Overview
The Harwell Laboratory has taught chemistry on the same site for a century; its instruments are rather newer. You will spend around ten hours a week in the laboratory in the first two years.
The fourth year is spent entirely on research, as a full member of one of the department's research groups.
- 10 hrsOf lab work a week in years 1 and 2
- 1 yearOf full-time research
- 1968The Harwell Laboratory opened
Course structure
The outline below shows a typical path through the course. Options change a little each year as tutors join and research moves on.
Year 1
- Organic Chemistry I
- Inorganic Chemistry I
- Physical Chemistry I
- Mathematics for Chemists
- Practical Chemistry
Year 2
- Organic Synthesis
- Transition Metals
- Spectroscopy
- Quantum Chemistry
Year 3
- Advanced options, e.g. Catalysis, Medicinal Chemistry, Materials
- Extended laboratory project
Year 4
- Full-time research project
- Research seminar series
How you will learn
You will have two tutorials a week with one or two other students, where you discuss the essay or problem set you wrote that week with a tutor. Lectures, seminars of ten to twelve students and practical classes fill the rest of the week. Each student has a personal tutor for the whole degree.
Assessment
Examinations each year, continuous assessment of practical work and a research thesis.
Entry requirements
- A levels: A*A*A, including Chemistry and Mathematics
- International Baccalaureate: 40 points, with 7 in Higher Level Chemistry
- The Thinking Skills Assessment in October
We make contextual offers, typically one grade lower, to applicants from schools that send few students to university. If your qualifications are not listed, the admissions office will tell you what we would expect.
Fees and funding
Tuition for 2027-28 is $38,400 a year, including college membership. Under the Aldermere Promise, students from families earning under $85,000 a year pay no tuition, and partial awards continue up to $150,000. Every undergraduate also receives a $2,000 grant each year for books, travel and equipment.
Careers
Graduates of this programme go on to a wide range of careers. Recent destinations include:
- Pharmaceutical research
- Materials and energy
- Patent law
- Environmental consulting
- Teaching
- PhD study
The Aldermere Promise meant I could say yes to a fourth year in the lab instead of worrying about the cost.
Amara Singh Second year
Questions
Can I change programme after I arrive?
Yes, at the end of the first year, if there is space on the programme you want to move to and your tutors agree. Around one student in twenty does.
Is there an interview?
Yes. Shortlisted applicants have a conversation of about twenty-five minutes with two tutors in December, in person or online. It is about how you think, not what you have memorised.
