MChem (Hons) Chemistry Integrated Master's degree at Loughborough University
MChem (Hons) Chemistry at Loughborough University is accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry for fully meeting the academic criteria for Chartered Chemist (CChem).
About this course
Chemistry MChem (Hons) focuses on the principles and application of modern chemistry. Discover if this is the course for you right here and find out what you will learn. From the provider’s course page.
MChem (Hons) Chemistry is an Integrated Master's degree (MChem (Hons)) at Loughborough University. It runs 5 years, studied full-time.
For Chemistry graduates from this provider, 90% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 95% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £30,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Physics & Chemistry, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Limited evidence Published sample: 20; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 90% (2021-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 95% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year 1 6 modules
- Laboratory and Computer Skills 1Compulsory
Module details
Enable students to develop essential laboratory skills that are required in inorganic, organic, analytical and physical chemistry. Introduce students to fundamental software packages required for chemical report writing and data manipulation.
- Fundamentals of Physical ChemistryCompulsory
Module details
Introduce fundamental mathematical concepts underlying physical and computational chemistry. Illustrate the basic concepts and applications of thermodynamics and kinetics.
- Fundamental Synthetic ChemistryCompulsory
Module details
Introduce students to the fundamental principles underpinning core synthetic chemistry (organic and inorganic chemistry).
- Spectroscopy and Analysis 1Compulsory
Module details
Introduce the principles and experimental methods of spectroscopy and analytical chemistry as a measurement science.
- Energetics and Equilibria 1Compulsory
Module details
Introduce concepts in thermodynamics, redox and phase equilibria, and to introduce their applications to the understanding of chemical and physical change, and in chemical analysis.
- Structure and Reactivity 1Compulsory
Module details
Introduce the fundamental concepts of structure and how this influences reactivity in organic and inorganic chemistry.
Year 2 6 modules
- Laboratory and Skills 2 (Chemistry)Compulsory
Module details
Further develop essential laboratory skills from part A that are required in inorganic, organic, analytical, physical, computational, and polymer chemistry.
- Structural Characterisation, Spectroscopy and AnalysisCompulsory
Module details
Familiarise students with the theory and applications of analytical separation and structural elucidation techniques, and to develop their analytical data manipulation skills.
- Thermodynamics, Kinetics and QuantaCompulsory
Module details
Familiarise students with a variety of modern Physical Chemistry topics and to teach the skills for solving the associated mathematical problems effectively.
- Structure and Reactivity 2Compulsory
Module details
Introduce the major types of chemical reactions in organic and inorganic chemistry, and the relationships between chemical structure, reactivity and behaviour of organic and inorganic compounds.
- Further Topics in ChemistryCompulsory
Module details
Enable students to understand how concepts of python programming, heterogeneous catalysis, elemental analysis and conducting polymers are applied in chemistry.
- Computing SkillsCompulsory
Module details
Introduce students to the fundamentals of how computers work and how to use the Python programming language to process and analyse data.
Year 3 7 modules
- Investigative ProjectsCompulsory
Module details
Develop research skills through critical assessment of scientific literature and introduction to methods and procedures for undertaking investigative research work.
- Modern Aspects of Organic ChemistryCompulsory
Module details
Review modern methods of organic synthesis and introduce advanced NMR techniques.
- Science CommunicationCompulsory
Module details
Develop a chemistry related activity. Develop confidence and competence in communicating their subject to audiences with different levels of ability and experience. Provide opportunities to devise and develop science projects appropriate to the target audience. Develop the ability to present science through oral and poster presentations.
- Current Trends in Inorganic ChemistryCompulsory
Module details
Make the student aware of some major issues and techniques currently at the frontiers of inorganic chemistry.
- Energy, Molecules and ApplicationsCompulsory
Module details
Introduce the student to advanced concepts in physical chemistry, and their application in electrochemistry, photochemistry, computational methods and the properties of materials.
- Pharmaceutical and Biomedical AnalysisOptional
Module details
For the student to understand the analytical methods used in pharmaceutical and biochemical laboratories and the role of regulators in drug development.
- Drug discovery: from bench to bedsideOptional
Module details
For the student to understand the principles behind how drugs are rationally designed and screened, and how drug compounds are absorbed, distributed, metabolised and excreted (ADME) within the body. This includes analogue synthesis and use of natural compounds as drug candidates.
Final year 8 modules
- Research ProjectCompulsory
Module details
Develop the skills required for original scientific research through conducting an extended literature search and practical work.
- Digital and Sustainable ChemistryOptional
Module details
Review modern techniques and technologies in digital and sustainable chemistry.
- Contemporary Organic SynthesisOptional
Module details
Introduce the chemistry of biologically active compounds. Examine synthetic approaches to important biologically active molecules and well-known drugs.
- Mass Spectrometry and Associated TechniquesOptional
Module details
For the student to develop an understanding of the principles of mass spectrometry, its applications, and its hyphenation with compatible analytical techniques.
