Findamental and Applied Chemistry

Profession

Master’s course “Fundamental and Applied Chemistry” represents a variety of research areas in the field of fundamental and applied chemistry and is focused on education of Masters of Chemistry able to use contemporary methods of synthesis and research of compounds and materials of various natures, capable of scientific, practical and teaching activity. The course is intended to provide necessary skills for successful work in the contemporary scientific environment, as well as for professional activity in the scientific, teaching, and organizational and managerial fields.
Graduates who have completed the course can work in scientific and educational organizations, laboratories of chemical, biochemical and pharmaceutical chemicals industry, and as researchers in scientific and educational organizations. With the acquired competencies and qualifications graduates can also work in other professional fields, including the fields of research and development, deployment of chemical products for various purposes, meteorology, certification and technical quality control of raw materials, intermediate goods and final goods, including the goods of the pharmaceutical industry, toxicological studies, as well as optimization of existing and development of new technologies, methods and methodologies for production and analysis of new materials and substances.

Educational Process

The course is designed for the development of skills for successful work in a contemporary scientific environment, as well as general professional and specialized professional competencies required for professional activity of a chemist in a research area connected with application of chemical phenomena and processes.
The compulsory part of the syllabus includes training in fundamentals of chemistry and active research work.
Degree-granting departments under this program are Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Department of Organic Chemistry and Department of Physical and Colloid Chemistry of the Faculty of Science (the RUDN University). Career-based disciplines of the program corresponding to the chosen trajectory of studies ensure high quality theoretical and practical training of students, together with research conducted in the following modules:
— Organic chemistry;
— Inorganic chemistry;
— Physical chemistry.
Practical training and scientific research are conducted in educational and research laboratories of the degree-granting departments and partner universities, which are equipped with modern instrumentation and analytical equipment.
During the studies students take following career-based disciplines:
First year of study:
— Current tasks of modern chemistry;
— The Foreign language in professional activities of a master student;
— Experimental research methods in chemistry;
Electives:
— Organic chemistry;
— Inorganic chemistry;
— Physical chemistry.
Second year of study:
— Current tasks of modern chemistry;
— The Foreign language in professional activities of a master student;
— Experimental research methods in chemistry;
Electives:
— Organic chemistry;
— Inorganic chemistry;
— Physical chemistry.
A significant amount of time is devoted to research activity of the student and teamwork of researchers. The studies are accomplished with master’s thesis defense.

Practice

Research and pre-diploma internships are meaningful opportunities for graduate students to try themselves as research chemists. Internships included in the curriculum are held using scientific laboratories and centers of The Joint Institute for Chemical Research:
— scientific center “Crystal Chemistry and Structural Analysis”;
— scientific center ”Cluster of streamlined synthesis of natural compounds”;
— scientific center “Microwave-assisted Organic Synthesis”.
Students of the master’s program actively take part in grant-funded research. Cooperation with leading universities of Russia is used extensively in terms of joint research projects. There is an opportunity for international cooperation and education abroad. The Chemistry Departments of the faculty actively cooperate with the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry of University of Bari (Italy), where biological activity of synthesized compounds is studied, with The Institute of Medicinal Chemistry (Madrid, Spain), School of chemistry of Cardiff University (UK), Department of chemistry of The University of Utah (USA), Karpov Institute of Physical Chemistry, The Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg (Germany).

Career

The course graduates work as assistants and researchers in scientific and educational organizations, laboratories of chemical, biochemical and pharmaceutical enterprises, organizations and companies involved with production, analysis, quality control and deployment of chemical products, in research institutes, in pharmaceutical companies and enterprises, as well as chemical and technological departments of plants and factories. Acquired knowledge can be applied in ecology, agricultural sector and in the field of processing and certification of edible and medicinal plants. Furthermore, chemists with a master’s degree can teach in schools, universities or colleges.
Over 80% of the graduates pursue their career in foreign universities and institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) (in postgraduate courses of the Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry of the RAS, A.V.Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis of the RAS, Utah State University in the USA etc.); laboratories of research centers which conduct research in the fields of chemistry, biochemistry, geochemistry, petrochemistry, ecology and pharmacy (Hemacore Ltd., Testing Laboratory “Alba-test”, “Krka-farma” Ltd., “Procter&Gamble”, D. I. Mendeleev Institute for Metrology, Moscow State Unitary Enterprise Mosvodokanal, Mass Spectrometry Consulting Ltd. etc.); research and analytical labs of various enterprises (SERDIX pharmaceutical plant, Pfizer Ltd., Bayer AG etc.); institutions of higher and secondary vocational education (the RUDN University, Russian State Agrarian University — Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy, Moscow State Academy of Public Utilities and Construction, Denis' School).