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The ever increasing demand for organically produced foods requires new and different production systems. In order to create such sustainable organic production systems a fresh scientific approach is needed. The university has created a programme to train academic professionals who want to work in this field.
The Organic Agriculture programme has been designed to train students in multiple aspects of organic agriculture and the associated processing and marketing chain. An important goal is to prepare the students for interdisciplinary teamwork at an academic level.
On the programme of Organic Agriculture page you can find the general outline of the programme and more detailed information about courses, theses and internships.
Within the master's programme you can choose one of the following Specialisations to meet your personal interests.
The experience and diverse skills our students acquire working in interdisciplinary teams on practical cases, make them eligible for a broad range of jobs. Graduates of this programme will have career opportunities in agribusiness, research, extension, non-governmental organisations and public administration. Read more about career perspectives and opportunities after finishing the programme.
Related programmes:
MSc Management, Economics and Consumer Studies
MSc Forest and Nature Conservation
The Master’s programme Organic Synthesis and Medicinal Chemistry provides knowledge on the design, synthesis and evaluation of low-weight organic substances. It also covers protein chemistry and biomolecular design, preparing you for a career in the pharmaceutical industry.
Biologically active substances with low molecular weight represent the core of life-science research. Knowledge of molecular structures and their properties are crucial to our understanding of vast scientific areas, from pharmaceutically active compounds in designer drugs to organic electronics and their incorporation into diagnostic tools such as biosensors. Our research facilities are well equipped with all the necessary analytical and diagnostic tools found in industrial research facilities, which will advance your practical capabilities.
This master’s programme aims to provide students with knowledge on the design, synthesis and evaluation of low molecular weight biologically active organic substances. The programme begins with courses in organic chemistry and organic synthesis, building from the basic concepts to the advanced level, followed by an introduction in medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutical technology. It also covers protein chemistry and biomolecular design, which broadens your knowledge in the field of bio-organic chemistry. A key part of the programme is a one-year degree project, undertaken either in a research group at LiU or in industry.
The Organic Chemistry: Drug Discovery MRes at UCL offers students the opportunity to follow an integrated course of research and interdisciplinary study. Students gain outstanding training in synthetic organic chemistry applied to drug design, together with a breadth of experience in several areas of synthetic methodology and chemical biology.
The programme provides a thorough foundation in drug design, advanced organic synthesis and biological chemistry, together with modules on research techniques, professional development and entrepreneurship. Students will carry out a substantial research project on organic/medicinal chemistry or chemical biology over a ten-month period.
MRes students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
The programme consists of five core modules (75 credits) and a research project /dissertation (105 credits).
Core modules
Students take five 15-credit modules including two Master's-level chemistry modules, one transferable/research skills module, one analytical chemistry module, and one professional development module.
Optional modules
There are no optional modules for this programme.
Dissertation/report
Students will undertake a laboratory-based research project lasting 10months. An interim report is submitted after five months, and at the end of the project each student writes a dissertation, gives a short presentation and has a viva voce examination.
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, problem classes, workshops and projects. Assessment is through unseen written examination, coursework, project reports and presentations.
Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Organic Chemistry: Drug Discovery MRes
Students can be self-funded or find sponsorship from funding agencies such as research councils, the European Union, industry or charities.
There are also a number of Graduate School Scholarships and departmental bursaries and prizes available.
For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.
The MRes has been developed in response to the needs of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors for highly qualified students as leaders in the discovery of new medicines. The pharmaceutical sector is a major employer in the UK and high-quality graduates with an understanding of the sector are always in demand. Our recent graduates have taken up PhD positions, are working in industry and have entered teacher training.
This degree involves a cutting-edge research project in the laboratory a member of research staff at UCL Chemistry. This is one of the leading research departments in the UK with staff undertaking world-leading research in all areas of chemistry and chemical biology.
This one-year taught programme offers the opportunity to study Chemistry at an advanced level, covering both the traditional core areas of chemistry, as well as more specialist courses aligned to the research groupings of the department. The course provides opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate advanced knowledge, understanding, and practical/research skills.
Would you like to upgrade your bachelor’s degree to a master’s and gain access to a chemistry career in industry or research? Join the MSc Chemistry and develop your lab and theoretical skills. Specialise in inorganic and materials, organic or physical chemistry, or maintain a broad portfolio, for a more detailed description of the available pathways, click the Pathways tab. Courses are available in synthesis, advanced structural, analytical and spectroscopic techniques, materials chemistry, modelling, biological and medicinal chemistry, and electrochemistry.
