Higher Education

What degree to choose?

A quick look at the UCAS website will give an idea of the hundreds of degrees available for young people to choose from.

The choice is baffling and, although similar degrees tend to have similar titles and the same reference number, it is not always that straightforward.

There are also a number of degrees that combine subjects. For some you study both subjects equally in a joint honours degree (e.g. chemistry and French), in others the second subject is only studied for about one third of the time (e.g. chemistry with French). There is no easy way to make sure that the course is what your child wants to do without trawling through the websites of the various universities and looking at what options are available for each course.

If your child thinks that he or she might want to work as a research and development scientist, the choice of degree should be made with reference to the amount of the science studied and opportunities offered for gaining additional skills, for example through an industrial placement year. Pure science degrees (Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, Pharmacology, Genetics, Cell Biology, Analytical chemistry etc) will permit the subject chosen to be studied in depth.  A Joint Honours degree may be appropriate, especially if the second subject is closely related (such as maths).

Many degrees are now 4 year courses and lead to a Masters qualification. These often allow a student to work in industry for a year or part of a year. These courses will enable the student to develop many of the skills required by industry, particularly practical skills, and will give him/her an advantage over others when applying for jobs in industry. Many companies only recruit new graduates who have completed 4 year MChem or MSci courses into their research and development areas.
A quick look at some of the many profiles of people working in the pharmaceutical sector, will indicate the range of qualifications people have and the various routes they have taken to get into their current role.