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Get in touch...The Department’s website www.chem.ox.ac.uk provides more information on the course, advice on applying, suggested reading as well as information about the department itself and its excellent and award winning research.

If you have any further questions regarding studying Chemistry at Oxford, please do email: admissions@chem.ox.ac.ukDepartment of ChemistrySouth Parks RoadOxford OX1 3QRTelephone +44 (01865) 272568

What can I do after I finish my degree?

Is this course for me?If you are a highly motivated student who is passionate about studying Chemistry, the University of Oxford offers an unrivalled environment in which to study. The course will introduce many topics that are completely new to you, but is sufficiently wide-ranging that you do not need to decide immediately the areas in which you will ultimately specialise.

You will be well qualified for this course if you are studying Chemistry and Mathematics to full A level or equivalent. Both Chemistry and Mathematics are required subjects. We recommend that you take a third science: Physics, Biology and Further Mathematics are very helpful, for parts of the first year course,

but not essential, and we do not assume that you have these subjects.

The standard departmental offer is A*A*A at A-Level, including Chemistry and Mathematics. Both the A*s should be in a science subject or Mathematics. General Studies will not be included in the offer. If a practical component forms part of any of your science A-levels, we expect you to pass it. Typical offers for other qualifications, such as the International Baccalaureate, Pre-U or Scottish Advanced Highers, are available on the Web at admissions.chem.ox.ac.uk . Typical offers for international students can be found under www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate .

What is the role of the college?

All students who come to Oxford University are admitted by an Oxford College. Each college has its own particular history, ethos, atmosphere and architecture. The College provides students with affordable accommodation for at least two (and often for all four) years of the course, and acts as a social hub. The extracurricular opportunities to be found within colleges are almost limitless, and whatever your interests – music, drama, sports, politics – there will be a society for you in Oxford. You can name a College at the application stage, but it is not necessary to do this. A third of students happily end up at a College different to the one they originally applied to!

Our chemistry students split their working week between College- and Department-based activities: lectures and practical work are based in the Department, whereas tutorials and small classes are provided by the College. Tutorial teaching is one of the features that makes an Oxford education special. Students receive at least one tutorial each week: their tutor will typically set a substantial and stretching work assignment, and the tutorial is an opportunity for the student to make sure that they understand the material, and for the tutor to ensure that the student is constantly challenged. The form of the tutorial is flexible, enabling tutors to tailor methods and material for their individual students, ensuring that their students cover the syllabus as efficiently and deeply as possible.

Chemistry is a door-opening degree. The chemical industry is very important for the economy of the country (pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, fine chemicals etc.); in addition there are many opportunities in analytical chemistry, in industry, the environment and in forensics. In all these areas there are both large and small companies, all needing well qualified chemists, either directly from the MChem or following a postgraduate degree. The Oxford Chemistry department also has an unrivalled record at commercialising its own inventions through spin-out companies.

Not all our graduates pursue the subject directly after their degree, although most continue in an area related to Chemistry. Some enter conversion or training programmes for such professions as Law, Teaching and Patent Agency, and others enter Financial Services, where their quantitative and analytical training is highly valued.

Open DaysThere’s no better way to find out what Oxford is really like than to visit us. The Department welcomes pre-arranged visits throughout the year, but our three University Open Days remain the most popular time to visit. We would normally give you a tour of the Department, a talk on admissions, a chance to talk to tutors and students about the course, and the opportunity to see the Chemistry Show. You will also have plenty of time to visit Colleges where you can also talk directly to tutors and students to help you make your decisions. For details, please see admissions.chem.ox.ac.uk/open-days.aspx .

Due to Covid-19, the University’s July Open Days (and possibly the September Open Day) will take place online. See www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate for up-to-date information.

