BSc Degree in Chemistry

BSc Degree

Chemistry

Chemistry plays a vital role in our everyday life and is the driving force behind many developments in science and technology. Liquid crystal displays, new drugs for cancer, alternative energy sources and solutions to environmental problems such as the Ozone Hole are just some of the applications of modern-day chemistry.

In fact chemistry is at the heart of many exciting developments in technology, medical life sciences and the environment and is justifiably called the “Central Science”.

The BSc Chemistry Honours degree at UCC is specifically designed to produce graduates with the necessary skills and knowledge required to be a practising chemist. The degree programme will also provide graduates with the problem-solving and communication skills required by employers in a wide variety of careers.

The BSc Chemistry Honours degree has been awarded accreditation by the Royal Society of Chemistry and is recognised as a professional qualification.

The BSc Chemistry Honours degree is a four-year teaching programme designed to reflect the modern view of chemistry as being central to our understanding of science. The programme has recently been restructured to offer students a wider choice of interesting subjects whilst providing a solid education in the fundamentals.

The diverse nature of chemistry requires the student to gain an initial fundamental understanding of the “academic principles”, which underpin the various “real world applications” of Chemistry. Hence the First Year covers many of the fundamental concepts relevant to inorganic, organic and physical chemistry. Lectures are accompanied by tutorials, laboratory practicals and computer-aided learning tutorials. A previous study of Chemistry is not assumed or required but it is clearly advantageous to have some knowledge of the subject at Leaving Certificate level.

In the Second Year students build on the first-year core concepts and gain a wider appreciation of chemistry by selecting from other subject areas in the Faculty of Science.

The Third Year is divided into two parts: Principles and Applications. The “Principles”, represent core knowledge to chemists and include topics such as Synthesis, Reactivity, Mechanism and Instrumentation. The “Applications” section provides you with a wide choice of options including Chemical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry and Materials Chemistry. Two “electives” are also chosen from a separate Faculty of Science list.

The central objective of the Fourth Year is to prepare you for a career. The programme consists of specialist modules in key areas and research projects. Students often regard the research project as the culmination of their degree because they join a research group working on leading-edge science.

Chemistry graduates from UCC are in great demand at home and abroad. Unemployment is at present virtually unknown. The Pharmaceutical and Microelectronics industries in Ireland produce roughly half of the exports for the country. Both these sectors rely on Chemistry graduates for their future growth. In industry, Chemists are employed in process, research and development, quality control and assurance and environmental monitoring. A Chemistry degree, however, also provides the individual with the skills required in other areas, as diverse as the food industry and government laboratories.

Admission to the BSc Chemistry degree is through the CAO entry streams CK406 (Chemical Sciences) and CK402 (Biological and Chemical Sciences) General requirements for entry are passes at Leaving Certificate Level in Irish, English, another language, Mathematics and a laboratory science subject. A minimum of grade HC3 must be obtained in either mathematics or a laboratory science subject.