Chemistry

Heriot-Watt Chemistry ranked No.1 for student satisfaction in Scotland by National Student Survey in 2009/10 and 2011/12. 

Chemistry holds the key to the solutions of many exciting and important challenges that face the world today. The chemical industry employs 230,000 highly-skilled people nationwide (80% of them chemistry graduates). With sales of chemical products of £34billion, the chemical industry is one of the UK's largest manufacturing industries. It is the UK's top manufacturing export earner, with an annual trade surplus of £5.5billion and spends nearly £3billion a year on new capital investment, plus £3.5billion on research and development expenditure. As well as the chemical industry itself, the broad range of skills involved in a chemistry degree means chemistry graduates are in high demand in other employment sectors, ranging from environmental protection to education, and commerce.

Undergraduate programmes

We offer a wide range of BSc and MChem degree courses in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Computational Chemistry and Nanotechnology

Several courses include overseas study at universities in Australia, North America, Spain, Germany or France. 

An industrial placement is an integral part of the MChem  in Chemistry with Forensic Science and in Chemistry with Industrial Experience.

All of our MChem courses are accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Our Research

Our staff have a broad spectrum of interests ranging from fundamental aspects of pure chemistry to interdisciplinary areas with physics, biochemistry and applied science, and are involved in research in a number of different research institutes in the school including:

Postgraduate programmes