Chemistry

Chemistry is among the most fundamental of the sciences, and its methods and insights underpin enormous areas of modern life. From the pharmaceutical compounds that treat disease to the materials that make renewable energy possible, from the food additives that keep products safe to the polymers in almost every manufactured object, chemistry is quietly essential to the world we inhabit. Studying it properly requires both rigorous theoretical understanding and well-developed practical skill in the laboratory, and a good chemistry degree develops both in equal measure.

At Manchester Metropolitan you will combine hands-on laboratory experience with academic learning across the three main branches of chemistry: organic, inorganic, and physical. You will develop your understanding of chemical synthesis, spectroscopic techniques, reaction mechanisms, thermodynamics, kinetics, and analytical methods, and you will spend significant time in the laboratory developing the practical skills that employers and postgraduate programmes value. The three-year full-time programme includes a sandwich placement year with a work placement, giving you real experience in an industrial or research chemistry environment before you graduate.

This professional exposure is genuinely valuable in a field where employers consistently look for graduates with practical competence as well as academic knowledge.

Chemistry graduates are employed across the pharmaceutical, chemical, materials, food, environmental, and energy industries, as well as in quality control, analytical laboratories, regulatory agencies, and research institutions. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study, including research degrees in specific areas of chemistry and professional programmes in areas such as patent law or science communication. The analytical skills and laboratory competence developed on this programme are in demand across a wide range of scientific and technical roles.