Question: how long does it take to get the basic qualifications in chemistry because i would like to take courses when im older??? :-)

Joseph Cook answered on 14 Jun 2010:

It depends what you want to do. The starting point is studying Chemistry A-Level, and it’s a good idea to study maths as well as this helps, but it’s by no means essential. It’s good to do other science subjects as well, but again not essential.

You would then need to do a degree in Chemistry, but there are many options available. There are courses available just in Chemistry, but there’s also Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Chemical Physics, Medicinal Chemistry and more. Degree courses are usually last 3 or 4 years.

Once you have a degree, you can get a good job in a scientific role in a range of companies and other places. You can also study further by doing a Masters degree, which usually lasts 1 year, and a PhD, which usually lasts 3-4 years. Advanced research roles usually require a PhD.

It’s early days for you though, so I would be thinking about what kind of degree you might be interested in so that you can look at what courses are available. You’ll probably find that as you study science in more detail, there are areas that you find interesting that you don’t even know exist yet!