Analytical Chemistry - Master's Programme in Chemistry

Academic year 2023/2024

120 credits
Autumn 2023, Uppsala, 100%, Campus
Programme syllabus and outline

Overview
Programme
Career
Admissions
Contact and further resources

The Master's Programme in Chemistry, specialising in Analytical Chemistry, is closely linked to world-leading research and will provide you with cutting-edge expertise in the field of analytical chemistry. You will gain theoretical knowledge and practical skills in various analytical, separation and detection techniques, including statistical methods for data analysis, that will prepare you for high-level interdisciplinary work in both industry and academia.

Why this programme?

The Master's Programme in Chemistry, specialising in Analytical Chemistry, has strong links to world-leading research in the field of mass spectrometric analysis of chemically complex samples, such as samples with biological or environmental origin. The programme will go in-depth into qualitative and quantitative aspects of analytical chemistry, including common and state-of-the-art methodologies.

The teachers are leading experts in analytical chemistry, focusing on proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, neurochemical analysis, environmental analysis, single cell analysis, and imaging mass spectrometry, with a drive to push the frontier in mass spectrometry, often with an interdisciplinary focus. You will have the opportunity to work on your degree project in a dynamic and world-class research environment, either at the university, at a national research agency, or in industry. You will gain fundamental knowledge in advanced analytical chemistry and acquire cutting-edge expertise through in-depth studies covering important and modern analytical techniques.

During the programme you can expect to:

Gain crucial theoretical and practical skills for your future career
Opportunity to gain practical experience in cutting-edge research
Study at a university with two Nobel prizes in chemistry

A degree from Uppsala University will give you a close connection to excellent and world-leading research and the opportunity to develop a personal contact network. You will meet PhD students and post-docs who are performing research at Uppsala University to build an excellent research environment. Our research groups have well-developed collaborations with (inter)national universities, institutions and research agencies, which provides plenty of opportunities to choose a project for your master thesis, and to make contacts for your future career. In the Uppsala region, there are also several research agencies as well as large and small companies the need analytical chemists to work on their projects, which provide local career opportunities.

Student profile

You have completed your Bachelor's degree with a broad overview and knowledge in chemistry or have had a relevant job to strengthen your experimental skills.

You have an interest to specialise in analytical chemistry and learning specific skills both in writing and speaking. We provide the perfect education for you to become a future specialist in analytical chemistry to be prepared for your future scientific career in academia or industry. You are extremely motivated and willing to take the responsibility needed to successfully complete your studies.

A PhD education is a distinct possibility in your future so you would value coming into contact with current research and prominent researchers in the respective international field.

Degree

The programme leads to a Master of Science (120 credits) with Chemistry as the main field of study.

All specialisations of this programme

Read the interview

Name: Nwachukwu Temitope Odunayo
From: Nigeria
Studied: Master’s Programme in Chemistry, study years 2018-2020

How did you choose your programme?
I have always been passionate about separation and analysis of samples to find out their constituents, and I found this opportunity in analytical chemistry. Everything around us is chemistry and it is a major part of our everyday life.

What is it like to be an international student?
As an international student, one is coming into a new environment entirely. There is a need to change and adapt to many things quickly ranging from food, weather, clothing that fit each season, making new friends, teaching styles, examination and lots more. Nevertheless, the experience brings one together with other international students from various background and ways of life. It gives opportunity for exchange of ideas and opinions as well as to learn people’s culture.

What is the best thing about studying at Uppsala University?
Uppsala University is a well-known research university. Laboratories are key integral of my programme and I enjoyed it. My classes were timely and well-taught by my teachers.

How did you experience your first few days in Sweden?
The first few days were calm, lonely and conservative because everyone was reserved. It was initially difficult especially during the dark times of winter. But making friends helped to overcome this.

What was a normal day like for you?
Attending classes daily and having labs. Finding time to write experiment and laboratory reports weekly. I also went for Swedish language class (‘SFI’) in the evening. Sometimes, I worked in different student nations at late evenings.

What’s unique about your programme?
My programme was concluded on time as planned, despite the corona virus pandemic. The supervisors were all available to assist in every way for smooth running. My teachers are experts in their various fields and they were very approachable and always in class for their lectures.

How would you describe the relationship between you and your teachers at the University?
It was cordial and friendly. We called the teachers by their first names, and this fostered good relations. Although, I found it disrespectful initially to call them by names but with time, I got used to it. They were available for further explanation about any difficult areas.

What is your reason for studying and your ultimate goal?
I desire to acquire knowledge in the area of chemistry to be able to impact on the upcoming generation. My goal is to become an academic professor.

How was your student life and what was your best experience?
Student life for me is not a bed of roses. It’s s a period where new things are taught, and you are expected to learn new things on your own as well. There is a strong competition among your times for classes, homework, laboratory and report writing, seminars and examinations. Sometimes, group project can drag longer than expected because group members are not tolerant or cooperative. Above all, student life prepares one for life afterwards.

