Master's Degree Programme
| About the programme Language: English (See language requirements) | Place of study: Aarhus | Commencement: August / September (See if this programme also offers a January/February start for international applicants). |
The two-year Master’s degree programme in Chemistry is designed for students who wish to gain an in-depth understanding of how chemical substances are synthesised, structured, and function, while developing advanced competencies within your chosen field of specialisation.
Possible areas of specialisation include environmental and atmospheric chemistry, development of new energy materials for sustainable technologies, structural characterisation of biomolecules and materials using NMR and X-ray methods, computer simulations, and development of theoretical models for predicting molecular properties.
With a Master’s degree in Chemistry, you will be qualified for a wide range of careers within research, development, teaching, communication, and consultancy. There are many career paths within the chemical industry, where you can work in pharmaceutical companies or in chemical production, contributing to the development of new products and the analysis of chemical reactions. You will also be qualified to communicate your knowledge of chemistry and to teach at upper secondary schools or higher education institutions.
You may also choose to continue within the world of research by pursuing a PhD programme. Read more about PhD studies at phd.nat.au.dk.
In this section you can learn more about the admission requirements relevant to the master's degree programme in Chemistry. Depending on your educational background and your qualifications, there are different ways to meet the admission requirements:
This section is relevant for you, if you have:
The two sections listed below are relevant only for students with a bachelor's degree from a Danish institution:
Below these sections, you can learn more about the English language requirement. You can also find out which ranking criteria we use to assess your application when prioritizing among the submitted applications.
If you have an international educational background, you must meet both the general admission requirement and the specific admission requirements:
You must have a bachelor's degree or equivalent that is comparable to a Danish bachelor's degree in both level and duration (180 ECTS).
For more information about how your bachelor's degree is assessed, please see the national database.
If you meet the general admission requirement, the university will continue on to assess whether or not you meet the specific admission requirements.
You can be admitted to the master's programme if the university assesses that your education has a level, scope, and content that corresponds to the academic requirements specified below.
| Subject area | Number of ECTS |
Inorganic chemistry The following subject areas must be covered:
| 15 |
Organic chemistry The following subject areas must be covered:
| 20 |
Physical/theoretical chemistry The following subject areas must be covered:
| 15 |
Structural chemistry The following subject areas must be covered:
| 10 |
| Total | 60 |
We cannot assess in advance whether your specific degree will meet the above requirements. Therefore, we recommend that you apply for the programme if you believe that you meet the academic requirements. In this regard, it is a good idea to compare your degree with the programmes that provide direct admission.
The following Bachelor's degree programme(s) from Aarhus University entitles you to an offer of admission to the Master's degree programme in Chemistry:
Bachelor's degree programme in Chemistry from Aarhus University
Please note that you must apply for admission to the Master's degree programme within three years of completing your Bachelor's degree programme.
Learn more about Legal right of admission.
Certain Bachelor's degree programmes from Aarhus University and various other Danish Universities have been determined to meet the admission requirements to this Master's degree programme in Chemistry:
If you hold a Bachelor’s degree from a non-Danish university, you must complete the appendix below and upload it to the application portal. The appendix helps the academic assessors with the assessment of your application.
Download appendix
All Master’s degree programmes at Aarhus University have limited intake. This means that you are not guaranteed admission even if you meet the entry requirements. When we prioritize among applicants, we assess your application based on a set of fixed ranking criteria, which you can see below.
If you have a legal right of admission, you are guaranteed a place in the programme and do not need to consider the ranking criteria.
Ranking criteria:
Grades from the qualifying degree
Grades achieved in relevant subject fields:
Chemistry
Mathematics
Physics
Statistics
Relevant subject fields (measured in ECTS). In this assessment, ECTS credits that are a part of the admission requirements described under ‘Other qualifying degrees’ are not included.
Chemistry
Mathematics
Physics
Statistics
In criterion three, the score is based on the proportion of subjects on the bachelor’s degree diploma that fall within the relevant subject fields. In this assessment, ECTS credits that are a part of the admission requirements described under ‘Other qualifying degrees’ are not included.
Please note that grades achieved after the application deadline are not included in the assessment.
From the summer admission of 2027, the ranking criteria will be as follows:
Grades from the qualifying degree
Grades achieved in relevant subject fields:
Chemistry
Mathematics
Physics
Relevant subject fields (measured in ECTS). In this assessment, ECTS credits that are a part of the admission requirements described under ‘Other qualifying degrees’ are not included.
