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Chemistry

MAKE AN ENQUIRY

Strengthen your curiosity

Chemistry touches almost every aspect of our existence. We value the real world skills that employers require, and ensure that our students receive hands-on experience as they learn.

Our degrees are taught by staff at the forefront of their fields of research, and this shines through in the quality of our graduates.

Chemistry is a very vibrant science. It deals with an atomic and molecular scale interpretation of the world around us. It is often called the 'central science' because it bridges and infiltrates all branches of science and natural philosophy. 

Belong to one of the best

Be at the forefront of technology:

  • Modern, purpose built facilities: Our $35 million Sciences Teaching Facility is equipped with the latest technologies to assist your learning including purpose-built laboratories and touch screen devices built into laboratory desks where data can be analysed as it is being collected.
  • Learn from the best: You'll be taught the most current knowledge direct from leading researchers who are keen to instil their passion for science into every student. 

 

A UOW science research student stands in a laboratory wearing a lab coat

  • Get hands-on: You’ll spend close to half your course hours out in the field or doing practical work in our modern labs.
  • Undergraduate research opportunities: Help make ground-breaking discoveries working alongside our scientists in areas such as medical biotechnology, climate change, anti-cancer drugs and biodiversity.

Develop the specialist skills that employers want:

  • Chemistry is the study of molecular nature of all matter and its interactions. By providing the ability to understand the relationship between the structure of molecules and their properties, chemistry plays an essential and central position in science and technology. 
  • Bionanotechnology is an emerging field that combines principles from biology, physics, chemistry and mathematics to understand and control biological processes at the molecular level. 
  • Medical Biotechnology is the application of exciting advances in molecular and cell biology to medicine, agriculture and the environment. Through modern technologies such as genetic engineering, biotechnology is shaping diverse aspects of medicine (cancer, vaccines, therapy and diagnosis of genetic diseases), food production (transgenic plants) and industry (bioremediation). 
  • Medicinal Chemistry covers all elements of the development of new medicines for human use, including the isolation of new medicinal agents from natural sources, the design and synthesis of new drugs and understanding the cause of diseases at the molecular level. 

Top 5

The latest QILT Employer Satisfaction Survey ranked UOW fifth among Australian public universities and 2nd in NSW, with overall satisfaction of graduates at 87.3 per cent.

Employer Satisfaction Survey Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) 2022

Become one of the world's most employable graduates

At UOW, you'll develop real-world practical skills and content, not just theory. The latest QILT Employer Satisfaction Survey ranked employers’ overall satisfaction with UOW graduates at 91.7%, placing UOW 1st among Australian public universities.

UOW is consistently rated in the top 200 universities in the world for the quality of our graduates (QS 2022).

  • Analytical experimental officer
  • Scientist
  • Biology technician
  • Chemical lab technician
  • Chemist
  • Contract analyst
  • Demonstrator
  • Environmental scientist
  • Lab analyst
  • Lab researcher
  • Lab technician
  • Pharmacy assistant
  • Process chemist
  • QC supervisor
  • Research scientist
  • Researcher
  • Teaching academic
  • Vibrathane and Adiprene chemist
  • Research and development
  • Quality control chemist

Read more: What can I do with my degree?

Meet Elise

I felt (Chemistry) would give me a good foundation to learn medical science. It was also a degree that gave me a lot of flexibility to pick electives like physiology and regional anatomy. Studying chemistry was a great foundation for medicine. Dr Elise Perger Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) - GP Registrar, Aboriginal Medical Service and GP Registrar Medical Educator, GP Synergy

Real-world experience

When you study science at UOW, we encourage you to follow your inquisitive nature and ask the important questions. Here you will be fully supported in your search for the answers that will advance our world and protect our natural environment.

I've always been passionate about geology and earth science, and learning about nature. In geology we actually have quite a lot of practical experiences. I think half the degree is practical work. One of the best practical experiences I think was going out to Flinders Ranges for two weeks and doing some mapping and hiking and identifying rocks and relationships. It was actually a fantastic experience –a once-in-a-lifetime experience I would say. The practical learning experiences are vital for geology, especially because you need to see the rocks in the field as they are. It really helps solidify that knowledge. It's an experience you can't get in a classroom.

Hands-on is everything in this industry. Getting your hands dirty, actually touching the rocks, understanding the processes, being able to take a concept in class, going out to the field without knowing anything about it. Taking those particular concepts to understand processes and then taking that information back to a lab to confirm that.

I get a lot of satisfaction out of understanding how things work on a really small scale and that's what biology allows you to do and so for me biology was a way of tying that curiosity about how the world works with understanding how the human body works, and also improving health outcomes at the same time. You really sink your teeth into what it's like to be a scientist, also how to investigate things independently, how to design and execute an experiment from start to finish and then also what to do with the knowledge you've gained from those experiments.

A student experience like no other

CLUBS & SOCIETIES

Becoming involved with a club or multiple clubs is one of the best ways to meet new people and have fun while studying

Students from the UOWx Team smilingBe extraordinary

UOWx recognises the valuable knowledge and skills our students gain when they participate in the wide range of co-curricular activities offered outside of their academic coursework.

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A brighter future starts here

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UOW has a range of admissions options available for students of all ages and academic backgrounds. We are here to support your choices and open doors, so you can graduate ready for your future career.

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Contact us

1300 367 869 futurestudents@uow.edu.au
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