Q & A
Specialisation in chemistry
WORLD OF CHEMISTRY: At the laboratory of the Department of Applied Chemistry, Cochin University of Science and Technology.
I am a graduate in chemistry and wish to know about the higher study options in specialised subjects in chemistry, especially industrial chemistry. Which are the universities or institutes offering Masters programmes in these subjects.
MATHEWS K.M.
EMAIL
Meritorious graduates in chemistry can opt for integrated Ph.D. or Masters degree programmes in chemistry. Specialisation is available in several areas, including analytical, organic, inorganic, industrial, applied, pharmaceutical, textile and polymer chemistry. One should try to secure admission to leading national level institutes like the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the like.
Studying industrial chemistry in a university may not be as good as studying it in leading national level institutes, which lay emphasis on research. Most universities offer Masters degree courses in chemistry, but not all of them offer all the specialisations mentioned above. To be involved in research and development in an industry, one will need a doctoral degree, which would offer the best job prospects in the scientific field.
Prominent institutes
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore and IITs are the prominent institutes providing higher study opportunities. IISc offers exciting opportunities for first-class B.Sc. holders in chemistry who are keen on pursuing advanced research in the frontier areas of chemical sciences leading to Ph.D. Each year IISc admits 12 students to the integrated Ph.D. programme in the chemical science stream. The programme consists of flexible course work, internship and laboratory training, which enables students to acquire basic experimental skills and familiarise themselves with advanced techniques of research and to take up a research project to demonstrate attainment of a high degree of scientific ability followed by advanced research leading to a Ph.D. thesis on a specific topic.
Selection is based on one’s performance in an all-India level entrance test and interview conducted by IISc. In Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram will be a test centre.
Selected students will be awarded monthly scholarships for one year, which is renewable subject to satisfactory academic performance. The IISc admission notification can be expected during January every year and the academic session commences in August. More details can be obtained from the web site www.iisc.ernet.in.
•Satyendra Nath Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Salt Lake, Kolkata – 700 098 offers a post B.Sc. integrated Ph.D. programme in chemical sciences. Total number of seats: 10. For more details visit www.bose.res.in or www.lacs.res.in.
•Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai – 400 005 also provides research opportunities in chemistry for exceptionally talented and motivated students. ( www.tifr.res.in)
•Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore – 560 064 ( www.jncasr.ac.in) offers opportunities for bright and motivated students to conduct research leading to an integrated Ph.D. in chemistry. Meritorious chemistry graduates are eligible for admission.
IITs
The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) conduct the Joint Admission Test (JAM) for M.Sc. programmes in different disciplines, including chemistry. Admission is open to all Indian nationals. IITs at Madras (35 seats), Bombay (25), Delhi (35), Guwahati (25), Kanpur (27) and Roorkee (36) offer M.Sc. programme in chemistry. IIT Kharagpur offers an M.Sc.- Ph.D. dual degree in chemistry.
Minimum eligibility for admission to these programmes is a Bachelors degree with chemistry as a subject for three years or six semesters. Students should have studied mathematics at the Bachelor’s degree level. Those who have secured at least 55 per cent marks for B.Sc. (50 per cent for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes communities) are eligible to appear for JAM.
Test centres under the South Zone include Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Coimbatore, Chennai, Thiruchirapalli and Bangalore. JAM notification can be expected during November or December every year. For JAM- 2009, one can apply till January 22, 2009. For more details and online application facilities visit http://jam.iitkgp.ac.in.
Common core courses are offered during the first three semesters.
The chemistry department of IIT Madras offers a computational chemistry programme that familiarises students with software applications related to chemistry. In the second year, students do research in the areas of their choice. The project will prepare the students to take up a Ph.D. programme or jobs in sophisticated high-tech laboratories. ( www.iitm.ac.in)
Specialisation
Several colleges and universities offer chemistry as general subject at the postgraduate level. At the same time chemistry encompasses several specialisations or subdivisions such as analytical, organic, inorganic, industrial, applied, pharmaceutical, polymer, textile chemistry and so on. Some colleges and universities in the country offer courses in these specialised subjects.
