M.Sc. in Chemical Sciences Programme

Programme Structure

The M.Sc. in Chemical Sciences is a 40 unit programme comprises of a blend of core and elective content courses, plus a hands-on R&D project.
The MSc programme comprises (1) a set of core courses covering topics in Chemistry & Society*, Industry Practices in Chemistry, Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship in Chemistry and a Capstone research project and (2) elective courses grouped according to key areas of chemistry : analytical methods, medicinal chemistry, polymer and materials, sustainable chemistry and cheminformatics and molecular modeling.
To fulfil the graduation requirement, the student has to (1) read and pass all the core courses and (2) read and pass any elective courses to complete a combined total of 40 units of study.
Doing it full-time, you would be able to complete the course in one year from August to July the subsequent year.
*CM5102 Chemistry in Society is no longer offered from AY2025/26 intake onwards.

(1) Compulsory research project (8 units)

CM5100: M.Sc. Project
• Students will perform independent research project in one semester in the broad area of chemical science under the close supervision of a faculty member
• Some projects may be co-supervised with industry partners

CM5192: Capstone Project
• Part 1 is a hands-on lab training covering syntheses, characterization and computational modelling to equip students the necessary laboratory skills and chemical knowledge to embark on a capstone project (part 2).
• Part 2 is a capstone project where students work in groups under a themed project with a Supervisor. This capstone project will impart students with the experience of how to proceed with doing research.

(2) Compulsory Core Courses (4 units each)

CM5103: Industrial Practices in Chemistry
An appreciation of principles and practices of the chemicals industry, including regulatory and business landscape, is vital preparation for entry to industry. This course covers the essential aspects in: (i) Industrial Safety; (ii) Environmental Protection and Regulation; and (iii) Industry Overview of five selected sub-sectors in: (a) Petrochemicals, (b) Specialty Chemicals, Materials & Polymers, (c) Pharmaceuticals, (d) Medical and Bio Technologies, (e) Electronics and Advanced Manufacturing, (f) Sustainable Solutions, (g) Analytical Instrumentation, and/or (h) Chemical Consultancy Services. The Overview will be delivered by company executives/industry experts, covering respective industry status & outlook, business overview, key innovations and emerging trends.

CM5104: Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship in Chemistry
Intellectual property (IP) management, together with technology innovation and entrepreneurship culture are key pillars to support innovation in chemicals businesses. This course covers the essentials of: (i) IP Management, covering IP, NDA etc, commercialization, and value maximization strategies; (ii) Patent Analytics, covering patent database searches, analysis, and essential IP knowledge in chemicals patents; (iii) Technology Innovation and New Product Development, covering technology forecasting, R&D management, and new product introduction methods and systems; and (iv) Corporate Entrepreneurship, covering principles and case studies.

(3) Elective Courses (4 units each)

Choose any courses from a basket of chemistry level 5000 electives.

Course Code	Course Title	Units
Elective Courses – students must complete a combined total of 40 units (with core courses)
CM5299 (new)	Professional Internship – self sourced (from Sem 2 AY2024/25)	4
Analytical Sciences
CM5237 (updated)	Advanced Optical Spectroscopy and Imaging	4
CM5241	Modern Analytical Techniques	4
Sustainable Chemistry
CM5151	Energy Storage and Conversion Chemistry	4
CM5211	Contemporary Organometallic Chemistry	4
CM 5232	Topics in Chemical Kinetics	4
CM5244	Advanced Environmental Chemistry	4
Medicinal Chemistry
CM5221	Advanced Organic Synthesis	4
CM5223	Topics in Supramolecular Chemistry	4
CM5224	Emerging Concepts in Drug Discovery	4
CM5225	Asymmetric Catalysis	4
CM5274 (new)	Organic Synthesis: Theory and Practice (from Sem 1 AY2024/25)	4
Polymer and Materials Chemistry
CM5212	Crystal Engineering	4
CM5263	Advanced Inorganic Electronic Materials	4
CM5268	Advanced Organic Materials	4
Cheminformatics and Molecular Modeling
CM5231 (New)	Artificial Intelligence in Chemistry (from Sem 1 AY2024/25)	4
CM5235	Applied Computational Chemistry	4
CM5239	Cheminformatics	4

*Note that some courses appear in two key areas as they are relevant and important to both areas.