The MSc Chemistry course combines the opportunity for students to take modules from a wide range of cutting-edge fields in chemistry with sessions on practical, technical skills, and scientific writing, communication and presentation and a three month summer project supervised by one of Southampton’s expert academics. The course aims to:
Find out more about the course visit the programme specification
A Chemistry masters degree will give students valuable insight into postgraduate research skills. Independent project work will support students to develop transferable skills in areas such as time management, communication and presentation skills that are key for career success in a wide range of areas such as industry, analysis, policymaking and scientific communication. Completing an MSc qualification will help individuals tackle the challenges of an advanced research degree at PhD level and prepare them for a career in academia.
The following information summarises the typical pathways offered when choosing the MSc Chemistry degree programme:
Organic Chemistry
This area focuses on synthetic organic chemistry, total synthesis, synthetic methodology, reaction mechanism, organocatalysis, organofluorine chemistry, photochemistry and carbohydrate chemistry, both towards the synthesis of bioactive compounds and organic materials, and includes the study of organic reactions under flow conditions. This pathway offers the opportunity to specialise in the following areas
This pathway consists of advanced postgraduate courses in synthetic reaction mechanisms and is best suited to students who already have a thorough BSc level grounding in aspects of nomenclature, stereochemistry, reaction mechanisms.
Inorganic chemistry and materials
This area focuses on the synthesis of functional inorganic, solid-state and supramolecular materials and assemblies to address key challenges in energy, sustainability, healthcare and diagnostics and the deposition of nanostructured materials. This pathway will give you the opportunity to specialise in the following areas
This pathway is best suited to students who already have a thorough BSc level grounding in the fundamentals and applications of inorganic chemisry.
Physical chemistry
This pathway is best suited to students who already have a thorough BSc level grounding in the fundamentals and applications of inorganic chemistry. This area covers a wide range of fundamental and applied topics. This pathway will give you the opportunity to specialise in the following areas
This pathway is best suited to students who already have a thorough BSc level grounding in the fundamentals and applications of physical chemistry, in particular quantum chemistry, spectroscopy, thermodynamics and kinetics
General chemistry
You can choose to further your knowledge across a blend of advanced courses from organic, inorganic and/or physical chemistry (any combination). This pathway is suited to those wishing to develop an interdisciplinary expertise. If you choose this pathway you should already have a sound BSc-level grounding in the areas of chemistry in which you intend to choose modules (see other boxes).
Molecular chemistry is a creative science, where chemists synthesize molecules with new biological or physical properties to address scientific or societal challenges. Think of new catalytic conversions, lead compounds for future medicines or the next generation of conducting polymers. The specialisation Molecular Chemistry offers education in connection with top-level research in the Institute for Molecules and Materials (IMM), enabling you to develop in-depth knowledge of the design, synthesis and characterization of unprecedented functional molecular structures.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/chemistry/molecular
- The IMM at Radboud University hosts an internationally renowned cluster of molecular chemistry groups, where you will participate in challenging research projects.
- The IMM Organic Chemistry department was recently awarded a 27 million euro NWO Gravity programme grant. Among the teaching staff are two ERC advanced grant and two ERC starting grant winners.
- Teaching takes place in small groups and in a stimulating, personal setting.
1. A completed Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Science or a related area
In general, you are admitted with the equivalent of a Dutch Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Science with relevant subjects, or a related programme in molecular science. In case of other pre-education, students must have passed preliminary examinations containing the subject matter of the following well-known international textbooks (or equivalent literature). Any deficiencies in this matter should be eliminated before you can take part in this specialisation. If you want to make sure that you meet our academic requirements, please contact the academic advisor.
- Organic chemistry: e.g. Organic Chemistry (Bruice)
- Biochemistry: e.g. Biochemistry (Lehninger)
- Physical chemistry: e.g. Physical chemistry (Atkins)
- 30 EC of chemistry or chemistry-related courses at third year Bachelor's level
2. A proficiency in English
In order to take part in this programme, you need to have fluency in both written and spoken English. Non-native speakers of English* without a Dutch Bachelor's degree or VWO diploma need one of the following:
- A TOEFL score of >575 (paper based) or >90 (internet based)
- An IELTS score of ≥6.5
- Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) or Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) with a mark of C or higher
Approximately 40% of our graduates take up a PhD position, either in Nijmegen or elsewhere in the world. Our research institutes, in particular the Institute for Molecules and Materials, have vacancies for PhD projects every year. Our graduates also find work as researchers and managers in the chemical industry, or in one of our spin-off companies. A small proportion will not work in science, but for instance as a policymaker at a governmental organisation.
The Master's specialisation in Molecular Chemistry offers main stream chemistry courses and research topics, for those students that aim to deepen their knowledge and experimental skills in the heart of chemistry. The Institute for Molecules and Materials offers a state-of-the-art research infrastructure and hosts world-class research groups where you can conduct independent research, under the personal guidance of a researcher. Often, this leads to a scientific publication with you as a co-author.
