Chemistry Degree

I have been looking into doing a chemistry degree at uni, I love it at a level, however, I worry I wouldn't enjoy it as much at uni as I am not the greatest fan of practical and I much prefer theory. I also do not want to work in a lab and wonder if by doing chemistry that s almost guaranteed. Just looking for some advice :smile:

Reply 1

Sinnoh

22

Different unis will have different kinds of chemistry courses, so look for ones with a greater theoretical focus - though I reckon you're going to have to do some practical work at some point.

You'll have plenty of options once you graduate that aren't directly related to the field. A lot of science grads work in IT or finance.

Reply 2

Royal Society of Chemistry

Official Rep

10

Original post by iwrightt

I have been looking into doing a chemistry degree at uni, I love it at a level, however, I worry I wouldn't enjoy it as much at uni as I am not the greatest fan of practical and I much prefer theory. I also do not want to work in a lab and wonder if by doing chemistry that s almost guaranteed. Just looking for some advice :smile:

Hi @iwrightt,

Great to know that you are considering a qualification in chemistry. You certainly aren't the first person to hold the reservations that you have however. It goes without saying that almost all accredited courses have some practical content, and in the majority of cases, quite a large amount of practical work. Typically this increases as you get through your degree and most BSc or MChem/MSci qualifications culminate in a research project, however at this stage you could look to do a project more closely aligned with molecular modelling or similar rather than work based in the lab environment.

Despite the relatively high amount of practical time you would spend on your course however, it is not a foregone conclusion that the only careers left open to you are lab based. Chemistry graduates go on to a very wide range of careers both within and outside of science roles. Just to give a few examples of both, regulation, policy, science communication, teaching or marketing are typical types of roles that our members work in, where they use their science knowledge and understanding and that is just a few examples. You can find lots more at A Future In Chemistry.

The types of skills you pick up in a chemistry degree, such as analytical/problem solving, communication etc are also desirable by a large range of industries. In particular the finance and information technology sectors recruit chemistry graduates for these skillsets.

I hope that helps with your dilemma a little but if you have any other queries, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

All the best,

Gareth
Royal Society of Chemistry

Reply 3

iwrightt

OP

2

Thank you very much, great help and I will check the website.

Reply 4

iwrightt

OP

2

Original post by Sinnoh

Different unis will have different kinds of chemistry courses, so look for ones with a greater theoretical focus - though I reckon you're going to have to do some practical work at some point.

You'll have plenty of options once you graduate that aren't directly related to the field. A lot of science grads work in IT or finance.

Okay, thank you very much for the help.

Chemistry Degree

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