What is actually studied in a chemistry degree?

I know chemistry, obviously. I would like some more detail (topics etc.)
Trying to decide whether to study chemistry or pharmacy.

Reply 1

aj_11_04

Original post by icewaterforblood

I know chemistry, obviously. I would like some more detail (topics etc.)
Trying to decide whether to study chemistry or pharmacy.

Have a look at the universities you may want to apply to and see what modules they offer within the chemistry degree and what optional modules they have too - you should be able to see what the objectives of each module are and what is taught

there Are also many branches of chemistry that you could apply to with your interest in pharmacy I would suggest looking at pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, and drug discovery and development courses to see if they interest you :smile:

im not at uni yet but I did apply for chemistry for September (hopefully at York) to study the MChem course with biological and medicinal chemistry, and when applying I noticed there are a lot of universities that offer similar courses like Sheffield Warwick Liverpool keele Lincoln Leeds Birmingham Manchester (these are the ones I remember but there will be more)

(edited 9 months ago)

Reply 2

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by icewaterforblood

I know chemistry, obviously. I would like some more detail (topics etc.)
Trying to decide whether to study chemistry or pharmacy.

Hi @icewaterforblood,

I'm a second year chemistry student at Lancaster so I can offer some insight about what I've learned so far and what I'll be learning in the next couple of years.
A chemistry degree covers a wide range of topics which include chemical synthesis, chemical analysis, computational chemistry and theory, and biological applications of chemistry. As with most degrees, there are optional modules for you to choose to tailor your degree to your interests. Next year, I'm taking a module about the chemistry of biomedical imaging which I'm really excited about. The first two years for me have mostly covered a lot of the fundamentals of chemistry which include modules like electrochemistry, thermodynamics and aromatics and alkenes. The modules basically take the bigger areas of chemistry study and break them down to focus on smaller areas in more detail.
Perhaps, you could compare modules of the two courses you're looking at to help your decision making process. Alternatively, there are courses such as natural sciences which offer even more choice because you study over multiple disciplines which basically means you can pick modules you're interested in from both biology, chemistry and other courses that you have an interest in. This might be helpful because you can study both subjects and then as you decide which you want to study more, you can pick more modules from that subject area.
Beyond the degree, you could look at jobs you can get into using your qualifications. I found the prospects website helpful to get ideas about what degrees could take me into a career I wanted. (Link: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree)

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions about studying chemistry at uni!
-Beth :smile:

(Lancaster Student Ambassador)