Besides an internship in fundamental science, you can also chose to perform research in an industrial environment. Approximately one third of our students do one of their internships in a chemical company, both large (e.g. DSM, Synthon, AkzoNobel) and small (e.g. MercaChem, FutureChemistry, Chiralix).
Interested in going abroad? Contact one of our researchers, they can easily connect you to top groups elsewhere in the world. In the past few years, molecular chemistry students did internships in Oxford (UK), Princeton (US), Berkeley (US), Karolinska Institute (Sweden), ETH Zurich (Switzerland), etc.
In the Master's specialisation Molecular Chemistry, the unique research facilities that Radboud University has to offer are coupled with the top level research within the Institute for Molecules and Materials (IMM). A selection of research groups for this specialisation are:
- Synthetic organic chemistry (Prof. Floris Rutjes): The group focuses on the development of new and sustainable synthetic (multistep)reactions by using bio-, organo- or metal-catalysts or combinations thereof, synthesis of druglike compound libraries, synthesis of bio-orthogonal click-reactions and chemical synthesis in continuous flow microreactors
- Analytical chemistry (Prof. Lutgarde Buydens): Research involves new chemometric methodologies and techniques for the optimisation of molecular structures. The research programme is designed around four areas: Methodological chemometrics, spectroscopic image analysis, molecular chemometrics, and analysis of genomics, metabolomics and proteomics data.
- Bio-organic chemistry (Prof. Jan van Hest): This groups uses Nature as inspiration for the design of functional molecules. Research lines that fit in this specialisation include: design and synthesis of modified peptides to alter their biological function, hybrid polymers containing biomolecules for use as antibacterial materials, and smart compartmentalisation strategies to enable multi-step reactions in a single reaction flask.
- Molecular materials (Prof. Alan Rowan): The aim of the group is the design and synthesis of novel polymers, self-organising molecules and ordered crystals and the subsequent investigation of their properties. Research topics related to his specialisation are: functional systems for application in catalysis, new OLEDS (organic LEDS), and liquid crystals.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/chemistry/molecular
A comprehensive training in the theory and practice of groundwater science and engineering, providing an excellent basis for careers in scientific, engineering and environmental consultancies, water companies, major industries, research, and government scientific and regulatory services in the UK and abroad.
Modules encompass the full range of groundwater studies and are supported by practical field sessions and computing and hydrogeological modelling based on industry standard software.
This is a vocational programme relevant to graduates with good Honours degrees in appropriate subjects (for example, Geosciences, Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biosciences, and Environmental Sciences). It is important to have a good knowledge of mathematics.
The lecture component of the programme encompasses the full range of hydrogeology. Modules cover drilling, well design, aquifer test analysis, laboratory test analysis, groundwater flow, hydrogeophysics, inorganic chemistry of groundwaters, organic contamination of groundwater, contaminated land and remediation, groundwater modelling, contaminant transport, hydrology, and groundwater resources assessment.
These lecture modules are supported by practical field sessions, and by computing and hydrogeological modelling based on industry standard software. Integration of concepts developed in the taught programmes is facilitated through student-centred investigations of current issues linked to a diverse range of hydrogeological environments.
Examinations are held in January and April. From May onwards, you undertake a project, a report on which is submitted in September.
Projects may be field-, laboratory-, or modelling- based, and are usually of an applied nature, although a few are research-orientated. Our chemical (inorganic and organic), rock testing, computing, geophysical and borehole-logging equipment is available for you to use during this period.
Career openings include those with consulting engineering and environmental firms, government scientific services and regional water companies, both in this country and abroad. Demand for hydrogeologists is substantial and students from the course are highly regarded by employers.
Hydrogeology is the study of groundwater; an essential component of the world’s water supply. More than 2 billion people depend on groundwater for their daily needs (approximately 30% of water supplied in the UK is groundwater).
The aim of our Hydrogeology MSc Course is to provide students who have a good scientific or engineering background with a comprehensive training in the fundamentals of groundwater science and engineering, together with considerable practical experience.
The School is well supported and you will have the use of all equipment and facilities appropriate to your work:
Computing
You will have access to the multiple clusters of PCs in the University Learning Centre and Library, and the School-based Earth Imaging Laboratory. The MSc course also has its own dedicated room for teaching and study with six PCs for convenient access to email, web and on-line learning resources.
The University based computers have an extensive range of software installed that covers the needs of students of all disciplines, but in common with the School-based PCs, specialist software packages used routinely by professional hydrogeologists are installed for our MSc students. These include industry standard groundwater flow modelling, contaminant transport modelling, geochemical modelling, geophysical interpretation and field and laboratory hydraulic test analysis packages. You can also register for more specialist software on the University high speed BlueBEAR computing facility if your individual project requires it. Research software developed within the Water Sciences research group is also available.
