Course description
What do you study?
Chemistry is at the heart of all our courses, which may be studied over two, three or four years full-time and up to five years part-time (by day-release). All the courses share common modules in core chemistry and chemical principles, with strong emphasis on analytical skills and employability. BSc and MChem students carry out an independent research project or dissertation in the final or penultimate year.
Place of study
The courses are based at the Clifton campus, about four miles from Nottingham city centre. The campus is set in its own landscaped grounds and is well-equipped to meet the needs of all students. Facilities include over 700 rooms in halls of residence with en-suite facilities, an extensive library, a recently completed £1.6 million sports complex and floodlit, all-weather pitch. Recently refurbished, modern and well-equipped laboratories provide the latest, up-to-date scientific, electronic and computing equipment.
The Student Village also has Student Union facilities such as bars, cafés, a supermarket, a refectory and a bookshop. These are supplementary to the wide range of facilities and attractions available at the Nottingham City site. A regular bus service operates between Clifton campus and the City site.
How do you study?
We offer a wide variety of study modes - from formal lectures to personal tutorials to directed study. All main chemistry modules are associated with laboratory classes that further reinforce taught lecture material.
Teaching
* Formal one-hour lectures
Large group classes require students to take notes. On average you will have eight hours per week.
* Seminars / tutorials
Smaller groups led by a lecturer designed to amplify the lecture material, provide practice in problem-solving, and develop research and presentation skills - held once a week for some modules.
* Practical laboratory sessions
Medium sized groups led by academic staff requiring students to develop practical and interpretation skills. Held once a week for some modules - on average you will have nine hours per week.
* Project / dissertation work
Students spend several months researching the background to a specific problem, carrying out laboratory or field work, reviewing research publications, and writing up an extended report. This involves one-to-one tutorial advice from the member of academic staff supervising the topic.
* Equipment
The laboratories are modern and well-equipped. They offer you access to up-to-date scientific, electronic and computing equipment including:
o a state-of-the-art electron microscope suite
o facilities for gas chromatography, liquid chromatography (HPLC), ion chromatography, inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP), mass spectrometry (GC-MS and LC-MS), atomic absorption (AA), and fluorimetry
o facilities for structure determination, including powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction, solution and solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), infrared spectroscopy and UV-visible spectroscopy.
All the courses share common modules in core chemistry and chemical principles, with strong emphasis on analytical skills and employability. BSc (Hons) and MChem students carry out an independent research project or dissertation in the final or penultimate year.
