Along with biological sciences and physics, chemistry is one of the three main arms of science. It can be defined as the study of matter – what it’s composed of and its structure, its properties, and how it reacts and changes when exposed to different situations. As it studies matter at its most basic level, there is much overlap between chemistry and other science subjects. Chemical processes and the composition of elements play a large part in the study of living organisms and matter’s relationship to forces. The origins of the discipline lie in the ancient art of alchemy, the goal of which was to turn worthless material into gold. Though this obviously didn’t work, it was based on the founding principle of chemistry: that matter is composed of building blocks which give it is essential properties, and if these building blocks are altered in some way – a change of temperature or the addition of another substance – then changes often occur. Of course, our understanding of the topic is much better these days and goes down to a molecular level. But don’t think this means we know everything! In fact, our greater knowledge has simply stretched the boundaries of what’s possible…

As with other ‘hard’ sciences, if your goal is to pursue a career in chemistry, you will probably need to go down the graduate study route – mad scientists excepted! The complexity of the subject means that often an undergraduate course will be insufficient. Research positions can be undertaken in a range of different environments: universities, public and private research institutions, and at profit-orientate private companies. The latter can range from defence companies to ice cream makers: there’s no shortage of practical money-making applications for chemistry. There are plenty of opportunities for aspiring research chemists, but be warned: it can get pretty challenging at higher levels. Accordingly, you will be competing with some very clever people. Research is not the only path open to chemists. Specialist teaching and journalism are always options, as are other careers for which specialist knowledge will be an asset: forensics for example, or health and safety related professions. You can also enter graduate programs in law or medicine. And then there’s a whole range of general graduate jobs – sales, finance, and the media for example – out there. And there’s more good news: research by PricewaterhouseCoopers has shown that chemistry graduates are amongst the highest earners across the board, whatever field they work in.