Proffesional accreditation- how important?

Does anyone pay much attention to if (and to what level) degree courses are accredited? Is it important? I ask because it could help me choose which uni to put as my firm and which to put as insurance choice ( MChem at York or Heriot Watt) Cheers :smile:

Reply 1

Xxx Mini xxX

well no i didnt really think about it but i did go on the uni which is good for my particular subject of study, so i based my choices on that, it is a good way to look at things though if you are really stuck on which uni to choose, best of luck though!

Reply 2

Apricots

I considered it when choosing where to apply to because I thought that it couldn't hurt and would indicate a good quality course. However, I have no idea how much anyone cares. I suppose it depends what you want to do with the degree when you finish.

Reply 3

ChemistBoy

jeff_fire

Accredited by whom? The Royal Society Of Chemistry (the professional learned body for chemists) accredits both the York and Heriot-Watt Courses. I think you will be hard-pushed to find an MChem course that is not accredited by the RSC.

In terms of importance I would say that accreditation and then membership of the RSC is very important (almost essential) if you want to be in the industrial sector and it is highly useful in academia too. Of course I have to say that because I am a full member (MRSC), almost all chemistry academics and industrialists are members of the RSC.

Reply 4

jeff_fire

The problem I have is that it says in the HW prospectus that their MChem is accredited with MRSC and Yorks MChem is accredited to AMRSC, which would lead me to believe that the HW degree is slightly better, would this make a significant difference? (Except that I would have to get more experience to become a full member with the York MChem)

Reply 5

ChemistBoy

jeff_fire

They are both the same. It takes 2 - 3 years of relevant experience after graduation to move from AMRSC to MRSC (after a professional assessment). All graduates will start at AMRSC level, it is probably a misprint.

The membership structure of the RSC is as follows:

Affiliate/Student Member - not professionally qualified in chemistry not allowed to use any designatory letters.

Associate Member - graduate rank of membership allowed to use designatory letters AMRSC

Member - Full professional membership (practicing in chemical science or education for at least 2 - 3 years), letters MRSC.

Fellow - Advanced member of standing in the chemical community (give to industrialists and research scientists who have made a significant contribution to the chemical sciences), FRSC

Honourary Fellows - well they give these out to people they like, HonFRSC

There is also the Charted Chemist Status (CChem) like all Charted status it requires a certain level of professional development, in this case a 3 year mentoring and assessment period. MRSC and above eligible.

There are also other things, but you are best going to www.rsc.org for more info.

Reply 6

jeff_fire

Cheers, chemistboy. I was hoping there would be a difference as I am struggling to pick which one I prefer, but by the sounds of it they are pretty much equal. ****.

Reply 7

ChemistBoy

jeff_fire

Cheers, chemistboy. I was hoping there would be a difference as I am struggling to pick which one I prefer, but by the sounds of it they are pretty much equal. ****.

If you would like my opinion - go to York.

Reply 8

cobra

jeff_fire

Cheers, chemistboy. I was hoping there would be a difference as I am struggling to pick which one I prefer, but by the sounds of it they are pretty much equal. ****.

York is way better in general and for chemistry

Reply 9

MMA

jeff_fire

Cheers, chemistboy. I was hoping there would be a difference as I am struggling to pick which one I prefer, but by the sounds of it they are pretty much equal. ****.

York is in a different league to Herriot-Watt as an overall institution and for chemistry. Have you not done any research?

Reply 10

jeff_fire

MMA

York is in a different league to Herriot-Watt as an overall institution and for chemistry. Have you not done any research?

Yes, I've done a lot of research, and York and Heriot Watt are quite close in some league tables for Chemistry ( I know York is way better all round) and HW is a campus in Scotland (which is very appealling to me). However, I will most likely choose York. Thanks for your opinions and input everybody.