One of my best experiences was when I was selected as Uppsala University student ambassador at the Faculty of Science and Technology. I travelled faraway to speak and create awareness about the University and to help students to apply. It was a great experience for me. Furthermore, the togetherness shared with friends was a good experience. We had each other’s back and shared things in common. We hope to meet sometimes again in the future – we meet to part, and we part to meet.

Autumn 2020

Programme

In the first semester, you will study chemistry courses which provide you with the theoretical and experimental skills needed for the subsequent semesters. Some of these courses are common to other specialisations in the Master's Programme in Chemistry. In the very first course, you will meet many of the professors in the different fields of chemistry, who will give seminars about the current trends in their respective research fields.

During the second and third semesters, you will take advanced courses in analytical chemistry, including, e.g. forensic chemistry, and also learn to use the most recent techniques and equipment in separation and mass spectrometry. You will do a project involving the whole chain from planning how and where to obtain samples and sample preparation, all the way to choosing a method of analysis and statistical validation.

The programme ends with a degree project of 30 credits or 45 credits. The importance and versatility of the field are also seen in where you can do your Master's thesis project, which could be in the research group where you had your mentor or in another group doing research in related fields, or at a research agency or in a company.

Some examples of recent Master's thesis titles:

T. Giannakoudi: Determination of organic phosphorus in soil samples by capillary zone electrophoresis coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry
M. Hao: Development of a methodology based solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (SPME/GC-MS) for the determination of semi-volatile organic extractables from pharmaceutical packaging systems
N. Temitope: Argentation chromatography for the separation of complex aquatic mixtures and characterization of dissolved organic matters
Zhen Yang: Mass spectrometric analysis of amine metabolites in human samples using chemoselective probes

Courses within the programme

See the outline for courses within the specialisation .

Learning experience

Theory and practical work are always interwoven into the courses, and instruction takes place in the form of lectures, laboratory work, problem-solving, seminars, and projects.

The lecturers are active researchers who will coach you to adopt a scientific approach in your work, where you will develop the necessary skills to solve problems, think critically and analytically, plan and formulate research problems, and independently carry out the necessary experiments and analyse as well as interpret the results.

In seminars, you present your ideas and discuss with your classmates a course book or work you have conducted; while the teacher usually only moderates the discussion. The aim is to develop critical thinking and collaborative skills which will be required in your future professional development. All students are expected to be active participants in all forms of discussions.

You will also receive systematic training in both oral and written presentations as an integrated part of the courses. The ability to communicate well will be very important in your future career.

The language of instruction is English.

Career

Surveys have shown that the labour market for chemists with a degree from Uppsala University is excellent. 97% of those who obtained their degree during the last ten years are either employed or undertaking doctoral studies.

A Master of Science in Chemistry from Uppsala University will provide you with many opportunities to build an exciting future career in academia, industry, the public sector, or in entrepreneurship. Not only will you gain the knowledge and ability to perform special and advanced tasks in chemistry, but you will also be qualified for positions in many other areas where problem-solving, abstract thinking and analytical ability are required.

Possible career paths can vary. You may work with:

Research and development
Production processes
Analysis of materials
Management of safety and legal issues
Patenting of inventions
Marketing and sales
Environmental and sustainability issues
Developing new and improved methods for quality control

The salary in Sweden can vary greatly depending on education level, work task, previous experience, location, sector, etc. According to one of the largest Swedish work unions SACO's statistics of salary in Sweden in 2021, newly graduated students in chemistry earned between SEK 25 000 and SEK 35 000 per month before tax.

Career support

During your time as a student, UU Careers offers support and guidance. You have the opportunity to take part in a variety of activities and events that will prepare you for your future career. Learn more about UU Careers.

Admissions

Below you will find details about eligibility requirements, selection criteria and tuition fees. For information on how to apply and what general documents you need to submit, check the application guide. Besides the general supporting documents, you also need to submit two programme-specific documents: 1. an Application Summary Sheet; 2. a statement of purpose (1 page).

Analytical Chemistry

120 credits

Autumn 2023, 100%, Campus

Location: Uppsala

Application deadline: 16 January 2023

Application code: UU-M1610 Application

Language of instruction: English

Requirements:

Academic requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university.

Also required is 90 credits in chemistry, including 10 credits in analytical chemistry.

Language requirements

Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6. This requirement can be met either by achieving the required score on an internationally recognised test, or by previous upper secondary or university studies in some countries. Detailed instructions on how to provide evidence of your English proficiency are available at universityadmissions.se.

Selection: Students are selected based on:

an overall appraisal of previous university studies; and
a statement of purpose.

Fees:

If you are not a citizen of a European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) country, or Switzerland, you are required to pay application and tuition fees. Fees cover application and tuition only and do not cover accommodation, academic literature or the general cost of living. Read more about fees.

Application fee: SEK 900

Tuition fee, first semester: SEK 72,500

Tuition fee, total: SEK 290,000