For more information on applying to Oxford, please visit www.admissions.ox.ac.uk . The University’s Admissions Office is located at the University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JD. They can help answer questions about applying to undergraduate or graduate degrees offered by Oxford. Please contact: +44 (0) 1865 288000 or undergraduate.admissions@admin.ox.ac.uk

Name: Zonghua BoCollege: Wadham 3rd year

My tutors are all very patient, encouraging and friendly, so I feel really comfortable asking questions in tutorials. The tutorials are definitely the best thing about the course. I feel like I learn the most through tutorials, as they are a lot longer than lectures, and my tutors are really patient and friendly. I like organic chemistry the best; figuring out mechanisms for reactions I’ve never seen before is just so much fun. I am a research officer at the Oxford Union, which involves writing invitations to famous speakers and liaising with their managers. The students are lovely, welcoming, open-minded and very friendly. I made lots of great friends while studying in Oxford.

Name: Charles HillCollege: St Hugh’s4th year

Having an idea of what university life was like from my older brother, I was shocked at the sense of community that colleges provide. I applied for Oxford as I wanted to do a chemistry course that would push my limits, and the intense short terms do that. The tutorial system is, I think, the best part of the course. The ability to question professors, who are involved in cutting edge research, can be both inspiring and daunting. As far as I am aware, the Oxford Part II year is one of a kind. The ability, at the end of your third year, to experience what it is like to be a Researcher really does help you choose a career path in life. The support you receive from your college tutors is invaluable in developing your understanding. I have decided to carry on studying at Oxford for a DPhil.

Name: Anna HowesCollege: Christ Church3rd year I was really attracted to the tutorial system, it is one of the best aspects of Oxford. For me, it was a lot more about adjusting to the style of teaching and the amount of preparation required for each tutorial and the practicals. Before applying, I didn’t know what to expect exactly. The course has been very well structured and taught, as I had hoped when I applied. The department is also very receptive to any general feedback you give them through the Chemists’ Joint Consultative Committee (CJCC) and important updates are communicated regularly to students. I would definitely recommend the course if you love studying Chemistry. It is a fantastic opportunity to be taught by people who are at the forefront of their respective fields. Oxford is not as inaccessible or expensive as most people would believe. It is a great shame to feel that people would hold back from applying with these misconceptions in mind.

Chemistry at Oxford is a four-

year course leading to the degree of MChem

(with honours). The course provides a high-level education in the subject with sufficient flexibility to enable students to specialise in the areas of greatest interest

to them and to venture into overlapping scientific disciplines.

What are the tutors looking for?Your application will be evaluated on the basis of the UCAS application form and, if selected, an interview.

Your application will be assessed by the tutors in the College you have applied to according to the policies laid down by the Department. They will be looking for evidence of exceptional academic ability and of your motivation to study chemistry.

They will base their judgement on your academic record, your academic reference and your personal statement. At interview they will be looking for the following qualities:

• Clarity of analysis and presentation of ideas.

• Ability to listen and respond to ideas put forward during discussion, to draw inferences from them and to work through them.

• Ability to put forward coherent and well thought out proposals and responses.

You are not expected to know material outside your normal syllabus, but you will be tested on how well you understand the material you have encountered already, whether you have thought about it and what you can do with it. This will almost certainly involve applying principles you know in unfamiliar situations.

How is the course structured?Teaching at Oxford University

There are three distinctive features that make the Oxford course unique. The tutorial system: students are set work by their college tutor every week, and then have a tutorial to discuss it with their tutor. This regular high-intensity close contact with the academic staff means that teaching is tailored to the individual student, and that students have an unrivalled opportunity to stretch their intellect to its limit. The non-modular nature of the course: the course is not sub-divided into modules, and nor are the examinations. The subject is treated as a whole and examinations are synoptic, covering all aspects of the course covered so far. This means that students get a very deep understanding of how the subject fits together rather than a set of seemingly disconnected modules.

The fourth year, which is entirely devoted to a research project, with no additional teaching or examinations. Students benefit from being active members of their chosen research group, and have the opportunity to make a real contribution to chemical research. This is when many students make up their minds whether to pursue a career in research. There is nothing like the buzz of being the first person to do, make or understand something entirely new.

