BSc Applied Chemistry

Course outline

Countless consumer and industrial products, medicines and pharmaceuticals are produced on processes developed from the fundamental principles of chemistry.

Our courses emphasise the commercial as well as industrial application of chemistry. They aim to expand your fundamental chemical knowledge, refine your professional, scientific and technical skills and to develop your personal, communication and management skills.

Ultimately you will be equipped for a successful career in chemistry, the chemical industries or a vast range of alternative scientific, business and professional occupations such as teaching.

Jump to:

• Subject guide & modules
• Learning, teaching & assessment
• Placement year
• Professional accreditation
• Career prospects
• Personal development
• Facilities & equipment
• Teaching staff
• Further information

Subject guide & modules

This programme is academically the same as the BSc in chemistry,  but as an applied chemist you will also spend a year on placement in industry.  We cater for the needs of ‘pure’ chemists whilst providing the opportunity to explore the industrial, pharmaceutical, technological and commercial dimensions of chemistry.  Business and other specialist topics are built into our courses enabling you to develop valuable  management skills.  You share your first year with chemical engineers, to gain a deeper insight into industrial processes.  

You will study subjects such as process design, health and safety, biological chemistry, biomaterials, inorganic materials and polymer synthesis. The innovative and relevant nature of our courses will also help you to discover new and exciting areas of chemistry, including bio-compatibility, medicinal drug delivery systems, the Buckminster-Fullerenes and cluster compounds, liquid crystals, non-metallic conductors and superconductors.

Year 1

• Basic Mathematics
• Introduction to Separation Processes
• Design
• Process and Product Design
• Introduction to Transfer Processes
• Health, Safety and the Environment
• Molecular Structure
  
• Kinetics
• Molecular Transformations
• States of Matter
• Introduction to Biological Chemistry
• General and Introductory Chemistry
• Transistion Mathematics for Engineers

Year 2

• Reaction Kinetics
• Chemical Engineering Laboratory
• Chemical Analysis
• Organic Synthesis
• Biological Chemistry
• Physical Chemistry II
• Polymer Science I
• Polymer Science II
• Inorganic Chemistry - Metals
• Introduction to Business Management

Year 3 - Optional placement year

See placement year section or find out more about the Aston placement year.

Final Year

• Physical and Analytical Chemistry
• Literature Research Project
• Biomaterials
• Modern Synthetic Methods
• Polymer Science III
• Polymer Science IV
• Advances in Lipid Chemistry
• Advanced NMR Spectroscopy
• Advanced Inorganic Chemistry

Learning, teaching & assessment

Our courses incorporate lectures, tutorials, plant visits and lab work. You will also be involved in project work; developing essential problem solving skills with specialist supervision from staff and industrial consultants. This hands-on experience will involve learning a wide range of techniques. Assessment is by a combination of exams, project, lab and coursework. Your final degree classification is determined by your performance in all years after the first year.

For further information, see the programme specification (PDF).

Placement year

The optional integrated placement year is available with all our chemistry courses. It will give you invaluable practical experience and enhance your career prospects through a paid professional placement in the UK or abroad. We have excellent links with industry and will help to arrange this placement for you. All our undergraduates benefit from these links, whether through their placement, projects or vacation work, an excellent opportunity to receive training in industry or in a research establishment, providing invaluable practical experience and enhancing your career prospects.

Find out more about placement years at Aston.

Career prospects

Your broad grounding in the principles of chemistry will prepare you to enter research, development or production in the chemical process industries or to undertake postgraduate research or teaching certificates. Alternatively you may pursue a career in areas as diverse as commerce, administration, accounting, banking or the civil service.

The study of chemistry is a springboard to your future, whether or not you enter a directly related career and is a highly stimulating and rewarding choice. For students taking the Biological Chemistry course there are also opportunities in a wide variety of modern exciting industries including pharmaceuticals, agro-chemicals, biotechnology, environmental control, water, renewable energy and materials.

Personal development

Throughout the course we emphasise business and communication skills which will enhance your ability to write and present technical essays and reports. Our courses emphasise the commercial as well as industrial application of chemistry. You will learn how the theory you study can be applied in your future career, whether you do research, help define public environmental policy or design new chemical process facilities.

Facilities & equipment

Our modern, purpose-designed labs and teaching facilities include excellent IT facilities and a well-equipped pilot plant area. Tailored computing courses and self-tuition packages ensure the development of IT and word processing skills required by the modern chemical engineer or chemist.

Teaching staff

Prof S Al-Malaika
Prof Al-Malaika's researches are in the areas of oxidation, stabilisation and modification of polymers. Current interests include studies on the oxidation and stabilisation of metallocene polyolefins, the antioxidant mechanisms and performance of biological antioxidant in polymers, synthesis of reactive compatibilisers for polymer blends, upgrading properties of polymers by reactive processing techniques, free radical grafting reactions on polymer melts and photo-bio-degradability of polymers.

Prof A V Bridgwater
Professor Bridgwater established the Bioenergy Research Group (BERG) in 1986. Since then it has grown to 25 members with an aggregated research income of over £13m. BERG specialises in the fast pyrolysis of biomass and solid wastes for production of liquid bio-fuels and chemicals. The group also researches advanced gasification and bioenergy system analysis, design and evaluation including economic assessment. Professor Bridgwater leads the SuperGen Biomass and Bioenergy Consortium supported by EPSRC. He also leads Thermalnet, an EU-forum on the thermal conversion of biomass, sponsored by the EC and IEA Bioenergy.

Prof B J Tighe
Professor Tighe's research focuses on the design, synthesis and applications of biomedical polymers, a significant proportion of which are hydrogels, a term frequently used to describe polymers swollen with water. Current interests include novel materials for ophthalmic applications, drug delivery systems, bioadhesive polymers, synthetic materials for articular cartilage, lung surfactant and cornea. The research is interdisciplinary and involves strong interactive connections with relevant industrial companies.

Further information

EAS Undergraduate Admissions Office
+44 (0)121 204 3400
engineering@aston.ac.uk