
As a fundamental science with global impact, chemistry touches nearly every facet of life. We depend on chemistry in action – in our bodies, in our food and in our environment. Everyday materials, medicines and microchips are all developed with the expertise of professional chemists. It’s also a science that shapes tomorrow’s world, with almost every technological innovation and important breakthrough involving chemistry.
You can explore many aspects of organic, inorganic and physical chemistry with the OU, and develop your skills and knowledge in this exciting subject. Studying for a professional qualification opens up many rewarding career choices in industry, teaching and other professions.
Graduates with a strong background in chemistry are highly sought after in many different fields. Whether you work in business and industry, research or the community, chemistry brings the chance to directly influence the quality of life, with the added dimension of challenge and discovery.
Undergraduate or bachelors degrees are nationally recognised qualifications consisting of academic study designed to that help you gain a thorough understanding of a subject.
For a degree in a named subject, such as business studies or humanities, you'll study mainly in your chosen subject, although you may be able to include some modules from other subjects.
With The Open University you could also study an Open degree where you can combine a range of modules from similar or different subjects to suit either your particular career or personal interests.
You can use a degree to:
A Diploma of Higher Education (Dip HE) is equivalent to two thirds of an honours degree. They are nationally recognised qualifications focusing either on a particular job or profession, or academic study.
Dip HEs are designed to increase the professional and technical skills of staff within a profession or extend your knowledge and understanding of a particular subject. A Dip HE shows that you are capable of extended study at university level.
You can use a DipHE to:
The Diploma of Higher Education might be of particular interest to those living and working in Scotland.
A Certificate of Higher Education (Cert HE) is a nationally recognised qualification focusing on either a particular job or profession, or academic study. Equivalent to the first year of a full honours degree, they are the most basic level of qualification that can be gained in higher education and show that you are capable of studying successfully at university level.
You can use a CertHE to:
There are two ways to start a qualification. If you haven’t studied for a long time or need to build your confidence, beginning your studies with an Access module may be the right choice for you.
Choose a qualification to find out more.
You can study a single module on its own for personal interest or to improve your career prospects. See the list of all our individual courses in Chemistry.
If you already have a degree, you may want to see postgraduate courses and qualifications in Science.
If you want to study for an undergraduate qualification and you are living outside the UK and Republic of Ireland, visit our international prospectus.
Try our frequently asked questions.
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