Practical Classes

The aim of the practical course is 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 physicochemical and analytical measurements. It also makes tangible much that is covered in lectures and tutorials. In 2018, Oxford opened its new, purpose-built teaching laboratory for teaching undergraduate practical chemistry.

Research Project

In your fourth year you will be required to carry out a research project. A wide choice of research projects is available in both pure and applied chemistry, and also in related sciences. You will be supervised by a member of the academic staff and have full access to the research facilities of your host laboratory. This provides you with an exciting opportunity to carry out a piece of original research: it is not unusual for the results to be reported at a scientific conference or published in a scientific journal. Besides contributing to the pool of scientific knowledge, the Part II year provides a unique experience of the world of research and, very importantly, allows you to make an informed decision as to whether to continue in research by proceeding to a doctorate. It is very rare for a student to exercise the option of leaving after three years with an (unclassified) B.A. honours degree.

Chemistry is the study of the world around us at the atomic and molecular scale. It occupies a central position among the sciences, interfacing with mathematics and physics, with engineering, and with biology and medicine.

Why study Chemistry at Oxford?

Chemistry at Oxford is a four-year course leading to the degree of MChem (with honours). The course provides a high level education in the subject with sufficient flexibility to enable students to specialise in the areas of greatest interest to them and to venture into overlapping scientific disciplines.

Oxford seeks to cater for committed Chemists, so we do not offer joint degree courses involving Chemistry. However, Chemistry at Oxford has a uniquely wide scope; there is ample opportunity for branching out in the third year, and even more so in the fourth year, when students can also undertake research in neighbouring disciplines where Chemistry has a significant role. The Oxford course has been judged excellent by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and is fully accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

The first year of the course is broadly based, and designed to provide a solid foundation for the subsequent three years. In addition to the traditional areas of Chemistry, it includes coverage of Biological Chemistry, the Physical Basis of Chemistry and Mathematics for Chemistry.

The second year covers much of the core material for the Chemistry course. The three examinations taken in the

summer, Part IA, cover material from the first two years and count 15% towards the degree.

The third year continues coverage of core material but also offers a choice of more specialised Options which cover a wide range of topics, some relating to research interests in the Department. Part IB examinations are taken at the end of the year and currently comprise 6 general papers relating to accumulated core material and one paper covering the Options. These examinations count 50% towards the final degree.

The practical course is an integral part of the first three years. Practicals are assessed throughout the course, and the second and third year practical assessments count 10% towards the final degree. The fourth year is spent entirely on a research project, working with a supervisor chosen by the student. A thesis is submitted for assessment at the end of the year, and the evaluation incorporated in the final degree result. This project counts 25% towards the final degree.

Chemistry furnishes much of the material base of modern civilisation, and chemists are a constant source of innovation for its further benefit. It is hard to imagine any product introduced in recent times that did not require the creative efforts of a chemist at some stage in its development. From the formulation of petrol, through the materials and colouring of your clothes, to antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals, chemists have played a key role in shaping our modern world. The 20th century saw several industrial revolutions resulting from new materials created by chemists: for example, plastics, the liquid crystal display on your computer, the etching process that made microchip technology possible, many developments in medicine, antibiotics, and DNA technology. The list is endless, and we can expect many more civilisation- changing discoveries in this century: for example, in molecular machines, molecular opto-electronics, new magnetic and

superconducting materials, smart materials,

molecular

medicine, medical imaging, fuel cells, and the hydrogen economy (many of which are the subjects of active research in the Department). But this is only what we have imagined so far. Most really novel discoveries are made in University research labs where researchers have the freedom to follow their curiosity. Of course, some discoveries turn out to be completely unexpected!

