Key information
- UCAS code
- F101
- Level
- Undergraduate
- Delivery type
- Full Time
- Degree qualification
- MChem
- Mode of delivery
- On-Campus
- Duration
- 5 years
- Location
- Edinburgh
- Start date
- September
This five-year MChem career-focused degree has specialist pathways in pharmaceutical chemistry, computational chemistry, biology or materials and nanoscience. This offers the flexibility to decide which degree and pathway best suits your career ambitions.
During the undergraduate degree, you’ll learn from a comprehensive curriculum of chemistry fundamentals, exploring topics in chemical reactivity, atomic and molecular structure and chemical bonding, chemical thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, organic chemistry, multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, organic reactions, and chemical kinetics. You will gain a broad and balanced foundation of chemical knowledge and practical skills and apply this to create solutions for theoretical and practical problems in chemistry. Throughout the studies, you will choose optional courses which best align with your chemical interests, before choosing your specialist pathway in your fourth year.
Your learning will include extensive laboratory work, to provide you with hands-on experience and opportunities to link theoretical knowledge from lectures to the real world. You will develop your practical abilities, confidence, and communication skills in addition to your extensive, cutting-edge theoretical knowledge of chemistry to become highly employable upon graduation. Chemistry graduates from Heriot-Watt University have a good reputation with employers who appreciate this unique combination of skills and knowledge. This will allow you to work in several roles across a diversity of fields within the pharmaceutical, biomedical, biochemical, health care, agriculture, food, drink and water industries. Opportunities also exist in the chemical, petroleum, electronic, aerospace and communications industries.
In addition to career pathways that directly use your practical skills and chemical knowledge, you can apply your problem-solving abilities, numeracy and other transferable graduate skills to various management roles beyond the chemistry industry. The broad range of skills involved in a chemistry degree means chemistry graduates are in high demand in other employment sectors, ranging from environmental protection to education, and commerce.
Your student experience
Your learning will be informed by the expertise of our research-active chemical scientists and academics. Your learning will be directly informed by the work and research completed by Heriot-Watt’s Institute of Chemical Sciences (ICS), which specifically aims to understand matter at the atomic level and how atoms interact to form molecules and extended systems, with interesting and useful properties.
Chemical Sciences research work at Heriot-Watt encompasses a wide field in response to the needs of a modern technological society. The broad spectrum of interests of the research staff ranges from fundamental aspects of pure chemistry to interdisciplinary areas which involve interactions with physics, biochemistry, and applied science. ICS has excellent facilities that support research and research suites have been created for high resolution multinuclear NMR, X-ray crystallography (both single-crystal and powder), laser science, solid state, and computational chemistry. Each of these areas has attracted major research funding.
Research in ICS is divided into three main research groupings:
The research and industry focused nature of this undergraduate programme ensures your studies remain innovative and up to date with current and emerging trends.
Go Global
With Go Global, Heriot-Watt's global student programme, you can carry your studies to new places and experience new cultures, expanding your horizons on the way. You'll discover what it means to be a true global citizen and emerge prepared for wherever your career journey will take you.
European Exchange
Worldwide Exchange
Course content
September Intake - Edinburgh
Year 1
Mandatory September
- Principles of Chemistry
- Chemical Applications 1
- Mathematics for Engineers and Scientists 1
Optional September
- Introductory Biology 1
- Mechanics, Fields and Forces
Mandatory January
- Chemical Reactivity
- Chemical Applications 2
- Mathematics for Engineers and Scientists 2
Optional January
- Introductory Biology 2
- Waves and Matter
Year 2
Mandatory September
- Atomic & Molecular Structure & Chemical Bonding
- Organic Structural Identification, Stereochemistry & Reaction Mechanisms
- Chemical Thermodynamics & Introductory Chemical Kinetics
Optional September
- Metabolism in Human Nutrition
- Mechanics, Fields and Forces
- Mathematics for Engineers and Scientists 3
Mandatory January
- Chemistry of the Elements
- Synthesis in Organic Chemistry
- Atomic & Molecular Spectroscopy
Optional January
- Cell and Molecular Biology
- Waves and Matter
- Mathematics for Engineers and Scientists 4
- Statistics for Science
- Maths Apps and Lab
Year 3
Mandatory September
- Organometallic Chemistry and Multinuclear NMR Spectroscopy
- Organic Reactions 1
- Applications of Chemical Kinetics
Optional September
- Research Methods in Biology
- Introduction to Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- Chemistry of Materials
- Software Development 1
Mandatory January
- Chemical Structure
- Organic Reactions 2
- Molecules to Systems
Optional January
- Molecular Biology
- Analytical Chemistry
- Principles of Drug Discovery & Development
- Solid State Physics
- Software Development 2
Year 4
Optional September
- Advanced Synthesis with Pharmaceutical Applications
- Physical Mathematics 1
- Modern Functional Materials
Optional January
- Human Diseases and Therapeutic Interventions
- Physical Mathematics 2
Mandatory AY
- Advanced Inorganic Chemistry
- Advanced Organic Chemistry
- Advanced Physical Chemistry
Year 5
Mandatory September
- Computer Simulations of Molecules
Optional September
- Advanced Synthesis with Pharmaceutical Applications
- Modern Functional Materials
- Quantum Theory & Solid State
- Sustainable Development and Engineering Management
- Beverage Microbiology and Biochemistry
- Programming Languages
- Introduction to Data Structures and Algorithms
Mandatory AY
- MChem Extended Research Project
Optional January
- Human Diseases and Therapeutic Interventions
- Laboratory Regulation and Project Management
- Biophysics
- Chemistry of Food
- Quantum Devices
- Nanomaterials and Catalysis
- Quantum Theory and Spectroscopy
- Data Structures and Algorithms
Programme Video
Chemistry - subject video
Fees and funding
| Status | Fee |
|---|---|
| Scotland | Paid by SAAS |
| England / Wales / N Ireland / Rep of Ireland | £9,535 |
| International | £25,008 |
- Status: Your residency status is usually defined as the country where you have been ordinarily resident for the three years before the start of your course.
