This MSc will help you to build your subject knowledge of Chemistry while also enhancing your ability to communicate science, with a focus on writing for scientific publications or communication in the media.
You will gain a Master’s level education in technical chemistry modules and develop key research skills by completing a project in one of our world-class research groups, using state-of-the-art synthesis and equipment.
By the end of the course, you will possess advanced chemical knowledge and also the ability to effectively communicate often complex scientific concepts to others, preparing you for a career in research, scientific writing, science education or science communication.
Core modules
Writing focused scientific articles and reports
This module is intended to allow you to develop and demonstrate your capacity to communicate scientific concepts through writing short, focused scientific articles. It will facilitate engagement with a variety of audiences and the use of a range of strategies to describe scientific procedures, summarise and disseminate findings, write reviews, and formulate effective instructions. It also aims to develop critical thinking and peer review skills.
Writing extended scientific articles and reports
This module provides a genre-based focus on academic scientific papers. Through a focus on models of professional writing, it explores particular features of science papers such as how to reference to the literature, where and when to outline the methodology, and how to present results and conclusions. An integral part of this approach is for participants to bring along samples of their own writing (e.g. lab reports or research articles). Students will be asked to provide critiques and action plans, as well as to engage in peer reviews.
Communicating Science to different audiences
This module aims to help you to communicate your research findings accurately and concisely to different audiences. The main focus is on how to communicate in print, radio and TV to non-scientific audiences, but the skills will translate across to your research reports and presentations. It is based on a 3-day non-residential course (but including 1 evening) at Warwick and BBC Coventry and Warwickshire which will consist of a variety of seminars by experts in the field.
Transferable Skills
22-week Research Project
Optional modules
Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules may include:
- Frontier Techniques in Analytical Science
- Microscopy and Imaging
- Electrochemistry and Sensors
- Chromatography and Separation Science
- Mass Spectrometry
- Magnetic Resonance
- Polymer Synthesis
- Advanced Polymer Synthesis
- Colloid Science I and II
- Physical Properties of Polymers and Nanocomposites
- Advanced Molecular Pharmacology
- Advanced Computational Chemistry
- Advanced Biophysical Chemistry
- Advanced Chemical Biology
- Advanced Medicinal and Biological Chemistry
- Electrochemistry and Nanotechnology
- Energy
- Synthetic Chemistry I (Organic)
- Synthetic Chemistry II (Metallo-organic)
- Synthetic Chemistry III (Macromolecular Chemistry)
