Master of Science in Chemistry

  Admission requirements | Study programme | Assets | Career prospects| Registration fee | More information | Application

Fact sheet

The Master's

The overall aim of this programme is to train students to conduct research in an academic or industrial setting. Hence, it does not provide preparation for a teaching career. On completion of the programme, students should be able to explore specific and advanced chemistry topics, to formulate research questions, to report on their findings and to collaborate with fellow students. In writing the Master’s thesis, students are able to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired: they identify a research question, situate it in its proper chemical and social context and design a study that addresses this research question. Graduates pursuing a career in the chemical industry should be able to apply their knowledge in a global, economically and technologically driven environment, while graduates embarking on a research career, should have acquired sufficient knowledge of a specialised subfield of chemistry, including modern chemical instrumentation, and be up to date with recent findings, in order to function effectively in a challenging research environment, either within or outside the university.

Admission requirements

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Study programme

The full programme comprises 120 credits (European Credit Transfer System, ECTS), including 24 credits for compulsory courses and 72 credits for electives. In addition, students develop advanced practical skills in an internal internship to the value of 18 credits, while the remaining 30 credits are allocated to the Master’s thesis.

To a detailed overview of the programme

Assets

The Department of Chemistry consists of four divisions conducting high-quality research, embedded in well-established collaborations with other universities, research institutes and companies across the world. Its academic staff is committed to excellence in teaching and research. Although the department's primary goal is to obtain insight into the composition, structure and properties of chemical compounds and the design, synthesis and develop ment of new (bio)molecular materials, the knowledge thus gained often leads to applications with significant economic or societal benefits.

The department aims to develop and maintain leading, internationally renowned research programmes on fundamental and applied problems in the fields of:

• The design, synthesis and characterization of new compounds (organic-inorganic, polymers)
• The simulation of the properties and reactivity of (bio)molecules and clusters by quantum chemical and molecular modelling methods
• The determination of the chemical and physical properties of (bio)molecules by spectroscopy, microscopy, and other characterization tools as related to their structure

Career prospects

As the Master of Chemistry offers a wide range of specialisations, many career options are available. More than half of our alumni work in industry, while others work in education, training, or government. Within industry, graduates can opt for a technical, a commercial, or research-oriented career. Since the chemical industry is also a major industrial sector throughout Europe and the rest of the world, employment opportunities are enhanced by obtaining a PhD. A few examples of professional domains where chemists are needed include education (secondary school as well as university), industry (chemistry, petrochemistry, medical sector, pharmaceutical industry, agrochemistry, food industry, etc.), government or public administration, and research institutes.

Registration fee

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Motivated and talented international students, interested in participating in an international master programme of the Faculty of Science of the KU Leuven are invited to apply for a scholarship.

More information

If you have other questions, contact:

Faculty of Science
Administrative Office
tel. + 32 16 32 14 01

Application