29 January 2020
Chemistry is all around us and within us. We need chemists with expertise in all aspects of our world so we can understand it better and to make our lives easier. Read on to find out more about what jobs you can do with a chemistry-related degree.
Picture a chemist – what do you see? You’re likely imagining a scientist wearing a white coat, standing in a lab mixing chemicals together – maybe there’s even a small explosion and a puff of smoke! In reality, chemists work across a range of fields in a variety of settings, including hospitals, universities and in large-scale industries such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture, food, and cosmetics.
The chemistry-based courses we offer at Sunderland include:
- BSc (Hons) Biochemistry
- BSc (Hons) Pharmaceutical Science
- MSc Pharmaceutical and Biopharmaceutical Formulations.
These degrees can all lead you to excellent career prospects, and for our undergraduate courses, we encourage you to undertake a 48-week placement between your second and final year. This is a great opportunity to put your learning into practice and understand the context for your new knowledge.
The pharmaceutical industry
Pharmaceutical companies are looking for ‘industry-ready’ graduates who can slot straight into employment from university with all of the necessary skills required to work in the field. Luckily, there's a strong ‘applied’ nature to our BSc (Hons) Pharmaceutical Science course, which means our students are taught processes involved in major company, large-scale drug development and use industry-standard kit right from the start of their degree.
By studying for this degree, you'll learn about drug discovery and development, the processes involved in producing large amounts of drugs, and the regulations and laws around pharmaceuticals. Upon graduation, you can expect to find roles in research and development, quality control/quality assurance, sales and marketing, and much more.
The big questions
How does the brain work? Why do we breathe oxygen? How do we fight off infections? Why do cells become cancerous? If you’re interested in the big questions, a career in biochemistry might be for you.
Biochemistry is the study of the molecular basis of life and is a major branch of ‘basic’ science, learning global scientific concepts. Our BSc (Hons) Biochemistry course can take you into a wide range of careers and industries including:
- Hospitals (such as body fluid analysis to diagnose disease)
- Agriculture (such as pesticides, herbicides, genetic engineering, animal/plant cross-mating patterns)
- Food institutes (such as food spoiling, preservatives, enhancers, fermentation, yeast, baking, brewing)
- Cosmetics (such as effects of a new product on skin biochemistry)
- Forensic crime research (such as analysis of DNA, blood, hair, saliva, genetics)
- Universities (such as biochemistry research)
- Drug discovery and development (such as pharmaceuticals).
Essentially, biochemistry has enormous application as it looks at the chemical reactions in living organisms (humans, animals, insects, plants, yeast, bacteria, and viruses) and therefore, the job opportunities are endless.
What else?
Other career options you could explore with a chemistry-based degree include roles in science communication and publishing, regulatory affairs and science policy, and technical sales and marketing. You may also wish to pursue an academic career, engage in further study, or pursue a teaching career by undertaking a PGCE in secondary education.
Visit our Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Sciences area to find out more, or book an Open Day.