CHEMISTRY

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Master’s degree in Chemistry of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto is a wide scope Master, encompassing a diversity of thematic areas of Chemistry of current interest. This Master seeks to respond to the interests of the students from the perspective of an advanced, modern and versatile training programme. Chemistry as a science occupies a pivotal role in addressing contemporary societal challenges, namely in the areas of energy, health, environment, preservation of natural resources and development of new functional materials. The 2nd cycle of studies in Chemistry aims at responding to these challenges in terms of a pedagogical-scientific training of the students and of their preparation for a successful professional career.

More specifically, the Master’s Degree in Chemistry aims at three main goals:

• to provide an advanced and comprehensive training in the various fields of Chemistry, which solidifies, complements and deepens the training obtained in a 1st cycle of studies;
• to provide the theoretical, laboratory and computational tools for a career associated with Research, Development and Innovation, either in an academic environment at the level of a 3rd cycle of studies (PhD), in technological centers of interface or in a business/industrial context;
• to train qualified professionals with a competency profile that allows them to enter the labor market, with emphasis on the national and international industries most directly linked to Chemistry.

It should be noted that in the second year of studies, the students will carry out a research project in one of the Faculty laboratories or, alternatively, in a laboratory of an industrial company under existing collaboration protocols.

STRUCTURE

The 2 cycle of studies in Chemistry encompasses two alternative paths:

• Chemistry (without specialization)
• Chemistry – Specialization in Functional Surfaces and Materials for Sustainability

Path: Chemistry (without specialization)

This cycle of studies consists of:

• a master’s course, consisting of an organized set of curricular units corresponding to 60 ECTS credits, which awards a master’s course diploma in Chemistry (but not the master’s degree);
• a curricular unit with a component of integration in the surrounding social reality designated as Chemistry and Society, corresponding to 3 ECTS;
• a Dissertation, of scientific nature, or an Internship in Industrial Context, of professional nature, objects of a final report, original and specially made for this purpose, corresponding to 57 out of 120 ECTS, subject to public examinations and which will lead to a master’s degree in Chemistry.

Path: Chemistry – Specialization in Functional Surfaces and Materials for Sustainability

This path was created to frame the participation of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry/FCUP in the international master’s degree SERP+ (Erasmus Mundus), aiming at the integration of the respective students in the 2nd cycle of studies in Chemistry. The enrollment in curricular units of this specialization is subject to the approval by the Scientific Committee of the Master. The working language in all curricular units is English.

CURRICULAR PLAN

Click here to view the complete version of the latest curricular plan.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

• Holders of a Bachelor degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Pharmacy, Chemical Engineering or Teaching of Physics and Chemistry;
• Holders of a  degree in a Bachelor degree, according to the Bologna process, with a minimum of 45 ECTS in the area of Chemistry or a Minor in Chemistry;
• Holders of a degree in other areas, provided that the respective curriculum demonstrates an appropriate basic scientific background;
• Holders of an academic, scientific or professional curriculum that the Scientific Committee of the Master recognizes as sufficient to warrant the capacity to carry out this cycle of studies.

For candidates who do not hold a first degree at the date of application, but who are in a situation of being able to complete the degree up to the date of enrollment in the cycle of studies, evidence of the curricular average must be made at the application date, by means of proof of approval in curricular units (grade, ECTS, scientific area).

SELECTION CRITERIA

Candidates who have a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Pharmacy or Chemical Engineering and related,  will be placed first.

Placing will be done according to the following criteria and sub-criteria

• Academic curriculum (area of ​​training and average obtained) (80%)
  • Sub-criterion 1: training area (25%)
  • Sub-criterion 2: Bachelor’s degree (55%)
• Scientific curriculum and professional experience (20%)
  • Sub-criterion 1: technical and / or scientific publications and communications (5%)
  • Sub-criterion 2: participation in research projects, internships in the area of ​​study cycle or other relevant professional experience (15%)

Criteria for the tie-break of candidates:

• Average grade in the units Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry (degree in Chemistry of UP) or equivalent;
• Classification in the course unit Chemistry I (degree in Chemistry of UP) or equivalent;
• Conducting an interview by the Scientific Committee of the 2nd Cycle of Studies in Chemistry.

Candidates who do not yet hold a Bachelor’s degree and/or have an academic, scientific or professional curriculum that is recognized as attesting to the ability to carry out this Master by the statutory scientific body, will be serialized according to the criteria and sub-criteria indicated above, but replacing the final grade point average by the weighted average of the curricular units performed.