BSc in Chemistry
Nijmegen, Netherlands
BSc
DURATION
3 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
01 Apr 2026*
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 2,695 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* Final deadline for EU students: 01.07.2026| Deadline for EU students who want to get assistance with housing: 01.05.2026
** Institutional tuition fee EU/EEA: €13,020.00 | For non-EU/EEA students: €17,809.00
Key Summary
Everything around you is chemistry. Even you yourself are chemistry. In this Bachelor’s programme, you will get theoretical knowledge and practical skills to understand the world at a molecular level.
Something for you?
- You will receive a solid, broad scientific grounding, based in theory, but also with lots of lab practicals.
- You participate in groundbreaking research at one of our research groups, for example on new medicines, ultra-sustainable materials or the origin of life.
- Our students rate the easy-going and friendly atmosphere on campus and the close contact with teachers as some of the top reasons to study here.
- On our campus you will have access to research facilities that are unique in the world!
Why study Chemistry in Nijmegen?
Perhaps the most important quality you need to study chemistry is curiosity. You are interested in how things work, how reactions take place, how you can convert molecules into each other. In our Bachelor's programme Chemistry in Nijmegen, you learn to study the world at the molecular level using both theory and practice. You will study processes in detail, down to the molecular or even atomic level - to understand molecules and materials, or to create new applications by changing them. That's what makes chemistry research versatile and exciting. In Nijmegen, you will be taught by top researchers who develop and apply new chemistry in many different fields, such as sustainable energy, nanotechnology and drug development. This allows you as a chemist to have a real impact on a better, cleaner or more efficient world. Our students rate the easy-going and friendly atmosphere on campus and the close contact with teachers as one of the top reasons to study here. After the first year, it is still possible to switch to the Molecular Life Sciences and Science programs.
Study duration: 3 years (180 EC)
The English-taught Bachelor's programme in Chemistry takes 3 years. Every academic year is divided into four periods of ten weeks each. Every period consists of lectures and lab classes, concluded by two weeks of exams. As a student of Chemistry you will experience different modes of instruction. In the first year you will do practicals and projects with your fellow students. Next to that, you will follow lectures and work in small groups in tutorials and computer practicals. Tutorials involve about 20 students. The rest of the time you will devote to independent study. Considerable time is spent on developing experimental lab skills and learning how to carry out research in duos or teams, which means you will have lots of contact with your fellow students.
Curriculum
Curriculum year 1
In the first year of the Chemistry programme, you will be given a broad base in everything to do with molecules. You will also take various mathematics and physics subjects to give you a better understanding of chemical properties. Lab courses are a large part of the first-year study programme. Some of these are done individually, and others in pairs or with a project group. These lab courses follow the themes of the lectures.
Curriculum year 2
Knowledge of molecules is extended in the second year. You are also introduced to the different branches within chemistry. You learn about organic and inorganic chemistry, broaden your knowledge on thermodynamics and are introduced to quantum mechanics. You also learn a lot about fundamental spectroscopy and take various practicals. As in the first year, the second year is mainly made up of compulsory courses.
Curriculum year 3
The third year of the Bachelor's programme in Chemistry is made up almost entirely of electives. This gives you an opportunity to prepare effectively for your Master’s and to choose the direction in which you ultimately wish to take your Chemistry programme. You may choose to learn as much a possible within your field in Chemistry or you could opt for a minor programme (15 to 30 EC) with courses outside of Chemistry. Or you can choose to do an exchange semester abroad.
After your studies
As a Chemistry graduate you can get straight down to work after finishing your studies as there is virtually no unemployment among chemists. Companies are constantly seeking young talent and the education sector is in desperate need of teachers. After graduating as a chemist, you can continue doing research at a company or a university. You could also go in another direction, such as obtaining your first-level teaching qualification or work as consultant or manager.
Possible occupations
- Researcher (fundamental or applied) at universities
- Researcher at research institutes and R&D departments at companies
- Teacher in secondary school or higher education
- Manager in technological environment
- Consultant (including in ICT)
Continue with a Master's
With a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, you can advance to several Master's specialisations in Molecular Sciences. Or you can get your teaching qualification in chemistry by doing a Master's in Education (Dutch only).
Molecular Sciences
Society/management specialisations
You can choose to combine one of the research specialisations above with a societal/management specialisation. The first year of your Master's will consist of your research curriculum, and in your second year you can shift to one of the 1-year specialisations below.
Interdisciplinary Master's programmes
Additional admission requirements may apply for these Master's programmes. Please check the admission requirements on the website of these programmes or contact your student adviser to discuss the possibilities.
Educational Master's
The Master's in science education combines chemistry subjects, didactics and internships, which trains you to become a qualified teacher in secondary or higher education.
- Educatie in de Bètawetenschappen (in Dutch)