Employability

Throughout your degree, we will help you develop key skills and experience which will prove invaluable when it comes to beginning your career.

Postgraduate study at Durham presents an opportunity to develop a range of higher-level research skills that can be transferred to the wider graduate job market.

The specific learning and skills opportunities presented by Chemistry are relevant to a diverse range of careers and employment sectors. Many postgraduate students apply their academic study directly within a number of relevant sectors including pharmaceuticals, process industry, health, environment, petrochemicals and food. Examples of high-profile recent employers include P&G in the private sector and the National Centre for Scientific Research (France) in the public sector. Continued academic research is another option for postgraduate students in the form of postdoctoral research projects spanning organic, physical, inorganic, bioactive and computational chemistry, through to catalysis, nanoscience and materials. Some postgraduate students progress into unrelated areas including banking, law, PR, third sector, consultancy, insurance, civil service, education and real estate.

A PhD in Chemistry will provide you with all the research skills necessary to work within the field, either continuing in research and development or pursuing a career in industry or academia. In addition, many of the key skills you will obtain during the course of a PhD will provide you with an excellent foundation for careers in a wide array of disciplines, including teaching, business and finance, law, consultancy, scientific journalism and many more.