Master in Chemistry at the Interface with Biology and Materials Science

The Master is a full-time degree aimed at providing a multidisciplinary scientific and technological education in chemistry and its interface with functional materials and cell biology. Students will be exposed to a leading international research environment, and will have the opportunity to acquire the necessary practical skills and knowledge to start a research path, by enrolling in a PhD programme, or to pursue a successful career in different industrial sectors (chemistry, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, nanotechnology, among others).

The Master in Chemistry at the Interface with Biology and Materials Science is a 90 ECTS programme organized in 5 areas (modules), which are distributed in 3 semesters. The program ends with the completion and defence of a final Master's Research Project (30 ECTS), which will take place before a research group belonging to the CiQUS.

Modules - Credits

• Module I: Structural Characterisation 12 ECTS, compulsory
• Module II: Biological Chemistry 6 ECTS, compulsory, 3 ECTS, optional
• Module III: Functional Materials 6 ECTS, compulsory, 6 ECTS, optional
• Module IV: Reactivity and Synthesis 6 ECTS, compulsory, 6 ECTS, optional
• Module V: Research 148 ECTS, compulsory

including an Introductory Research Project (15 ECTS, to take place at CiQUS or a partner research institution or company) and the final Master's Research Project (30 ECTS), to take place at CiQUS.
Additionally, students can opt for a maximum of 1 optional course (3 ECTS) from other Master programmes.

Core Programme
TYPE - ECTS Credits

• Compulsory 148
• Optional 12
• Master's Research Project 30
• Total 90

1 Including the Introductory Research Project (15 ECTS)

Semester 1
The programme consists of 9 compulsory courses: 4 courses for Module I; 2 courses for Module II, 2 courses for Module III and the "Tutored Training Activities" course included in Module V. The compulsory courses of Module IV will be taught mainly during the first semester although one of the two courses will extend to the second semester.
Semester 2
Students will take 4 courses (12 ECTS) to be chosen among the optional courses offered in the study plan. During this semester, students will also conduct, within the Module V, the compulsory course "Introductory Research Project" (15 ECTS). This course offers students the opportunity to have some degree of mobility by spending time doing an internship and/or going abroad to conduct research in a different institution. Alternatively, they can develop their initial project in a research group at the CiQUS.
Semester 3
During this last semester students will complete the final Master's Research Project (30 ECTS) within a CiQUS research group. Students will have to work independently on a research project in the fields of Chemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, or Materials Science. Students are expected to implement the knowledge and multidisciplinary skills acquired after studying modules I-IV and develop general skills related to the ability to solve problems, decision making and critical analysis of data. At the end of this course, students will write a final scientific report to be defended in an oral presentation.

The aim of the master's degree courses is for students to acquire advanced training of a specialised or multidisciplinary nature, for academic or professional specialisation or to begin research work.

In order to access the master's degree courses at the USC, one of these conditions must be met:

• You must have an official graduate degree.
• You must have an official Spanish university degree –graduate, architect, engineer, engineer or technician, architect or technician, undergraduate or any other equivalent official degree–.
• You must have a degree issued by a higher education institution of another State in the European Higher Education Area that allows access to master's degree courses in that country.
• Those who hold a degree issued by a higher education institution in a country outside the European Higher Education Area can access postgraduate studies if they meet any of the following requirements:     
  • They have a degree issued by a foreign university that is validated or declared a Spanish degree that allows access to postgraduate studies.
  • They have a degree issued by a foreign university, outside the European Higher Education Area, without validation, provided that it is previously certified that said university degree accredits a level of education equivalent to that of the Spanish undergraduate degree and that it authorises access to postgraduate studies in the issuing country.

The USC may set specific requirements and merit assessment criteria for access to each master's degree. 

USC, the Ministry of Education, Xunta de Galicia and other administrations and foundations support various programmes and grants to promote access to university studies, as well as mobility grants, grants for complementary training courses or internships or the provision of prizes for research work or educational innovation.