MChem CHEMISTRY WITH A YEAR IN INDUSTRY OR RESEARCH

MChem Chemistry with a Year in Industry or Research is a four-year course provides you with the exciting option of spending a year in research at one of our partner universities abroad or a paid year in industry before you graduate on your way to becoming a professional scientist.

This MChem Chemistry with a Year in Industry or Research degree provides excellent training if you are considering a career as a professional chemist either in industry or higher education.

In your first two years you will gain a thorough grounding in the core areas of chemistry. As you progress, you will choose from a range of specialist options on topics such as polymers, organic synthesis, catalysis and biomolecular modelling.

You will then spend your third year on placement, either working for a major chemical or pharmaceutical company, in the UK or overseas, or by studying at one of our partner universities abroad. This placement year is one of the best ways to prepare for a career in chemistry. The Department currently has excellent links with companies in the Reading area, across the UK and overseas.

Whilst on placement you will be visited by your tutor, and continue to study core chemistry units from the third year of your degree. This distance learning ensures your fundamental knowledge of chemistry continues to develop.

Upon your return to the University you will join the final year of the MChem course, which includes a range of Masters-level topics and an extended research project. This project is a major feature of your final year and gives you a realistic introduction to the triumphs and trials of research.

All our chemistry courses are very flexible and, depending on your grades, you can transfer between them at the end of your first or second year. This course is accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).

For more information, please visit the Department of Chemistry website. 

Placement

We have a dedicated placements officer who is able to advise on career options, CVs and letters of application. Students are responsible for finding their own placements but can receive help from the placements officer with deciding which companies to approach.

We have previously sent students to companies such as Coty (Rimmel), Dow Corning and GSK. Students have also been placed at foreign research institutions such as the University of Zaragoza, Aarhus University, the University of South Australia and NASA. All students will be visited a number of times by a member of the teaching staff, ensuring the placement is going well.

For more information about securing and completing a placement for your placement year, please visit our Important Information page.