The Student Room Group

Chemistry-Physics Degrees

I’m taking biology, chemistry and maths. If I wanted to do something akin to material science or astrochemistry, am I able to? I’ve made a mistake with my choices at A-Level, I should have dropped biology rather than physics. 🥲
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by prankcake
I’m taking biology, chemistry and maths. If I wanted to do something akin to material science or astrochemistry, am I able to? I’ve made a mistake with my choices at A-Level, I should have dropped biology rather than physics. 🥲


One option could be to take a gap year and then do physics A level in a gap year? When did you drop physics - is it too late to continue with it at school?

In terms of astrochemistry, you could certainly do a chemistry degree without physics? At undergraduate level, there isn't an astrochemistry course.
Reply 2
Astrochemistry is just going to be a lot of spectroscopy, which you'd be doing ad nauseam in a chemistry degree and to a lesser extent in a physics degree.
Astrochemistry is also too specialised for undergraduate level, I would note, and doesn't really exist until graduate level.

Some materials science courses may accept someone with no physics background but with a chemistry and maths background, and just require you do a certain physics module in first year; I believe this was the format at Loughborough previously. Some may also not formally require any physics background, such as materials science via natural sciences at Cambridge (although you'd probably be an unusual case then).

For something more physics focused (e.g. chemical physics, or physics itself) you would most likely need physics, but may still be able to pursue the course via a foundation year route.

So I doubt you have much to worry about really.
Reply 4
Original post by artful_lounger
Astrochemistry is also too specialised for undergraduate level, I would note, and doesn't really exist until graduate level.

Some materials science courses may accept someone with no physics background but with a chemistry and maths background, and just require you do a certain physics module in first year; I believe this was the format at Loughborough previously. Some may also not formally require any physics background, such as materials science via natural sciences at Cambridge (although you'd probably be an unusual case then).

For something more physics focused (e.g. chemical physics, or physics itself) you would most likely need physics, but may still be able to pursue the course via a foundation year route.

So I doubt you have much to worry about really.


Thanks! I’m going to look into the option of taking modules for the physics alongside a chemistry degree. Do you have to take a physics foundation year on the first year you go to a university or can you take it later on when you start to drift to chemistry-physics related specialisations?
Original post by prankcake
Thanks! I’m going to look into the option of taking modules for the physics alongside a chemistry degree. Do you have to take a physics foundation year on the first year you go to a university or can you take it later on when you start to drift to chemistry-physics related specialisations?


Foundation years are "year zero" courses - you take them at the start of the course before moving into the main degree.

You most likely wouldn't be able to take physics optional modules without A-level Physics if you haven't done a foundation year that also prepares for entry to the unis physics programmes.

Note however there are a fair number of physics-related topics in chemistry, primarily all of physical chemistry, which has a large overlap with statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics in physics.

You could well focus on physical and theoretical chemistry in a chemistry course (and later as a PhD for example) without having done A-level Physics or any physics-specific modules, although some may be useful preparation for later study.
(edited 1 year ago)

Quick Reply

Latest

Trending

Trending