BSc Chemistry with Education

Chemistry is the science that has the most direct and dramatic impact on our lives. Materials, medicines, computers, clothes - they're all made up of molecules, the building blocks of chemistry. Chemists strive to make them more efficiently, more conveniently and with the minimum effect on the environment. If you want to preserve the environment, chemistry plays the key role in our understanding of the air we breathe, the water we drink and the land we grow our food on. Chemistry is the science that shapes the world we will live in tomorrow.

3 years full-time

Currently there is a shortage of well-qualified chemistry teachers in the UK. The BSc Chemistry with Education programme allows you to take the first steps towards a career in teaching either at primary or secondary level. This programme is delivered jointly with the Institute of Education at Reading, an institute where successful graduates may go on to the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and qualify as science teachers. The design of the programme ensures you have a good science base in the first year which is essential for anyone considering a career as a science teacher. In the second year, as well as covering the core chemistry, you have the chance to gain some experience of primary school teaching. In the final year you will be covering advanced topics in chemistry in lectures but will carry out your final year project in the science department of a secondary school looking at some aspect of modern science education. This programme helps you to make an informed choice about your career by providing experience of both primary and secondary education in addition to a solid foundation in core chemistry. Throughout the course you will be given the necessary guidance and support to enable you to apply for a PGCE place should you wish to do so.

Year 1

Compulsory modules
Chemical concepts in context
Core chemistry (inorganic, organic, & physical)
IT skills for chemists
Laboratory skills for chemists
Maths for chemists (as required)

Optional Modules
Modules chosen from outside chemistry could include:

Archaeology
Biology
Computer Science
Earth Science
Economics
IT
Maths
Soil Science
Institution-Wide Language Programme

Year 2

Compulsory Modules
Chemical Concepts in context
Advanced laboratory skills
Core chemistry (inorganic, organic, physical & analytical)
Transferable skills (IT, career development, numeracy, communication)

Optional Modules*

Entrepreneurship
Environmental Chemistry
Medicinal Chemistry
Institution-Wide Language Programme
Understanding primary science

*your choices here will depend on your chosen degree course

Final Year

Core chemisty (inorganic, organic, physical & analytical)
Plus
History and philosophy of science
Other chemistry options
Plus
School-based educational project