Laboratories
The School is well equipped for inorganic and organic chemical analysis of field and laboratory samples. Facilities include: Total Organic Carbon analysis, Gas Chromatography, ICP Mass Spectrometry, Ion Chromatography, Stable Isotope Mass Spectrometry and Luminescence and UV/visible spectroscopy. These facilities have been used in a wide range of MSc projects, for both standard geochemical analysis of groundwater samples and for more specific purposes including studies of persistent organic pollutants and toxic heavy metals in the environment, and denitrification in river beds.
The School also has a dedicated microbiology laboratory equipped with an autoclave for sterilizing media and equipment, a class II safety cabinet for handing microbial samples, and incubators.
Facilities are also available within the School and elsewhere for geological material analysis, including thin section preparation and microscopy, a wide range of electron microscopy techniques, XRD, pore size distribution determination, and surface area measurement.
Fieldwork
The School has two field sites on campus for use by MSc students and research staff. Both consist of arrays of boreholes drilled into the underlying sandstone aquifer to depths of up to 60m.
The groundwater group is well stocked with field equipment, which is used extensively in research projects, for teaching, and particularly on individual MSc projects. This equipment includes pumping test equipment (submersible pumps, generators, packers, digital pressure transducers, data loggers, divers, dip meters, pipe-work and installation frames); chemical sampling and tracer transport equipment (depth samplers, sampling pumps, tracer test equipment and field fluorimeter, hand held EC, pH and EH probes, portable chemical lab kit); geophysical equipment (resistivity imaging, electromagnetic surveying, ground penetrating radar, and borehole logging); and a secure, towable, mobile laboratory for off-site testing.
Fieldwork and projects transform theory into practice and form a large part of the course. They are supported by extensive field, laboratory and technical facilities.
A weeklong course of practical work and site visits is held in Week 7 of the Autumn Term. The content varies from year to year, but typically includes pumping tests, small-scale field tests, chemical sampling, and geophysics using the research boreholes on campus. Visits to landfill sites, water resources schemes, wetlands, and drilling sites are also arranged in collaboration with the Environment Agency, consultants and landfill operators. During the Spring Term, field demonstrations are provided by chemical sampling equipment distributors and manufacturers. You will gain further field experience either during your own 4.5 month project or when helping your colleagues on other projects.
The principal component of this degree is an intensive novel research project providing 'hands-on' training in methods and techniques at the cutting edge of scientific research. The programme is particularly suitable for those wishing to embark on an academic career, with a strong track record of students moving into graduate research at UCL and elsewhere.
Students develop a systematic approach to devising experiments and/or computations and gain familiarity with a broad range of synthetic, analytical and spectroscopic techniques, acquiring skills for the critical analysis of their experimental and computational observations. They also broaden their knowledge of chemistry through a selection of taught courses and are able to tailor the programme to meet their personal interests.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
The programme consists of one core module (30 credits), four optional modules (15 credits each) and a research project (90 credits).
Core modules
All students undertake a literature project (30 credits) and a research dissertation (90 credits), which are linked.
Optional modules
Students choose four optional modules from the following:
Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of 15,000 words and a viva voce examination (90 credits).
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, laboratory classes and research supervision. Assessment is through the dissertation, unseen written examinations, research papers, a written literature survey, and an oral examination. All students will be expected to attend research seminars relevant to their broad research interest.
Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Chemical Research MSc
This MSc is designed to provide first-hand experience of research at the cutting-edge of chemistry and is particularly suitable for those wishing to embark on an academic career (i.e. doctoral research) in this area, although the research and critical thinking skills developed will be equally valuable in a commercial environment.
Recent career destinations for this degree
Careers data is taken from the ‘Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education’ survey undertaken by HESA looking at the destinations of UK and EU students in the 2013–2015 graduating cohorts six months after graduation.
With departmental research interests and activities spanning the whole spectrum of chemistry, including development of new organic molecules, fundamental theoretical investigations and prediction and synthesis of new materials, students are able to undertake a project that aligns with their existing interests.
Students develop crucial first-hand experience in scientific methods, techniques for reporting science and using leading-edge research tools, as well as further essential skills for a research career.
The Research Excellence Framework, or REF, is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. The 2014 REF was carried out by the UK's higher education funding bodies, and the results used to allocate research funding from 2015/16.
The following REF score was awarded to the department: Chemistry
94% rated 4* (‘world-leading’) or 3* (‘internationally excellent’)
Learn more about the scope of UCL's research, and browse case studies, on our Research Impact website.
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