Medical Chemistry – (M.Sc.)

The two-year MSc programme in Medical Chemistry at Aarhus University targets students from tertiary education institutions in Denmark and abroad. The degree programme is both practical and research-oriented and is aimed at the business community, research institutions and the public sector. The degree programme is flexible and shaped to match the academic interests of the individual student, who has the opportunity to specialise in a particular subject area within medical chemistry while at the same time acquiring general competencies in chemistry.

Focus on research
The teaching at the university is greatly influenced by the research conducted here, as the lecturers are active researchers.

As an MSc student, you will have excellent opportunities for working with researchers in the laboratory. It is also possible to complete a project in collaboration with a private company or a public institution, such as a hospital.

The Master’s thesis written during the final year of the degree programme carries considerable weight and, in this context, students benefit from the informal atmosphere between staff and students.

When writing the thesis, students become associated with a group of researchers of their own choice. In this way, students are able to participate in the group’s research projects, academic discussions and articles.

As a student of medical chemistry, you get to specialise in a topic within a broad area, including one of the areas of medical chemistry in which Aarhus University is particularly strong:

Synthesis and analysis of potential new pharmaceuticals
* Structure, activity and pharmacological characteristics of (membrane) proteins
* The microscopic structure of bones and other bioinorganic materials.
* Modelling of proteins and their interaction with pharmaceuticals.
* Drug delivery

Much more than lectures and lab work
There is more to life as a medical chemistry student at Aarhus University than courses and lectures. The varied and inspiring student life at the Department of Chemistry is centred around Alkymia, the department’s student association. The Chemistry Student Council also arranges a number of academic events, and the different student associations at the university hold meetings regarding study-related issues.

A world of job opportunities
Graduates from the Department of Chemistry find work in a wide range of fields and institutions. Most jobs, however, are within research, development and consultancy in the public or private sectors, particularly pharmaceutical and biotech companies. The health services also employ many medical chemistry graduates, for example in hospitals, where they may be involved in developing new clinical and chemical diagnostic methods. For graduates of the programme, the skills acquired during their studies are in such great demand that medical chemistry graduates also find work in other fields, including the food industry and the agricultural sector.