M.Sc. industrial chemistry is very rare. Alagappa University, Karaikudi – 630 003 offers this course.
In Kerala
Cochin University of Science and Technology offers M.Sc. in applied chemistry and hydrochemistry. B.Sc. holders in chemistry, polymer chemistry, environmental chemistry, industrial chemistry and petrochemicals are eligible for admission to the applied chemistry course. They should also have studied mathematics as one of the subsidiary subjects and scored at least 55 per cent marks in the main subjects.
Graduates in chemistry with at least 55 per cent marks are eligible for admission to the M.Sc. hydrochemistry course. Ph.D. study is also offered.
•University of Kerala and its affiliated colleges offer chemistry, polymer chemistry, analytical chemistry and applied chemistry courses at the Masters degree level. All these courses are equivalent to M.Sc. chemistry. Eighty per cent of the syllabus covered is the same as that of M.Sc. chemistry.
•Department of Chemistry, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram offers M.Sc. chemistry with three elective branches—inorganic, organic and physical. Graduates in chemistry with high marks are eligible to get admission. Research facilities leading to Ph.D. are also available.
•Department of Biochemistry, University of Kerala, offers M.Sc. biochemistry course. Graduates in chemistry and biochemistry with good marks are eligible for admission. Research facilities leading to Ph.D. are also offered.
•School of Biosciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, conducts an M.Sc. biochemistry course. B.Sc. holders in chemistry or biochemistry with at least 55 per cent marks are eligible for admission.
•School of Chemical Sciences of M.G. University conducts M.Sc. courses in chemistry (organic, inorganic, physical, polymer). B.Sc. holders in chemistry who have studied physics and mathematics as subsidiary subjects and secured at least 55 per cent marks for Part III optional subjects are eligible for admission.
•School of Chemical Sciences (Department of Chemistry), Kannur University, offers M.Sc. chemistry (material science). Entry qualification is B.Sc. chemistry with at least 50 per cent marks for Part III main.
•School of Health Sciences, Kannur University, offers M.Sc. courses in medical biochemistry, medical microbiology and medical laboratory technology. B.Sc. degree holders in any of the biological subjects or chemistry, who have secured not less than 60 per cent marks, are eligible for admission. Selection is based on an entrance test and academic merit in the qualifying examination.
•Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Elamakkara, Kochi – 682 026 offers M.Sc. medical biochemistry. Meritorious graduates in chemistry or biochemistry are eligible for admission.
Outside Kerala
•School of Chemical Sciences, University of Madras, offers M.Sc. in analytical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry and physical chemistry.
•School of Life Sciences, University of Madras, offers M.Sc. in advanced biochemistry and biochemistry.
•All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi – 110 029 offers M.Sc. biochemistry.
•Christian Medical College, Vellore offers M.Sc. biochemistry.
•Alagappa University, Karaikudi – 630 003 offers M.Sc. in industrial chemistry, textile chemistry and electrochemistry.
•Pondichery University, Puducherry – 605 014 offers M.Sc. in biochemistry and molecular biology; and chemical sciences.
•University of Bombay, Mumbai, offers M.Sc. in analytical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry and physical chemistry.
Those who complete M.Sc. with good marks (55 per cent and above) can go for Ph.D. programmes.
Final-year M.Sc. students can appear for the University Grants Commission-Council for Industrial and Scientific Research (UGC–CSIR) Junior Research Fellowship or lectureship examination and the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering. Those qualifying these examinations are eligible for pursuing research with fellowship.
Job prospects
For those who have higher qualifications in chemistry, job opportunities exist in research and development institutions; and industries related to textiles, petroleum products, rubber and plastic products, cosmetics, drugs and fertilizers. Ph.D. holders are eligible to get job as chemists, scientific officers or scientists in chemical laboratories. Job opportunities are also available in food manufacturing industries; detergent and paint companies; pollution control boards; scientific research institutes or laboratories; healthcare sector and so on.
GOPAKUMAR KARAKONAM
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