard laboratory procedures involved in synthetic and analytical work in relation to organic and inorganic systems, skills in observational and instrumental monitoring of physiochemical events and changes and the systematic and reliable documentation of the above and the operation of standard analytical instruments employed in the chemical sciences.
  • Collate, interpret and explain the significance and underlying theory of experimental data, including an assessment of limits of accuracy.
  • Use experimental data to inform future work.
  • The ability to implement research projects including competence in the design and execution of experiments.

Transferable skills

You gain transferable skills in the following:

  • Communication, written and oral.
  • The ability to undertake further training of a professional nature.
  • Problem-solving, relating to qualitative and quantitative information, extending to situations where evaluations have to be made on the basis of limited information.
  • Numeracy and computational abilities, including such aspects as error analysis, order-of-magnitude estimations, correct use of units and modes of data presentation.
  • Information-retrieval, in relation to primary and secondary information sources, including online computer searches.
  • IT abilities, such as word-processing and spreadsheet use, data-logging and storage, and internet communication.
  • Interpersonal skills, the ability to interact with other people and to engage in team working within a professional environment.
  • Time-management and organisation, as evidenced by the ability to plan and implement efficient and effective modes of working.
  • To be able to continue your professional development and employment.
  • The ability to function effectively in an industrial or commercial environment through a Year in Industry.

Careers

Your future

You graduate with an excellent grounding in scientific knowledge and extensive laboratory experience. In addition, you also develop the key transferable skills sought by employers, such as:

  • excellent communication skills
  • work independently or as part of a team
  • the ability to solve problems and think analytically
  • time management.

This means that our graduates are well equipped for careers across a range of fields and have gone on to work for companies such as SG Technologies Ltd., Reckitt, Concept Life Sciences, and GSK. You can read their stories, and find out about the range of support and extra opportunities available to further your career potential here

Apply for Chemistry with a Professional Placement - BSc (Hons)

If you are from the UK or Ireland, you must apply for this course through UCAS. If you are not from the UK or Ireland, you can apply through UCAS or directly on our website if you have never used UCAS and you do not intend to use UCAS in the future.

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International student enquiries

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T: +44 (0)1227 823254
E: internationalstudent@kent.ac.uk

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