This programme aims to meet the needs of the fine chemicals, cosmetics, biomaterial, polymers, surface coatings, graphic arts and colorant industries by producing graduates with advanced knowledge and research skills in colour science and in the theory, application and analysis of polymers, fine chemicals and colorants.
You’ll be introduced to a breadth of practical research and high-level academic skills in planning, experimentation and processes, in synthesis and characterisation aspects. Optional modules will also give you the chance to gain specialist knowledge in an area that suits your own interests and potential career plans.
You’ll also develop a range of generic skills such as problem solving, information technology and communication. Our graduates enjoy excellent employment opportunities both in industry and academia.
Throughout the programme you’ll study compulsory and optional modules covering concepts, information and techniques relevant to polymers, colorants and fine chemicals. You’ll also be introduced to topics from the research frontier such as synthesis, formulation and application of advanced polymers, colorants, cosmetics, inks and coatings, fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
The focal point of the course is the extended research project. Your supervisor will help you to select the project that is right for you, in an area that interests and motivates you. The project will provide you with key research experience to take your career forward. With the core modules behind you, you will be ideally positioned to choose an exciting problem to investigate. Some research projects are linked with industry and will help to enhance your employability.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
Teaching methods involve a combination of lectures, tutorials, case studies, workshops and contact with relevant industries. The final stage of study is an individual extended research project which is typically carried out within a research group and may also include external industrial involvement.
Assessment is based on course work, research project performance and written exams which take place at the end of the semester in which the module is taught.
There are a range of employment opportunities in areas such as fine chemicals manufacture (eg colorants, cosmetics, food additives, healthcare products etc.), polymers and polymeric additives (eg high performance plastics, biopolymers, medical implants, drugs), colour applications (eg textile dyeing and printing, inks and coatings), with companies such as Unilever, P&G, GSK, Clariant, Archroma, Huntsman, L’Oreal, Abbott Laboratory, Akzo Nobel, Sun Chemical, and BASF.
There are also opportunities to continue on to PhD study with many projects supported by industrial partners.
Colour Science, in conjunction with The Printing Charity, also offer career training days to students interested in furthering their career in graphic arts industries.
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.
The MSc Formulation Science is innovative, multidisciplinary, distinctive and unique in the UK in offering a depth of knowledge in the science of formulating new products, whether these are new pharmaceuticals or consumer care products, paints, foods or fast moving consumer goods.
The programme will allow you to understand the principles of making finished products from a blend of different individual ingredients. Drawing on current examples from the pharmaceutical industry, and using the industrial experience of academic staff, you will also apply these principles to industrially relevant problems in other areas of formulation science, such as consumer products and cosmetics.
This programme involves a series of lectures supplemented by practical lab-based investigations and seminars. Case studies will provide you with the chance to enhance your creativity and problem solving while working as part of a team in a way that simulates an industrial setting.
A research project in a well-equipped department led by staff with a diversity of research experience will give you the opportunity to carry out novel research and enhance your ability to manage projects and foster independence. Across the degree, you will have the opportunity to communicate your science clearly in a range of forms to a range of audiences and make use of emerging information and communication technologies.
Upon completion of the degree you will have developed a research skills portfolio that will serve as a solid foundation for your continuing professional development in formulation sciences.
Our former graduates have gone on to develop successful careers in a wide range of industrial sectors, from the pharmaceutical sciences to aggrochemical and consumer goods. They have gone on to work for major multinational companies as well as thrive at specialist enterprises. Former graduates have also progressed to study successfully for PhDs.
The aims of the programme are to:
Full Time
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses.
Colloids and Structured Materials in Formulations (30 credits)
Formulation of Consumer Goods, Cosmetics and Coatings (30 credits)
English Language Support (for Postgraduate students in the Faculty)
Analytical Methods and QA/QC Principles (30 credits)
Project (MSc Formulation Science) (60 credits)
Modern Pharmaceutical Technologies and Process Engineering (30 credits)
Part time
Year 1:
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses:
English Language Support (for Postgraduate students in the School of Science)
Analytical Methods and QA/QC Principles (30 credits)
Modern Pharmaceutical Technologies and Process Engineering (30 credits)
Year 2:
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses:
Colloids and Structured Materials in Formulations (30 credits)
Formulation of Consumer Goods, Cosmetics and Coatings (30 credits)
Project (MSc Formulation Science) (60 credits)
Taught courses are assessed by a wide array of techniques from the traditional (such as examinations, coursework assessments and laboratory work) to the innovative: students are expected to produce a portfolio of research skills upon completion of their degree. Case studies reports, oral presentations, group assignments with accompanying discussions will also be used to assess creativity, collaboration and communication skills. There is a laboratory-based project which will be assessed on practical ability and a final written thesis.
Your time at university should be enjoyable and rewarding, and it is important that it is not spoilt by unnecessary financial worries. We recommend that you spend time planning your finances, both before coming to university and while you are here. We can offer advice on living costs and budgeting, as well as on awards, allowances and loans.
Find out more about our fees and the support available to you at our:
- Postgraduate finance pages (https://www.gre.ac.uk/study/finance/postgraduate)
- International students' finance pages (http://www.gre.ac.uk/finance/international)
Find out how to apply here - https://www.gre.ac.uk/study/apply
The Master of Science in Chemical Engineering programme is primarily aimed at applying chemical engineering principles to develop technical products and to design, control and improve industrial processes. Students also learn to take environmental and safety issues into account during all phases of the process.
