General description

The Master’s degree in chemistry and business studies builds on the Bachelor’s degree program. During their studies, Master’s students specialize in one of the areas offered by the Departement of Chemistry at the University of Zurich.
At the same time, students also attend modules, seminars and lectures in the field of chemistry and business studies. The structure of the Master’s degree program is flexible in terms of length; students are required to earn a total of 90 credits and the program usually takes three semesters. The Master’s dissertation is ideally written in collaboration with the industry. The Master of Science in Chemistry and Business Studies gives students the opportunity to specialize in a direction of their choice and provides them with the skills necessary to work in research and development.

Admission requirements

A Bachelor's degree in “Chemistry and Business Studies” from the Faculty of Science of the University of Zurich exempt the holder from having to pass any further examinations for admission to the Master’s degree course. With a corresponding Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry the holder will have to fulfill additional requirements in form of evidence of academic achievements from Business and Economics for admission to the Master’s degree course.
Qualifications from other universities or universities of applied sciences are assessed by the Faculty according to its own criteria. In these cases, the Faculty decides about admission to the Master’s degree course and the possible fulfillment of additional conditions in form of evidence of academic achievement.

Branch of studies

Chemistry

Educational goals

Graduates from the MSc Program in Chemistry and Business Studies have

• an in depth theoretical understanding of concepts in Chemistry and Business Studies, which enables them to understand complex chemical and economic systems, as well as the areas where they intersect.
  
• experimental skills in Chemistry acquired during practical trainings.
  

Depending on the type of master’s thesis, these skill will be further improved.

• a deepened understanding of the current forefront of research in one specific field of Chemistry or Economics and Business Administration.
  
• competencies in a specialized area of research and are able to conduct independent research such as would be required for a PhD
  
• the subject-specific qualifications necessary to work as a chemist MSc or to teach Chemistry as their first teaching subject at Upper Secondary Schools (Sekundarstufe II)and they have the skills in Business Studies necessary to work in various business-focused areas of industry.
  

Career possibilities

The study program chemistry and business studies provides graduates with a practical education that opens up a variety of employment opportunities.
There are particularly interesting positions at the intersection between research and marketing, development and production, and in strategy departments. There are also numerous opportunities in controlling and consultancy for graduates of the program.
Product managers, sales managers, production managers, project managers, plant managers and business development managers all work in the realm between the natural sciences and economics.
Thanks to their unique combination of knowledge, graduates of chemistry and business studies are particularly in demand at start-ups and SMEs, where one manager usually takes on more than one role.
Scientists with business training are also needed on numerous committees in politics and public administration.

ECTS credits

90 ECTS Credits

Degree

Master of Science UZH in Chemistry and Business Studies

Program structure

Compulsory modules include Chemistry and Business Studies (4 ECTS Credits). Of the core elective modules studied within the Faculty of Science (MNF), 10 ECTS Credits must be earned from practical courses and lectures. At least 12 ECTS credits of elective modules must come from courses within the Faculty of Economics. The Master's thesis combined with a research lecture (max. 9 months) and the Master's exam (total 55 ECTS credits) are the final components of the program.

Part-time studies

Part-time study is possible thanks to the modular structure of the course.
However, this will increase the length of the course. It is very important that a precise, individual plan for part-time study be discussed in advance with the academic advisor responsible.

Major/minor subject combinations

The Master's study program in Chemistry and Business Studies 90 can be taken as a single major or be combined with a minor study program 30 at Master's level.

Examination and assessment regulations

The student's achievement is assessed at the end of each module.
Achievements are graded on a scale from 1 to 6, whereby 6 denotes the highest grade of achievement and 1 the lowest. A grade below 4 is insufficient.
Achievements can also be graded with 'passed' or 'failed'.

Language of instruction

German, English