Oxford has had a real impact in many of these areas: for example, the cephalosporin family of antibiotics was developed in Oxford, the biosensors that are used to measure blood glucose were invented and commercialised here, and the current commercial lightweight rechargeable lithium-ion battery material LiCoO2, which has made portable electronic devices such as mobile phones and laptops possible, was first characterised as a battery-electrode material at Oxford. Isotopes were first discovered here, and the first protein structures were determined. More recent exciting innovations include the single molecule DNA sequencer (Oxford Nanopore) and breath analysis for illegal drugs (OxTox).

The study of Chemistry, with its uniquely wide span within the scientific spectrum, is

an excellent way to develop your intellect. You acquire not only a powerful battery

of analytical skills for problem solving, but also the ability to analyse critically

and to ask pertinent questions. These skills are transferable to almost any context, and are highly valued in the world of commerce and finance. The employment potential of an Oxford Chemistry graduate is very high, both in Chemistry-related areas and elsewhere. Almost all our graduates gain immediate employment or continue to a higher degree. The earnings premium on a Chemistry degree is 30%,

similar to Physics (30%) and Engineering (31%). These are

the top rated subjects in earning potential apart from Medicine and

Law (2015 data).

Name: Sungmin Cho College: Keble2nd Year

The level of academic work expected was certainly a big step up from A-levels but the college tutorial system really helped with the transition. I found that tutors are willing to hold extra classes to supplement learning in areas where the cohort in general has difficulties. Like many others, I was worried I would not have a good work-life balance by doing an intense degree like chemistry. As long as you can manage your time well, you can fit many diverse activities into your timetable. It’s a bit of a cliché, but if you like problem solving and genuinely enjoy challenges, this is the course for you. In my spare time I started rowing in my first year and I’ve really enjoyed taking part in bumps racing. I also play college hockey and croquet! Would I recommend applying to Oxford…? Definitely.

Name: Oliver YuCollege: Exeter2nd Year

I found the steep learning curve in Chemistry exciting, and the teaching style in Oxford is more interactive than in my school. Tutors are constantly challenging me with intellectually stimulating questions and by working through a problem together I find the learning experience more fruitful than ever. Thought process matters more than the exact answer as the tutors are interested in how you think through the problem, instead of what answer you can give. Lectures offer a deep insight into a wide range of core subjects within the three branches of Chemistry while tutorials challenge your problem solving skills and push your boundary to as far as it can get intellectually. Tutors are ready to help and it is undoubtedly an amazing experience to talk to one of the leading experts in their respective fields in a subject that I am passionate about.

Name: Sam ClarkCollege:Lincoln1st year

I chose to study at Oxford because of the rich history and the academic prowess of the university. The transition was, initially, quite hard; the style of learning is quite different and the workload significantly harder. But by the end of the first term I was able to handle it better, and at the end of my first year it is no longer a struggle. People in Oxford are decidedly more normal than I expected, you’re not surrounded by geniuses, just people who enjoy their subject and are willing to work hard. Chemistry at university is very different from A level, with a lot more focus on understanding the core principles and a lesser focus on just learning facts. All parts of the course have elements that I enjoy, with organic synthesis and quantum mechanics both standing out as topics that weren’t looked at in depth in A level that became a lot more interesting studying here.

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Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 (extended Terms)

CoursesFour courses are taken:• Inorganic chemistry• Physical chemistry• Organic chemistry• Mathematics for

chemistry

Practical work

CoursesCore material, including courses on::• Theoretical chemistry• Biological chemistry• Molecular spectroscopy• Synthetic chemistry

Practical work

CoursesFurther core material, plus advanced courses with a choice from a wide range of options

Practical work

ResearchFull-time research under the supervision of a member of the academic staff

AssessmentFirst University examinations: four written papers; satisfactory practical record.

AssessmentPart IA examinations: three written papers; continuous assessment of practicals.

AssessmentPart IB examinations: seven written papers; continuous assessment of practicals.

AssessmentPart II examination: dissertation; oral examination; determination of the class of Honours degree.

The course is currently under review. Up-to-date details on any course changes can be found at www.chem.ox.ac.uk.