Chemistry - Master of Science (MSc)
Chemistry is without a doubt a fascinating science – a progressive future would be unthinkable without it. It is used in research laboratories to develop new materials and substances which accompany us in daily life as seemingly invisible helpers. Chemical reactions are found both in the biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) world. The art of transferring knowledge derived from nature into research and development never ceases to inspire researchers the world over. Chemistry provides a richness of perspectives, and professional variety and is an important component of the sustainable development of our social prosperity. Especially the production, conversion, and storage of energy are fundamentally important chemical issues for current and future generations.
-
Ulm University offers the Master’s program in Chemistry in two variations. Right from the beginning of the program, you get to choose your focus. The specialization in Materials comprises various modules around material sciences. The specialization in Chemistry focuses more on the classical sub-disciplines of Chemistry and offers maximum flexibility. Students in the Chemistry Master’s program acquire detailed knowledge in the following areas:
- chemical research and scientific work methods,
- topical challenges in the core and sub-disciplines of Chemistry,
- and scientific and occupation-qualifying competencies in chemistry-related application areas.
Jobs and career opportunities
Career opportunities are vast with this degree. Industry, research institutes, universities, schools, and civil service offer interesting perspectives. Chemical expertise is sought after in many other areas as well – the following list comprises only a small fraction thereof: all economic activities around the topics of energy, food, environment and water, automotive and aircraft engineering, the insurance and consulting sector, and many more.
Chemists/business chemists interested in working in the industry will find employment possibilities in:
- application-oriented industrial research
- roles responsible for manufacturing operations
- product development and application engineering, as an interface between research and production
- process engineering, transferring new findings from lab scale to industrial scale
- chemical analytics: there is an almost limitless variety of matter waiting to be analyzed
- environment protection, to secure a liveable future for our planet
- marketing and sales, to serve customer demands and market opportunities
- patent law, for the legal protection of research findings
- documentation, with the purpose of developing and optimizing functional and efficient structures in electronic data management
- corporate communication and public relations, in order to convey complex matters of science and research to the public in an easy-to-digest format
-
Chemists/business chemists interested in working in teaching and research can find employment:
- at schools, to spark pupils’ interest in Chemistry and scientific questions
- at universities and other higher education institutions, as part of an exciting environment of teaching and research
- in ‘pure’ fundamental research at research institutes, with the purpose of generating new chemistry knowledge and providing scientific proof
-
Chemists/business chemists interested in working in civil service can find employment:
- with federal and state authorities as well as municipal offices, in the areas of environment protection, supervision, licensing, and analytics
- with the trade supervisory authority (Gewerbeaufsichtsamt), in the area of technical protection of the public
- in medical centers and various service sectors
-
Chemists/business chemists interested in alternative areas can find employment opportunities:
- in business consultancy
- as journalists and editors
- in freelance activity