Policy for applicants who take their examinations in more than one sitting

We are happy to consider applicants who are taking their examinations in different sittings, provided they were taken over the standard two-year period.

Re-applications

If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again.

Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry. In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved.

We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.

If you are applying for a place for the same year of entry through UCAS Extra, you should provide additional evidence of your suitability for the course.

If you are applying through Clearing, you are required to meet the Clearing requirements. In both UCAS Extra and Clearing the places will be subject to availability.

Transfers

We are happy to consider students who want to transfer to the first year of this course from other courses within the University. Transfers from other institutions are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Transfers into the second year are not normally considered.

Please contact the Department Admissions Team if you require further advice.

Course description

MChem Chemistry with International Study offers you a four-year degree programme. During the first two years you cover all the major branches of chemistry and learn how they are interconnected. Laboratory classes in both years form an essential integrated component of your training and you will conduct experiments in all branches of the subject. You will also study your chosen language (we currently offer French, German, Spanish and Italian) for those students who will take up a placement in mainland Europe.

Your third year will be spent studying chemistry in either mainland Europe (under the ERASMUS programme) or at one of our worldwide partner universities, and currently offers a range of universities in France, Germany, Spain and Italy, North America and Singapore. The placement year will be fully assessed by the host university and will involve coursework, laboratory classes and examinations. You will also be able to access material taught in Manchester in Year 3 via our student portal. This material will not be assessed by us, but you are required to be aware of its content before you return to Manchester for your fourth year. Both the Programme Director and the Study Abroad Unit will be in e-mail contact with you during your stay and will provide help and support when necessary. The Study Abroad Unit offers information about the financial aspects of your year abroad and links to partner universities' webpages. 

Study abroad has to be the highlight of my time studying Chemistry at Manchester. As the educational standard is so high at the University of Manchester, I could take high-level courses when studying in the USA.

The diversity of my practical training allowed me to pursue all available practical chemistry topics at the University of Missouri when studying abroad. A great benefit of studying abroad: combining study, travel, and another culture provided a great learning experience whilst abroad.

Joe Lake Rees / MChem(Hons) Chemistry with International Study graduate

Special features

A range of study options

It's possible to broaden your degree by taking units from the University College , Business and Management for all Programmes in exchange for a few units from your degree.

Foundation Year available

You can prepare for the full degree course if you do not have the appropriate qualifications for direct entry by undertaking our foundation course first.

Flexibility to transfer between courses

It is generally possible to transfer between the various chemistry degrees we offer in years 1-3. This is subject to satisfactory academic performance and completion of the required pre-requisite modules.

Study abroad

You can apply to spend Year 3 studying abroad at a partner university. Students can choose from a range of partner institutions from across the globe.

We will charge less than the standard half fee for students taking up a year abroad and offer to waive or significantly discount this fee for students from less well-off backgrounds. 

Additional course information

Our student community

ChemSoc is a student-run society with the aim of giving chemistry students the complete experience whilst at The University of Manchester. The year begins with the infamous lab coat pub crawl and concludes with a fantastic annual ball! In between ChemSoc hosts socials alongside other societies, allowing your inner passion for your subject to come out and show everyone that chemistry is the best subject.

The society has two successful sports teams, football and netball, with the football team winning the league last year! Teams comprise of first years right through to PhD students, so you will be able to meet lots of new faces!

Besides the social side the society has reinvented its academic aspects; ChemSoc hosts research talks accessible to all students featuring our high level of research from Manchester. Finally, the society encourages students to think about their employability, and have worked closely with the Careers Service to run events throughout the year, such as a LinkedIn workshop.

Our blog

You can read about our students' experience in studying chemistry, work placement and study abroad diaries, as well as alumni profiles in our department blog .

Teaching and learning

Undergraduates have around 20 hours contact time per week and are expected to spend around 30 hours in private study. Your week will be made up of:

Lectures

Small group tutorials

Laboratory classes

Group work

Individual research projects

Computer-based tuition - A range of ancillary mathematics, data handling, presentation and IT skills, and computer based chemistry are taught on the dedicated computer cluster.

Workshops

PASS session - student-led peer-assisted study sessions where second and third year students help you to develop learning strategies and techniques.Personalised learning support

Chemistry at Manchester offers a high level of learning support. You will have weekly tutorials in small groups of no more than 6.

You'll have three Academic Tutors, one each for Organic, Inorganic and Physical chemistry. You'll also be allocated a Personal Tutor to oversee your personal welfare - reflect on your academic and personal development, discuss future goals and agree action plans.

PASS (Peer Assisted Study Sessions) and Peer Mentoring

We are also proud of our innovative PASS (Peer Assisted Study Sessions) and Peer Mentoring scheme. The PASS scheme provides additional support in the area of the current week's tutorial. It is entirely voluntary and second, third and fourth-year students help first years to tackle problems defined by the content of the current tutorial. The emphasis is on showing students how to think about the problems, how to develop problem-solving skills and how to get the most from the educational resources available.

Additional Maths support

We offer additional Maths support to all our students. In Year 1 this is by means of a programme of online, self-directed study with weekly support clinics if you need additional support or advice.

Practical chemistry

Practical chemistry is important in all areas of the subject, and is a key part of all our programmes. Throughout your degree you'll carry out practical work in our modern well-equipped undergraduate laboratories, built to a high specification. Our practical courses are designed to provide experience of the wide range of chemical techniques for measurement and synthesis necessary for the study of modern chemistry. As well as providing the opportunity to do interesting chemistry our practical courses train students to work safely and effectively in the laboratory.

Intensive language support

Study a modern language at the University's Language Centre, which provides weekly classes throughout Years 1 and 2.

Year 4 research project

Your extended individual project will be based within one of the research groups in our Department . This will give you the opportunity work on a current problem in your chosen area of chemistry, under the supervision of one of our academic staff.

Coursework and assessment

Assessment is by a mixture of traditional examinations, coursework, laboratory practical and workshops.

Assessment methods vary widely to suit the nature of the course unit and each level of study. Examinations take place in January and May each year, with around one third of the marks from continuous assessment. The first year is a simple pass/fail, but from then on a percentage of each year's assessment counts towards your final degree classification.

Course content for year 1

First-year topics include:

bonding in molecules
organic reaction mechanisms
natural product chemistry
s, p, and d block chemistry
thermodynamics
kinetics
quantum mechanics

You will also take course units that cover a range of presentational, mathematical and analytical and IT skills. Finally, you have the opportunity to study optional course units from other departments such as Life Sciences (Biochemistry), Earth Sciences (Geology), Geography, Mathematics, Physics and also Languages. For details see the list of optional course units below.

Course units for year 1

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Energy and Change  CHEM10212  10  Mandatory  
Coordination Chemistry  CHEM10312  10  Mandatory  
Structure and Reactivity  CHEM10412  10  Mandatory  
Chemical Research Skills  CHEM10510  10  Mandatory  
Analytical Chemistry  CHEM10530  10  Mandatory  
Practical Chemistry  CHEM10600  20  Mandatory  
Biological Chemistry  CHEM10712  10  Mandatory  
Fundamentals of Management  BMAN10011  10  Optional  
Maths for Chemistry  CHEM10511  10  Optional  
Environmental Processes and Change: The Global System  GEOG10401  10  Optional