Course summary

Environmental Chemistry involves the study of the effects that chemicals have on the air, water and soil and how they impact the environment and human health. Environmental Chemists are therefore often the more public-facing chemists, as the research they conduct helps inform decisions that affect all of us. The brand-new Science Teaching Hub provides the latest high-tech teaching labs and equipment to support your learning and to help you develop industry-standard skills and techniques to launch your chemistry career. Environmental Chemistry is concerned with the behaviour of chemicals (natural or man-made) in air, water, soils and sediments. It is an interdisciplinary field at the cross roads of important scientific subjects centred around advanced analytical chemistry. It requires knowledge of fundamental principles of many subject areas, including organic chemistry, soil science, biochemistry, toxicology and ecology. You may think that Environmental Chemistry is mostly about pollution, but really it is a subject for people who want to understand how the world works. That is, in order to understand macroscopic processes in the environment (eg why are polar bears contaminated with mercury), we have to focus on the molecular level. You will learn about the chemistry of organic and inorganic compounds, whether they are produced on purpose or generated as by-products of industrial processes, and about their reactivity and their interactions with living systems. The skills and training of the Environmental Chemistry programme mean that that graduates have excellent job prospects. For example, a BSc graduate would be well qualified to work for SEPA (Scottish Environmental Protection Agency), for a water or energy company to be responsible for environmental monitoring of the quality of water and industrial processes; or alternatively, as a chemist in a forensic laboratory, where well developed interdisciplinary skills and a high level of analytical understanding are required. Environmental Chemistry students study the full Chemistry course at all levels, with particular emphasis on analytical chemistry, and in addition take courses on ecology, molecular and cell biology, microbiology, and soil science. There is also the option of complementing this degree with a wider range of skills through the MChem Environmental Chemistry programme. **Ranked 7th in the UK for Chemistry, Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022. Ranked 1st in Scotland for Overall Student Satisfaction, National Student Survey 2021.**