Accessibility statement

Gain a solid foundation in the key branches of chemistry and understand its role in everyday life. You’ll study organic synthesis, spectroscopic analysis, the Periodic Table, reactivity, bonding, molecular shape, thermodynamics, and kinetics. Practical learning is central: you’ll carry out online and remote experiments, and attend a compulsory 2.5-day laboratory school at our Milton Keynes campus to develop your investigative skills. This certificate is particularly valuable if you wish to teach chemistry up to Key Stage 4, or if you’re considering teacher training with a chemistry specialism.

You can achieve this certificate in as little as one year and have a maximum of four years to complete it. Our module-by-module approach gives you the flexibility to complete your qualification at a pace that works best for you.

Part-time, you'll study at roughly half the rate of a student on a full-time course at a campus-based university. At a pace equivalent to full-time, you'll study at a rate similar to a student at a campus-based university.

You can complete this certificate in one year by studying at a pace between part-time and full-time.

You can complete this certificate in two years by studying part-time in your first year and at a slower pace in your second.

This certificate will provide you with a solid foundation in chemistry and an appreciation of the broad scope of the subject which touches all aspects of our lives. The experimental nature of chemistry is emphasised throughout the qualification.

This certificate is particularly useful if you are required to teach secondary school chemistry, but your background is in another science discipline, or if you're thinking about training to be a chemistry teacher.

In the meantime, if you want to do some research around this qualification and where it might take you, we’ve put together a list of relevant job titles as a starting point (note that some careers may require further study, training and/or work experience beyond this qualification):

Check you meet the Entry requirements, then see How to apply.

Ask a question

Our prospectus will help you explore your course options, get a feel for life as an OU student, and register for study.

Request a prospectus

Check you meet the Entry requirements, then see How to apply.

content