Chemistry BSc

Institute of Chemistry

Key information:

• Duration of training: Full-time 3 years/6 semesters (180 Credits)
• Deadline of application: 30/June
• Starting date: 1/September (autumn intake only)
• Tuition Fee: 5000Euro/academic year (consists of 2 semesters)
• Non-refundable application fee: 140 Euro
• Head of the Institute and Program: Professor Dr Gábor LENTE

Why study Chemistry?

Chemistry is one of the scientific fields that joins almost all other sciences so it is very special and unique. It is usually called a central science simply because it has a close connection to physics and mathematics, biology and medicine, and the earth and environmental sciences, too.

Believe it or not, chemistry plays an active role in our everyday life and touches almost every aspect of our existence in some way. It has wide practical applications: it is inevitable for meeting our basic needs of food, health, energy, clean air, water, soil. Furthermore, it determines the clothes we wear or the houses we build. Chemical technologies give us new solutions to big issues such as health, materials, and energy usage: they can enrich our quality of life in numerous ways. Thus, studying chemistry is useful in preparing us for the real world.

Chemistry is also an intellectual enterprise providing explanations for novel phenomena. It is worth noting that the knowledge of chemistry is of great help in making intelligent decisions in your everyday life.

Chemistry is a highly international science. If you study chemistry, you will gain access to a worldwide network of professionals.

What do chemists do?

Chemists analyze substances and create or synthesize new substances. Chemists create models and test the predictive power of theories and measure the physical properties of substances.

Why study Chemistry at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Pécs?

Although some chemistry is involved in many other degree courses at the University of Pécs (for example, medical doctors, pharmacists, and biologists), the Chemistry BSc offered by the Faculty of Sciences offers the most comprehensive training of all significant fields of chemistry. A Chemistry degree (BSc, MSc, or PhD) obtained at the University of Pécs is recognized practically everywhere in the world.

Description of the program:

The Chemistry BSc program offers a full 3-year education in chemistry. The study program offers a complete education in chemistry, with specialization in inorganic, organic, analytical, environmental, and physical chemistry. Special courses cover instrumental analysis, advanced organic chemistry, and physical chemistry measurements. Courses for profound knowledge in mathematics, chemometrics, theoretical chemistry, and biochemistry complete the curriculum. The subjects are presented in lectures (theoretical background of the topics, with the aim to provide a wider view for chemical application), seminars with a discussion of the topics and practicing chemical calculations, and laboratory work. The students will familiarise their knowledge of the most modern instrumentation. The program requires the completion of 180 credits.

Admission requirements:

• Finished High school diploma
• Good grades in high school leaving examination/A-levels, especially in Chemistry and Mathematics
• Certified and translated (if originals are not in English) copies of school transcripts showing satisfactory completion of senior high school
• Demonstrated evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency – B2 intermediate level
• Medical certificate, vaccination card (showing that you are immunized against HEP B, C) and HIV test, and results of Chest X-ray
• Europass CV in English
• Motivation letter (introduction plus field of interest, etc.) in 3000 to 3500 characters
• Copy of valid passport or national ID
• The applicant must turn 18 years old or should be older by the day of enrolment to the current BSc study program
• Applicants must have some knowledge in the following fields: Atomic structure; atomic models, chemical bonds (ionic, covalent), hydrogen bond, compounds of main group elements, and some important transition metals (iron, copper). Saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons, aromatic compounds. Alcohols, phenols, halogenated hydrocarbons, aldehydes, carboxylic acids, and their esters. Compounds of biological importance (amino acids, carbohydrates, nucleic acids).

Entrance exam:

After you have submitted/uploaded all the required documents, a professor from the Institute of Chemistry will contact you to suggest a date for a Skype/VideoChat interview.

Typical questions that can come up during the interviews:

• Mention some alcohols and describe their most characteristic reactions.
• Define the terms constitutional isomers and geometrical isomers.
• Give the structure of an ester of glycerol and explain its physical properties based on structural features.
• Explain the term polarised covalent bond and give some examples.
• Characterize the Bohr and the Rutherford model. Mention some of their applications.
• Explain the structure of a dipeptide.
• Explain the geometrical shape of methane, ammonia, and water molecule based on their electron structure.
• Compare the bonding system of ethene, ethane, and 1,3-butadiene.
• Characterize the most important compounds of alkaline earth metals.

Modules:

• 1^st year
  • Fundamentals of Linear Algebra
  • Mathematical Analysis
  • General and Inorganic Chemistry
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Physics
  • Fundamentals of Chemistry
• 2^nd year
  • Probability Theory
  • General and Inorganic Chemistry
  • Physical Chemistry
  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Chemometrics
  • Chemical Experiments
• 3^rd year
  • Applied Chemistry
  • Structure Elucidation in Organic Chemistry
  • Mineralogy
  • Biochemistry
  • Coordination Chemistry
  • Problem Solving in Organic Chemistry
  • Thesis research

Future Education Opportunities:

• Chemistry MSc
• Biotechnology MSc
• later on Chemistry PhD

Famous Chemists

• Robert Boyle
• Antoine Lavoisier
• John Dalton
• Louis Pasteur
• Dmitri Mendeleev
• Alfred Nobel
• Marie Curie
• George von Hevesy
• György Oláh

And some famous people who have a close connection to Chemistry

• Alexander Borodin – Russian composer, doctor, and chemist
• John von Neumann - computer scientist, an outstanding mathematician, a chemical engineer
• Kurt Vonnegut - American writer, a chemistry major in college
• Isaac Asimov - American sci-fi writer, a chemistry professor
• Margaret Thatcher – former Prime Minister of United Kingdom, BSc in Chemistry
• Bud Spencer – born Carlo Pedersoli, an industrial chemist
• Pope Francis – born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a chemical technician
• Angela Merkel - Chancellor of Germany, PhD in quantum chemistry
• Helen "Lenochka" Sharman – the first British cosmonaut, PhD in chemistry
• Catherine "Cady" Coleman – American astronaut, PhD in chemistry
• Sherlock Holmes – consulting detective, member of the Royal Society of Chemistry