MSc Chemistry

The University of Fribourg's Master of Science in Chemistry is a research-led, English-taught programme of 90 ECTS over three semesters, with an extended 120-ECTS option, 'Chemistry, Communication and Innovation', that adds transferable skills in science communication and innovation. In the first year you choose four modules from advanced organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, advanced synthetic tools, advanced inorganic chemistry, materials, polymers and industrial chemistry. Around half of the programme is laboratory work: synthesising compounds, characterising their properties and determining unknown structures. The final six months are a master's thesis inside one of the Chemistry Department's research groups, which work closely with the Adolphe Merkle Institute on soft and bio-inspired materials.

For Sri Lankan chemistry graduates from Colombo, Peradeniya, Kelaniya, Sri Jayewardenepura or Ruhuna, Fribourg offers a Swiss research master's at a public-university fee of under CHF 2,000 a year, well below UK or Australian equivalents. Switzerland's pharmaceutical and chemical industry (Roche, Novartis, Syngenta, Lonza, Firmenich and Nestlé's research centres) is one of the densest in the world, and the department reports that more than half of its master's graduates continue to a PhD, often funded as salaried doctoral positions. The main cost to plan for is Swiss living expenses, not tuition.