Course structure

Students are taught through practical work, lectures and small group classes and tutorials.

The first year course covers the traditional areas of Inorganic, Organic and Physical Chemistry, together with Mathematics for Chemistry. These are broadly based, and include topics such as Biological Chemistry and Physics, which are presented in a chemical context.

For example, students cover fundamental principles of solid-state chemistry, non-metal and transition metal chemistry, carbonyl chemistry and carbon-carbon π bonds, chemical thermodynamics and introductory quantum mechanics, and the fundamental calculus and linear algebra used in the remainder of the chemistry course.

The practical course aims to train students to solve problems practically, accurately, safely and efficiently so that by the end of the course they are ready to work as a professional chemist in a research laboratory. The practical course teaches the essential experimental skills, from the synthesis and characterisation of compounds to the operation of spectrometers and other instruments for physiochemical and analytical measurements. Computer applications and chemistry software packages, such as structure drawing, molecular modelling and computer coding, are covered in the practical course. It also makes tangible much of the material covered in the lectures, classes and tutorials. 

Assessment
Preliminary Examination: four written papers; practical work.

Students must pass the Preliminary Examination at the end of the first year in order to progress to the second year of the course. This is made up of four written exam papers, which students must pass, and completion of the practical course. The level of the examinations is set so that with reasonable commitment the vast majority of students pass, and there is a resit opportunity in September.

Students are taught through practical work, lectures and small group classes and tutorials.

During the second year of the course, students build up their understanding of the subject and cover most of the core material in the degree. 

Examples of some of the topics included are: coordination chemistry, lanthanides and actinides, organometallic chemistry; organic synthesis, heteroatoms in organic chemistry, conformational analysis and ring chemistry; quantum and statistical mechanics, liquids and solutions, and spectroscopy.

The practical course aims to train students to solve problems practically, accurately, safely and efficiently so that by the end of the course they are ready to work as a professional chemist in a research laboratory. The practical course teaches the essential experimental skills, from the synthesis and characterisation of compounds to the operation of spectrometers and other instruments for physiochemical and analytical measurements. Computer applications and chemistry software packages, such as structure drawing, molecular modelling and computer coding, are covered in the practical course. It also makes tangible much of the material covered in the lectures, classes and tutorials. 

Assessment
Part IA Examination: three written papers; continuous assessment of practical work.

Students take three Part IA written exams at the end of the second year – one each in Inorganic, Organic and Physical Chemistry – covering the material from the first and second years of the course, and counting 15% towards the overall degree classification. The continuous assessment of practical work throughout the second and third year of the course contributes 10% towards the overall degree classification. 

Students are taught through practical work, lectures and small group classes and tutorials.

The third year begins by completing the core material, followed by a wide variety of options courses, some of which relate to research interests in the department. 

Core topics include: modern main group chemistry, spectroscopy and magnetism in inorganic chemistry, bioinorganic chemistry; pericyclic reactions, transition metal catalysis, radical reactions; soft condensed matter, photochemistry, magnetic resonance.

Some examples of options courses that have been offered in recent years are: natural product chemistry, functional organic polymers and materials chemistry, solid state compounds in technology, organometallic catalysts, atmospheric chemistry and astrochemistry, and theoretical chemistry. The available options courses are subject to change each year.

The practical course aims to train students to solve problems practically, accurately, safely and efficiently so that by the end of the course they are ready to work as a professional chemist in a research laboratory. The practical course teaches the essential experimental skills, from the synthesis and characterisation of compounds to the operation of spectrometers and other instruments for physiochemical and analytical measurements. Computer applications and chemistry software packages, such as structure drawing, molecular modelling and computer coding, are covered in the practical course. It also makes tangible much of the material covered in the lectures, classes and tutorials. 

Assessment
Part IB Examination: seven written papers; continuous assessment of practical work.

Students take seven Part IB written exams at the end of the third year – six synoptic general papers and one paper on the options topics. These examinations count 50% towards the overall degree classification. The continuous assessment of practical work throughout the second and third year of the course contributes 10% towards the overall degree classification. 

Students must pass Part I of the course (made up of Year 2 and Year 3 written papers and practical work), in order to progress to Part II (Year 4).

The fourth year is spent exclusively on research, providing students with the opportunity to immerse themselves in a significant project in one of the world’s premier research departments. A wide range of research themes are available, and there are also opportunities to work in related sciences in other departments. Students are supervised by a member of academic staff and have full access to the research facilities of their host laboratory.

Students generally enjoy the fourth year greatly, and it is very rare for a student to exercise the option of leaving after three years with an unclassified BA honours degree.

Assessment
Part II Examination: written thesis; oral examination.

The Part II assessment counts 25% towards the overall degree classification. The final degree classification is determined at the end of the fourth year.