- International: 'International' includes applicants from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in UK. (This does not include students from the Republic of Ireland - see above).
Scholarships and bursaries
Bursaries for students from England, Northern Ireland or Wales
In addition to government loans and grants towards the costs of fees and living costs, we are offering generous financial support to attract and support eligible undergraduate students from England, Northern Ireland or Wales:
- Heriot-Watt University Bursary (up to £3,100 per year)
Entry requirements
We have standard entry requirements for all of our courses that you will have to meet.
Year 1
Standard entry requirements
- Highers AAAB (over two sittings). Must include Chemistry at A, and one of Maths or Physics or Engineering Science at B.
- A-Levels BBB- AAB. Must include Chemistry at B, and either Maths or Physics at B.
- International Baccalaureate 30 points. Must include Chemistry at Higher Level 5 and either Maths or Physics at Higher Level 5.
- BTEC Extended Diploma DDM. Must be relevant science subject including sufficient Chemistry and Maths.
- HNC A in graded unit. Must be relevant science subject including sufficient Chemistry and Maths.
- HND BB in graded unit. Must be relevant science subject including sufficient Chemistry and Maths.
- Please check that you meet our University-wide National 5/GCSE (or equivalent) English and Maths requirements.
Minimum entry requirements *
- Highers BBBC (over two sittings). Must include Chemistry at B, and one of Maths or Physics or Engineering Science at B.
- A-Levels BCC. Must include Chemistry and either Maths or Physics, with one required subject at B.
- International Baccalaureate 28 points. Must include Chemistry and Maths, both at Higher Level 5.
- BTEC Extended Diploma DMM. Must be relevant science subject including sufficient Chemistry and Maths.
- HNC B in graded unit. Must be relevant science subject including sufficient Chemistry and Maths.
- HND BB. Must be relevant science subject including sufficient Chemistry and Maths.
*Minimum: under our Fair Access Policy, we will relax our standard entry requirements for some Scottish and Rest of UK status students depending on their circumstances. Our minimum requirements will apply if you:
- live in an area within the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation lowest 20% (SIMD20) or POLAR4 Quintile 1 regions (RUK)
- or are care experienced.
We can also make exceptions for some Scottish students with grades above minimum but below standard. Read more about our Minimum and standard entry requirements.
Year 2
- Advanced Highers AB. Must include Advanced Higher Chemistry and Maths, and meet Year 1 Higher AAAB requirements.
- A-Levels AAB. Must include Chemistry and Maths with one at A.
- International Baccalaureate 34 points. Must include Chemistry and Maths at HL 6.
- BTEC Extended Diploma DDD. Must be in relevant science subject, including sufficient Chemistry and Maths.
- HNC A in graded unit with 120 SCQF credit points. (Only available for approved articulation routes.)
- HND BB. Must be relevant science subject including sufficient Chemistry and Maths.
- Global College Successful completion of our Science with Accelerator Programme
Additional information
- For all years, applications are welcomed from holders of non-school qualifications, mature candidates and overseas students.
- If you do not see your qualifications here please contact us at studywithus@hw.ac.uk
- For applicants studying HNC, HND or BTEC qualifications, when submitting your application please ensure you list in full all the units you are currently studying, as specific units (e.g. in Maths) may be required."
English language requirements
If your first language is not English, we'll need to see evidence of your English language ability.
The minimum English language requirement for entry to this programme is IELTS 6.0 (or equivalent) with no score lower than 5.5.
If you do not have IELTS 6.0, we offer a range of English language courses to help you meet the English language requirement for this programme prior to commencing your studies.
Please see our detailed English language requirements.
Why Heriot-Watt
We're the top university in Scotland for graduate outcomes which means that more of our graduates are employed or in postgraduate education than any other institution in the country and we ranked 5th in the UK.
We're also rated number one in the UK for CEO or MD roles, meaning more of our graduates go on to become CEOs or MDs than any other university in the whole of the UK. On top of that, we have beautiful campuses, across the globe, so you'll get a truly international education. Our Edinburgh Campus is home to Oriam, Scotland's National Sports Performance Centre combined with plenty of wellbeing resources, prioritising fitness and mental health for all students. Our Global Research Institutes look at solving real world issues such as climate change and saving our oceans as well as working on the next medical technological breakthrough and the future of AI and robots.
Employability
Work and study
Salary
Potential career paths
- Science, engineering and technology associate professionals
- Natural and social science professionals
Student life
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