Chemistry, MChem (Hons), with industry placement

Enhance your career prospects through a six-month placement as part of this MChem Chemistry degree, available in industry or at overseas universities like those in Australia, Hong Kong, Germany, or the Netherlands. These opportunities allow you to engage in cutting-edge research, immerse in new cultures, or work in commercial settings with organizations ranging from startups to global firms like Johnson Matthey. You'll develop transferable skills, with many placements offering paid positions, and gain a competitive edge after three years of foundational chemistry training at a top-ranked Russell Group university. Our graduates excel in fields such as finance, pharmaceuticals, and teaching, supported by state-of-the-art labs, personalized tutoring, and research-informed teaching.In years one and two, build a strong foundation in organic, inorganic, and physical chemistry through core modules, with options to explore topics like environmental chemistry or AI in later years. Assessment includes exams, coursework, and projects, culminating in an external research placement in year four. The program is accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry, ensuring industry recognition.

Core modules in the first and second year are shared across most of our chemistry degrees. This makes it easy to transfer if you decide you’d like to join our MChem Chemistry or MChem Chemistry with year-long placement degrees. Depending on your optional module choices or level of maths study, there’s also the possibility of moving to one of our specialist MChem courses. In years one and two you’ll gain a solid chemistry foundation for more in-depth study in your third and fourth year. You’ll learn the fundamentals of organic, inorganic and physical chemistry, as well as practical lab techniques. In year one you’ll also take a mathematics module tailored to your previous maths experience. You’ll be able to select optional modules in years two, three and four. These cover a wide range of topics, such as: • environmental chemistry • biochemistry • programming • medicinal chemistry • artificial intelligence and machine learning in chemistry • synthetic methods in organic chemistry • sustainable chemistry • quantum mechanics in chemistry and spectroscopy. You can also choose modules from other disciplines such as oceanography, biology, physics or a language. Alongside optional modules, core modules in year three will deepen your understanding of key areas of chemistry, and you will do an advanced practical project or research project. In the first semester of year four you’ll spend six months working on an assessed external research project at your placement company or overseas university. When you return to campus in semester two, you’ll choose four chemistry optional modules. For a full list of modules, please visit: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/courses/chemistry-with-external-placement-degree-mchem#modules.