Molecular Sciences - master

The Master of Molecular Science Programme at UiT has a duration of 2 years and equals a total of 120 ECTS. Each Master's candidate works on a research project to complete an independent scientific dissertation (thesis, 60 ECTS). In addition, the programme includes topical coursework, where 20 ECTS are obligatory for all students admitted to the programme, and 40 ECTS are to expand on the students chosen discipline and other special curricula (total 60 ECTS). Within each discipline, certain courses are mandatory.

The Master Degree programme in Molecular Sciences, will provide programme options within three different disciplines:

• Biomolecular Chemistry and Bioinformatics
• Chemical Synthesis and Spectroscopy
• Theoretical and Computational Chemistry

The student will choose a Master's project within the thematic areas available at the Department, and the student will make use of the methodological tools relevant for the thematic specializations.These projects can be theoretical or experimental in nature, or a combination of these, and might be applied to basic and applied research questions. Combination of different specializations to acquire a wider expertise is also possible. Eligibility to projects may depend on the student's background.

The five thematic areas are:

• Chemistry of the cell,
• Drug discovery and design,
• Scientific Computing in Chemistry and Biology,
• Functional materials, and
• Catalysis.

More information about thematic areas and disciplines you can find here

The Master's candidates become members of one of the research groups at the Department, with an assigned thesis supervisor. Throughout the project, the Master´s students may work closely in teams with PhD students, post doctoral fellows and senior scientists.

The Department of Chemistry at UiT provides excellent research environments, with state-of-the-art laboratories and experimental equipment, and access to advanced computer facilities for computer-oriented work. The Department hosts a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Hylleraas Centre for Quantum Molecular Science, an internationally recognized research centre in structural biology, NorStruct, and a national and international facility for bioinformatics. The Department also participates in the Arctic Biodiscovery Centre, where our expertise in structure elucidation and molecular analysis, biocatalyst research, synthetic chemistry, and biotechnology is utilized.

More about the program structure: here

After completion of the programme, the candidate:

Knowledge

• Has an overview of scientific approaches to analyse and understand natural phenomena, using theory and methods of molecular sciences.
• Has thorough knowledge of theory and methods within at least one of the disciplines offered in the Master of Molecular Sciences programme.
• Has advanced insight into international research and development within one of the disciplines offered in the Master of Molecular Sciences programme.
• Has acquired advanced knowledge and understanding sufficient to enable innovation and discovery within her or his dicipline.

Skills

• Can critically read, cite, analyse and understand scientific literature
• Can communicate scientific information clearly and precisely, both written and oral forms.
• Can critically produce, analyse and evaluate the quality of data, products and results generated within the chosen field of molecular sciences.
• Can use sophisticated and advanced methods and instrumentation relevant for the chosen discipline, and interpret the results generated. The candidate can:

Biomolecular Chemistry and Bioinformatics

• Manipulate and study biological macromolecules at DNA and amino acid levels experimentally (recombinant protein production) and/or computationally (bioinformatics).
• Study structural, functional, and biophysical properties of biological macromolecules experimentally (crystal structure determination, intermolecular interactions, enzyme function) and/or computationally (molecular modelling, drug design).
• Apply informatics tools to analyse biological macromolecules and their properties at genetic sequence and/or amino acid and/or structural levels.

Chemical Synthesis and Spectroscopy

• Plan and carry out chemical syntheses of organic or inorganic molecules
• Analyze synthetic and natural substances with advanced chromatographic, spectroscopic and/or crystallographic methods.

Theoretical and Computational Chemistry

• Use state of the art software to model molecular structure, molecular properties or chemical processes
• Develop and implement computational protocols to model chemical systems
• Predict or interpret the behavior of chemical systems by making use of advanced computational infrastructure.
• Has become proficient within the chosen discipline of molecular sciences, and has acquired basic tools needed to carry out independent research and to complete an advanced research project under the supervision of a supervisor.

General competence

• Can analyse and judge the reliability of information obtained from different sources and has a sound critical attitude towards knowledge from all sources.
• Can apply the obtained knowledge to solve problems in natural sciences.
• Can accomplish some independent research and communicate the research questions and results in both written and oral forms.
• Can carry out knowledge-based evaluations of general problems in science and communicate this to the public.
• Can accomplish research projects under guidance, e.g. under a PhD-programme in molecular sciences, chemistry or related areas.

The Master Degree include topical coursework, where 20 ECTS are obligatory for all students admitted to the programme, and 40 ECTS are to expand on the student's chosen discipline and other special curricula (total 60 ECTS). The student will in addition work on a research project to complete an independent scientific dissertation (thesis, 60 ECTS).

The Master's candidates become members of one of the research groups at the Department, with an assigned thesis supervisor. The student is advised to contact potential supervisors already the first semester in order to start planning course work and the research project, which may be started the first year. A contract and a project description should be approved by the Department before the project work starts. Throughout the research project, the Master´s students may work closely in teams with Ph.D students, post doctoral fellows and senior scientists, and for some projects, local industry and enterprises.

Courses are taught as classes, some in combination with experimental laboratory exercises, and some purely through laboratory work. Canvas is used as the electronic learning portal in all courses. Various assessment methods are applied. Courses are assessed through oral or written exams, some through assessment of a laboratory or project report, and some as a combination of methods.

To achieve the learning goals, students are expected to work 40 hours per week on the project and courses, including lectures, lab and seminars.

A Master of Science Degree in Molecular Sciences can provide a stepping-stone for exciting careers in a variety of fields, in Norway or abroad. The fields of study are crucial in the development of new sources of renewable energy (e.g. biofuels, solar cell materials), new solutions for the treatment of pollutants and waste (e.g. biomass conversion), and new technological tools which improve the efficiencies and reduce the costs of industrial processes (e.g. design of novel biocatalysts). A Master's in Molecular Sciences from UiT is also well suited for work in the pharmaceutical industry or academia in topics related to life sciences and drug discovery and development.

A Master of Science Degree in Molecular Sciences provides the graduates with the qualifications to work as professionals in chemical or biotechnology industries, or to apply for Ph.D. programmes in relevant scientific fields. The scientific computing projects can also qualify the graduates for positions in computational modelling and data handling and analysis, software development or high-performance computing. The programme is also relevant for students who wish to strengthen their knowledge about chemical and biochemical processes, in order to apply it in fields such as medicine, biology, geology, material science, nanotechnology, pharmacy and environmental studies.