Two guiding principles of sustainable development – the rational exploitation of resources and energy, and the application of the best available technology – are emphasised, as is the mantra “reduce, reuse, recycle”.
As a chemical engineering student, you will learn to think in a process-oriented manner and grasp the complexity of physico-chemical systems. Even more than other specialists, you will be asked to solve problems of a very diverse nature. Insights into processes at the nano and micro scale are fundamental for the development of new products and/or (mega-scale) technologies.
While students should have a foundational knowledge of chemistry, the underlying chemistry of the elements and components, their properties and mutual reactions are not the main focal points of the programme.
With a focus on process, product and environmental planet engineering, the programme does not only guarantee a solid chemical engineering background, it also focuses on process and product intensification, energy efficient processing routes, biochemical processes and product-based thinking rather than on the classical process approach.
The programme itself consists of an important core curriculum that covers the foundations of chemical engineering. The core curriculum builds on the basic knowledge obtained during the Bachelor’s. In this part of the programme, you will concentrate on both the classical and the emerging trends in chemical engineering.
Students also take up 9 credits from ‘Current trends in chemical engineering’-courses. These courses are signature courses for the Master’s programme and build on the research expertise present within the department. These courses encompass microbial process technology, process intensification, exergy analysis of chemical processes and product design.
The curriculum consists of a broad generic core, which is then strengthened and honed during the second year, when students select one of the three specialisations: product, process and environmental engineering.
This choice provides you with the opportunity to specialise to a certain extent. Since the emerging areas covered in the programme are considered to be the major challenges within the chemical and related industries, graduating in Leuven as a chemical engineer will give you a serious advantage over your European colleagues since you will be able to integrate new technologies within existing production processes.
During their Master’s studies, students are encouraged to take non-technical courses (general interest courses), organized for instance by other faculties (economics, social sciences, psychology…) in order to broaden their scope beyond mere technical courses.
An important aspect of the Master’s programme is the Master’s thesis. Assigning Master’s thesis topics to students is based on a procedure in which students select 5 preferred topics from a long list.
The Master’s programme highly values interactions with the chemical industry which is one of the most important pillars of the Flemish economy. As such, some courses are taught by guest professors from the industry.
One or two semesters of the programme can be completed abroad in the context of the ERASMUS+ programme. Additionally, you can apply for an industrial internship abroad through the departmental internship coordinator. These internships take place between the third Bachelor’s year and the first Master’s year, or between the two Master’s years.
The department also offers a new exchange programme with the University of Delaware (United States) and with the Ecole Polytechique in Montréal (Canada).
The faculty’s exchange programmes are complemented by the BEST network (Board of European Students of Technology). This student organisation offers the opportunity to follow short courses, usually organised in the summer months. The faculty also participates in various leading international networks.
You can find more information on this topic on the website of the Faculty website.
The chemical sector represents one of the most important economic sectors in Belgium. It provides about 90,000 direct and more than 150,000 indirect jobs. With a 53 billion euro turnover and a 35% share of the total Belgian export, the chemical sector is an indispensable part of the contemporary Belgian economy.
As a chemical engineer you will predominantly work in industrial branches involved in (the production of) bulk and specialty chemicals, oil and natural gas (petrochemical companies and refineries), non-ferrometallurgics, energy, waste treatment, food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. The following professional activities lie before you:
Apart from the traditional career options, your insight into complex processes will also be much appreciated in jobs in the financial and governmental sector, where chemical engineers are often employed to supervise industrial activities, to deliver permissions, and to compose regulations with respect to safety and environmental issues.
As self-employed persons, chemical engineers work in engineering offices or as consultants. Due to their often very dynamic personality, chemical engineers can also be successful as entrepreneurs.
The PCCP program aims to integrate Master students within academic and industrial fields of fundamental physical chemistry. Various aspects are concerned: study of matter and its transformations, analysis and control of physical and chemical processes, light-matter interactions and spectroscopy techniques, modelling of physical and chemical processes from molecular to macroscopic scale. Applications cover scientific fields ranging from nanotechnologies, photonics, optoelectronics and organic electronics, to environmental sensors and detection systems.
The PCCP Master is supported by high-level educational and research partners, represented by the consortium of universities engaged in the program. Students follow their courses within a challenging, international environment. Annual summer schools, organized by the consortium partners, complete the students’ training by offering a focus on several topics relative to PCCP.
The first year of the Master degree is focused on the fundamental aspects of Physical Chemistry (thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, spectroscopy and numerical tools). International aspects of the program are introduced progressively during the first year, with some courses taught in English. A remote research project is also programmed to promote collaboration between students of the partner universities within the context of international scientific project management.
The second year is dedicated to specialized topics (advanced spectroscopy and imaging, photonics, computational chemistry, environmental sciences). All courses are taught in English and international mobility is mandatory (at least during the second semester for the Master thesis work), thus strengthening the international dimension of the degree. Numerous mutualized lectures are carried out featuring high-level, local research activity. Practical aspects are emphasized to favor the future integration of the student within the working world.
Master students following the specific UBx-USFQ double degree program spend between five and nine months in Quito (Ecuador) to complete the Master thesis. During this period, assistant professor positions at the USFQ are available for Master students of the program.
Year 1: Courses are in French, except when international students are attending.
Year 2: Courses are in English.
After graduation, students are fully prepared to pursue doctoral studies and a career in research. They may also work as scientists or R&D engineers within the industrial field.
Associated business sectors:
Academic research domains:
Other possible activities:
