After you’ve embarked on your studies for an undergraduate degree it’s not too soon to be thinking about the job opportunities that are open to you when you graduate. By studying for a physical sciences degree such as Chemistry you are more likely to be employable after you graduate. According to the Royal Society of Chemistry, about a third of chemistry graduates decide to pursue a career in the laboratory, but many use the skills and experience from their studies to help them in many different employment sectors.

It’s not surprising then that many of our graduates go onto successful careers in a wide variety of disciplines. In fact, in the 2012 Guardian University Guide, Sheffield Chemistry graduates had the highest graduate employment prospects from the 20 leading UK universities in the Russell Group of chemistry departments in the country. Just over 80% of our graduates go onto further study or graduate jobs mainly in the professional, scientific and technical, manufacturing, or information and communication sectors. More than three quarters of our graduates found that their studies at Sheffield have been essential in helping them in their day-to-day work.

At Sheffield we help all of our students through one on one advice from your personal tutor. Over the course of your study they will guide and advise you about many of the extra-curricular activities that you can participate in, such as working towards the Sheffield Graduate Award and a Skills for Work Certificate. Our careers service can provide professional advice on opportunities and practical advice on CV writing. In addition to this, in your final year the department provides advice and workshops on job hunting, CV writing and interview experience delivered by a consultant with more than 10 years working as recruitment manager in the pharmaceutical industry.

Key Facts

• Top for graduate employment in Russell Group (2012 Guardian University Guide).
• 91 % of our graduates go onto employment or further study within six months of graduating.
• The average starting salary of our graduates is £21,000 pa.

What our graduates say

Rob Grace [MChem Chemistry with a year in Australia (graduated 2007)]