England

Please tell us where you live so that we can provide you with the most relevant information as you use this website.
If you are at a BFPO address please choose the country or region in which you would ordinarily be resident.
Accessibility statement
In this module, you’ll undertake individual investigations within a range of topics such as combinatorial chemistry, fuel cells, nanotechnology, biopolymers, porous materials or transactinides, metals in medicine, drug design and synthesis, and chemical education. These topics can be a literature review or a practical project. You’ll need access to scientific literature, probably from electronic library sources. The study materials guide planning and conducting project work, searching and using the literature, and writing a report.
Early in the module, the study materials, tutorials and discussions with your tutor will guide you to identify a suitable topic to investigate in depth. Your chosen topic will allow you to exploit the knowledge, understanding and skills you have developed in the molecular sciences OU level 3 modules. Your project must consider contextualisation, development, application, detailed analysis and ‘where next’ for your chosen topic. You might have to spend up to two-thirds of your time identifying suitable material to inform your choice of project topic in the early part of the module.
Once you’ve settled on a project idea, you’ll audit the knowledge and skills required to complete your project and identify ways to develop improvement areas. You’ll also produce a project plan (your study planner for the duration of the module) and complete assessments for your investigation.
After you complete the initial planning, you’ll start the literature collection or practical experiments. You’ll follow this with the final phase of writing your report, submitted as part of your end-of-module assessment. The study materials guide planning and conducting project work, help with searching and using literature, and guide data analysis and report writing. Tutorials provide further guidance and support.
Throughout the module, you’ll keep a reflective log to help you track and reflect on your progress. You’ll record any problems you encounter and develop actions, with help from your tutor, to help you move forward.
There are no formal entry requirements for this module.
At The Open University, we believe education should be open to all, so we provide high-quality university education to anyone who wishes to realise their ambitions and fulfil their potential.
Even though there are no entry requirements, you’ll need appropriate knowledge of chemistry obtained through:
Are you ready for SXC390
We recommend that you’ve completed:
We also recommend familiarising yourself with the Library search tool and referencing guide.
You’ll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They’ll help by:
Online tutorials run throughout the module. While they’re not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate. Where possible, we’ll make recordings available.
Course work includes:
You’ll have access to a module website, which includes:
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone, and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying SXC390 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our Disability support website.
Science project module: chemistry (SXC390) starts once a year – in January/February.
It will next start in January 2027.
We expect it to start for the last time in February 2030.
This module ends in September, so you’ll receive your final results in late October rather than June/July. You should consider this if you’re planning further study and wish to use your degree as an entry qualification.
Back to previous page