- Biomedical Analytical TechnologiesOptional
Module details
Gain an understanding of the methods, components, and applications of select analytical technologies for in vitro biochemical and in vivo physiological measurement. Compare and contrast the various sensing design elements. Critically appraise biosensors for laboratory and clinical environments, including characteristics such as sensitivity, selectivity and biocompatibility.
- Contemporary Inorganic ChemistryOptional
Module details
Provide advanced training in contemporary inorganic chemistry.
- Molecular Simulation and BioinformaticsOptional
Module details
Teach the students the foundation of the computational techniques used in the modern chemical and biological sciences and to apply these techniques to a variety of problems in current chemistry, biochemistry or related fields.
- Drugs: Mode of Action, Properties and SynthesisOptional
Module details
Enable students to understand medicinal chemistry, how drugs act at a molecular level and they are designed and synthesised, and how these activities may be assessed in a drug development programme.
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
This course focuses on the principles and application of modern chemistry, developing your understanding from foundational concepts through to specialist research. You'll typically begin with core chemistry covering atomic structure, bonding and energy, alongside mathematics for scientists and laboratory skills. In year 2, a course like this normally moves to organic and physical chemistry, advanced experimental work and computational methods. By year 3, you progress to specialist options such as astrophysics, materials science, medicinal chemistry, quantum science or computational methods, alongside research-level teaching from active chemists. Throughout, you'll undertake a supervised research project that forms a substantial part of your final year, giving you practical experience in a research group.
Who it's for
Entry typically requires A-levels or equivalent qualifications; 95% of accepted students held these on entry. The most common UCAS tariff band among accepted students was 144–159 points. The university has around 19,449 students overall.
Careers & job market
Across Physics and Chemistry courses nationally, 85% of graduates are in work or further study 15 months after completing their degree. Of those working, 75% are in highly skilled roles or undertaking further study. National graduate earnings data shows starting salaries (at 15 months) typically range from £26,500 to £34,000. After 3 years, earnings range from £24,650 to £34,800; after 5 years, from £30,600 to £43,200. These figures reflect national outcomes rather than university-specific guarantees.
University & format
This is a 5-year full-time Integrated Master's degree (MChem (Hons)) taught in English at Loughborough University, a public university founded in 1909. The course is accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry for fully meeting the academic criteria for Chartered Chemist (CChem). Loughborough holds Gold for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023 and is a recognised UK degree-awarding body, meaning your degree is nationally recognised.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Provider-published requirement; check the linked course page before applying.
Access Loughborough Contextual Offer. Eligibility and any reduced offer are applicant-specific.
Names detected beside accreditation or recognition copy on the provider course page; verify the route and intake.
Placement year. Availability, selection and pay can vary.
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 95% |
| a Baccalaureate | 5% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Accepted students typically held strong UCAS tariffs. Check how your predicted grades compare and whether a contextual offer applies.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course. One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Standard capped home fee at English providers (2026/27); Scotland, Wales & NI differ.
Check fees at Loughborough University →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Physics & Chemistry graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £30,000 | £27,000 – £31,000 | 20 |
| 3 years after | £27,000 | £23,000 – £34,500 | 120 |
| 5 years after | £35,500 | £29,000 – £45,500 | 125 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Limited evidence. Published sample: 20; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in physics & chemistry · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Physics & Chemistry nationally
National figures for Physics & Chemistry graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2021-23. Limited evidence. Published sample: 20; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Physics & Chemistry courses at the same study level.
Compared with 886 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Natural and social science professionalsSOC 2020 211 · 45% of published destinations · ASHE median £44,243
- Information Technology ProfessionalsSOC 2020 213 · 20% of published destinations · ASHE median £55,357
- Science, engineering and technology associate professionalsSOC 2020 31 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £34,828
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 35; response rate: 75%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Physics & Chemistry graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Physics & Chemistry graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Research institutes
- Energy & manufacturing
- Universities
- Government labs
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Physics & Chemistry graduates.
Physics Content Developer for AI-Enhanced LearningUp LearnPhysics PhD, Quantum Data Scientist for AIObsidianPhysics Academic MentorRibbons and Reeves LimitedPhysics TechnicianSapientia Education TrustPhysics Academic Mentor17918Physics Teachers in Calderdale and KirkleesCV-LibraryIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
90% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £30,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 9.2 out of 10: NSS 92.4% · in work or study 90% · continued 95%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
Loughborough University
Physical sciences across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around Loughborough University
1,024 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Physics & Chemistry right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to Loughborough University from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is set per course by Loughborough University; international fees are typically £12,000–£30,000/year for classroom subjects and higher for lab/clinical ones. You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check Loughborough University’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with Loughborough University and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at Loughborough University
Common questions
How competitive is entry?
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates go on to do?
What will it cost me?
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