Chemistry
Mathematics
Physics
In criterion three, the score is based on the proportion of subjects on the bachelor’s degree diploma that fall within the relevant subject fields. In this assessment, ECTS credits that are a part of the admission requirements described under ‘Other qualifying degrees’ are not included.
Please note that grades achieved after the application deadline are not included in the assessment.
In order to be admitted to this programme you must meet the university's English language requirements.
Students with bachelor's degree from Aarhus University with a so-called 'Legal right of admission' are exempt from the English language requirement.
Unfortunately, Aarhus University is not able to assess your qualifications beforehand. In order for your qualifications to be assessed you must apply for admission. To learn more, please go to Assessment of your qualifications.
The Master’s degree in Chemistry counts as 120 ECTS credits and mainly consists of subjects within the chemistry fields of study. You specialise by participating in course activities and projects and by writing a thesis. This thesis, completed during the final year of the programme, carries considerable weight.
You have considerable influence on how to structure your Master’s degree. You design and plan your individual study plan, including courses and your Master’s thesis project, based on your academic background and interests.
You can read more about the specialisation options on the study portal for Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry.
The academic regulations provide detailed information about the content of each course. You can also find an overview of the structure of the degree programme and the requirements you must meet as a student – including examination types and assessment criteria.
At both the Department of Chemistry and Aarhus University, the lecturers are active researchers, which means that you are presented with the newest research. You are also in close contact with the lecturers/researchers in a way that you rarely experience at other universities. The doors to the professors’ offices are always open if you need clarification of the study material, and you are encouraged to ask questions at lectures and during exercises. For our programme, there are heavy demands to your academic skills and independence. In return, however, you gain considerable benefits in the form of academic challenges and scientific knowledge, in addition to broad competences.
The teaching at the university focuses on independence, critical thinking and collaboration. Part of the teaching is in the form of lectures that introduce new angles to the material compared with the textbooks. The theoretical and practical exercises take place in smaller groups where you study relevant issues in depth. Depending on your choice of specialisation, your main forms of study and work involve laboratory work and the use of advanced experimental equipment, such as NMR and X-ray methodologies and computer modelling. The varied forms of teaching, collaboration in groups and the opportunity for close scientific dialogue with the researchers provide you with general competences that are in great demand in the global job market. These competences include abstract, critical and independent thinking, analytical skills and strategic planning. You can use these skills in many contexts – even in jobs you didn’t know you were qualified for.
As a student of Chemistry, you will become part of an active and welcoming study environment with a strong sense of community. You can take part in academic activities such as study cafés, where you can work on assignments and receive peer feedback, as well as a variety of social and professional events. You can, for example, join the student association @lkymia, which organises Friday bars and parties, or the Tutor Association (TKM), which is responsible for welcoming new bachelor students at the start of the academic year. There are also opportunities for student jobs related to science communication. You can become part of Kemishow, which uses everyday chemicals to perform spectacular and entertaining experiments, or join Besøgsservice, where you help organise visits from high school classes to the department and share your enthusiasm for chemistry and student life at Aarhus University.
You can follow the department and our students on Facebook and Instagram.
In Aarhus, almost one in five residents is a student – making it a vibrant city full of young people and opportunities tailored to student life.
When you start your studies in Aarhus, you don’t have to worry about finding a place to live. The city offers a housing guarantee for new students who are moving to Aarhus to begin their studies. The guarantee applies to all newly admitted students starting a degree programme in the autumn semester and ensures that you will be offered a dorm room or student apartment either before or shortly after the start of the semester.
-experienced, photographed and filmed by the students themselves.
With thousands of pictures #AUInternational, #AarhusUni gives insight into the everyday life as a student at AU; the parties, procrastination, exams and all the other ways you’ll spend your time at university.
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The chart shows the five most common types of work for graduates 1-2 years after finishing their degree. The data is derived from a survey made by Epinion for the Ministry of Higher Education and Science and Aarhus University in 2020.
With a Master’s degree in Chemistry, you will be qualified for a wide range of careers within research, development, teaching, communication, and consultancy. There are many career paths within the chemical industry, where you can work in pharmaceutical companies or in chemical production, contributing to the development of new products and the analysis of chemical reactions. You will also be qualified to communicate your knowledge of chemistry and to teach at upper secondary schools or higher education institutions.
You may also choose to continue within the world of research by pursuing a PhD programme.
