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Chemistry is creative

Chemistry at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington gives you the creative skills and grounding in theory to make new technologies for a better future. Solve today’s big problems, like climate change or the emergence of new viruses, or find new ways to sustainably and ethically source and use our world’s resources.

Make a real change by inventing chemical tools to recover precious metals from waste products like slag or e-waste—the emerging circular economy. Take inspiration from nature to make new medicines or vaccines, or to create new materials like bioplastics. Or use your deep knowledge of science to find practical ways to slow climate change.

$8.8 billion

The circular economy's estimated contribution to Auckland's GDP alone by 2030

Where is the future of chemistry going?

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Fill in the form to find out more about studying Chemistry at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.

Learning and doing

You’ll be making and measuring compounds and materials as well as building a deep understanding of the principles and processes underlying chemistry.

Organic chemistry

In organic chemistry you’ll examine carbon-based materials, their structures and properties, and how they react. You’ll learn how these compounds are created in nature, how to identify and isolate the active components, and then how to make these. This understanding of the natural world has medical, agrochemical, and environmental applications. It can allow us to create new materials like bioplastics, or enhance our experience of existing ones, like wine.

Inorganic chemistry

You’ll explore the chemistry of non-carbon-based compounds like metals and crystals. You’ll learn about catalysis—the process of controlling and speeding up chemical reactions to produce different materials—and learn how the design and discovery of new catalysts allows us to conserve resources. Inorganic materials are also used in clean energy production and to help reverse environmental damage.

Physical chemistry

With physical chemistry, you’ll look at the ways that different chemical systems behave and learn what is happening at an atomic level and why. You’ll get your hands on the tools we use to measure the structures and reactions of compounds and materials, and learn to calculate their properties using principles of quantum mechanics. You’ll explore thermodynamics and surface chemistry, and get to grips with spectroscopy—how different chemicals interact with light. You might even get the chance to build new equipment to measure and understand as yet unisolated compounds.

Analytical chemistry

You’ll use analytical chemistry to precisely measure the contents and makeup of real-world materials, using modern instruments and tools to investigate and analyse these mixtures. This branch of chemistry underpins and overlaps with the analytical aspects of medical and earth sciences.

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I’m making new things and discovering stuff that hasn’t been discovered, and that for me is really exciting. I especially like inorganic chemistry—that involves all the cool lab stuff like working in the glove boxes with air-sensitive materials.

Finlay Burke

Bachelor of Science in Chemistry

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Collaboration across the sciences

Contemporary science is about teamwork—today’s biggest and most exciting discoveries are made by groups of researchers, often working across different sciences. You’ll get a taster of this approach, with practical, analytical, and theoretical group work projects.

Match your Chemistry degree with another science. Chemistry combines with Biology in the creation of new medicines, Physics in new approaches to renewable energy, and Earth Sciences in new approaches to solving the problem of climate change.

Study and work at the home of science and technology

Wellington is the heart of New Zealand’s science and technology industry—and in your third year, you could even get the opportunity to do your own research in a brand new area with one of these exciting local organisations.

Local tech start-ups are finding new ways to establish low-waste green chemical industries, or creating new technologies with revolutionary applications—like antibacterial and antiviral coatings for hospitals and laboratories.

Researchers at the University are inventing new technologies like light and flexible solar energy systems, batteries made of more ethical and sustainable materials that last longer, and components of new vaccines.

11.4%

Growth of NZ's tech industry in 2020

After you graduate

With a Chemistry qualification from Victoria University of Wellington you could work in many different areas—like manufacturing, biomedical technologies, cleantech, ag-tech, environmental management, or forensics. Become a researcher, or use your knowledge of chemistry in business, law, or policy.

Side view of man in white lab coat working with lab equipment

CHEM 225 Analytical Chemistry student Robert Davenport analyses a calcium sample.

CHEM 225 Analytical Chemistry student Leo Liu analyses a wine sample.

Student Rose McLellan conducts a Peptide Synthesis experiment in CHEM 305 Chemistry Synthesis Laboratory.

No. 1 in Chemistry

Victoria University of Wellington is ranked number one for overall research quality in Chemistry out of all New Zealand universities by the Performance-Based Research Fund.

Wellington is at the heart of New Zealand's scientific and political life. It's home to Crown Research Institutes and major scientific organisations like NIWA, the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) and the Malaghan Institute. And you can walk anywhere—whether you're going into town to see the latest play, or heading to the stadium to watch the football or the rugby.

Support for students

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington is a welcoming place with great student support. There are all sorts of resources available to help you get the best out of your time at university.

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Related subject areas

  • Biological Sciences

  • Biomedical Sciences

  • Earth Sciences

  • Physics