Five reasons to study Chemistry

1. An important field

Chemistry and chemical discoveries underpin many areas of life. Global challenges in the environment, healthcare or agriculture have been solved with the use of chemistry. We will always need chemists to improve the way humans live, so if you pursue a career in this area, your work could make a valuable contribution to society.

Famous chemists include Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite and is who the Nobel Prize was named after. Marie Curie pioneered research on radioactivity and was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. Study in their footsteps, and you too could achieve incredible things.

2. Career possibilities

You’ll be in demand as a Chemistry graduate. Countless companies look for people who can carry out scientific research or work in a laboratory setting. You could be a scientist supporting organisations in criminal justice, pharmaceutics, metallurgy or sustainability, for instance.

There are also many opportunities to work outside of the lab. Roles include consultants, patent attorneys, educators, policymakers, writers and analysts.

3. Hands-on learning

Many Chemistry degree courses offer practical work experiences to prepare you for a fruitful career upon graduation. You’ll likely spend time in synthetic chemistry labs learning with industry-standard equipment.

There’s also often the opportunity to spend a year in an industry placement, where you get to put your skills into practice in a real-world situation. Several students go on placements with companies as big as GlaxoSmithKline.

4. Great graduate prospects

Take a look at our Chemistry subject table and order it by the graduate prospects column. You’ll see that most universities score 70% or above, with several scoring in the high 80s and 90s.

This means that most Chemistry students find professional employment or continue their studies within 15 months of graduating.

5. Overseas opportunities

Chemistry is used all around the world in most sciences, technologies and industries. Because of this, the skills you’ll gain during a Chemistry degree will be recognised in a lot of places around the world. If you’re looking to work in a different country, a Chemistry degree might be a handy ticket to get you there.

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