Faculty of Life and Physical Sciences
Further Information
| Admission |
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The first intake for the program will be in July 2008. Applications for full time or part time study will be considered. |
| Prerequisites |
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A bachelor’s degree with honours in chemistry or equivalent. |
| Fees |
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Places are available to fee paying domestic and international students. |
| Contact Information |
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School of Biomedical, Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences Phone: +61 8 6488 3160 Email: AnalyticalChemistry |
Analytical chemistry provides the fundamental building blocks which underscore technological advancement, and provides an understanding and ability to determine the structure and composition of matter.
This understanding is paramount if new drugs are to be designed, new alloys, plastics and ceramics constructed to take us into the space age, if the purity of our food is to be assessed and if the quality of our everyday life is to be improved.
The Master of Analytical Chemistry program provides graduates with an understanding of not only the basic principals but also a detailed knowledge of the analytical techniques used in the laboratories of the 21st century.
Graduates will develop sufficient understanding of concepts to structure, design, develop and manage a laboratory, optimize laboratory throughput and to maintain the highest standards of client satisfaction and Good Laboratory Practice.
The course is specifically designed to address the needs of both the molecular (pharmaceutical oil, food) and atomic (mining, environment, metallurgy) centered industries and to have international relevance and acceptability.
Course structure
The course is tailored to address both commercial and research environments and to deal with data interpretation through a practical chemometrical and statistical approach.
This course will provide advanced training in the identification and quantitation of both elemental and molecular species. Detailed sample preparation and storage methods, together with approaches to quality assurance and control and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) protocols will be addressed. In addition, data interpretation through the application of relevant statistical and chemometrical protocols associated with both manual and LIMS based laboratory structures will also be detailed.
The course consists of two semester long units incorporating laboratory based research projects. Units may be taken in either order to facilitate mid-year entry. Each unit exposes students to either advanced molecular, or elemental analytical techniques and their application in modern analytical laboratories.
Students will be trained in analytical experimental design, data generation and interpretive protocols. Course topics are designed primarily to provide students with a deeper understanding of the use of equipment and its shortcomings and strengths and will examine hyphenated techniques for both classical organic molecular analysis and the analysis of organo-metallic compounds. Interpretive protocols, the use of databases and experimental design will also be covered in detail.
Career prospects
Graduates are equipped to occupy a diverse range of positions in government, research and the commercial sector. While the current boom in the resources sector is accelerating the need for appropriately trained inorganic analysts, the requirement for organic analysts in the pharmaceutical and food industries alone will ensure exceptional career prospects for graduates well into the future.
Satisfactory completion of the course will qualify graduates for membership of RACI (Royal Australian Chemical Institute) and could form the basis for postgraduate research in allied areas such as environmental science, forensic science, soil science, and water research.
