Admission requirements, goals and competences
Admission requirements
Admission requirements for the Bachelor’s degree programmes in Chemistry and Molecular Life Sciences are briefly described below. For detailed information about registration and admission, please visit the Radboud University admission website. If after this you have any questions, please contact the student advisor.
Proficiency in English
The Chemistry programme and the Molecular Life Sciences programme are open to international students and will be taught entirely in English. Sufficient proficiency in English is part of the admission requirements. Students with a Dutch VWO diploma are considered to be sufficiently proficient. Details for other countries can be found on the admission website.
HBO Bachelor’s diploma
HBO students who have an HBO Bachelor’s in Chemistry (HLO) or HTS Chemistry or Chemical Technology are automatically admissible to the Bachelor’s programmes in Chemistry, Molecular Life Sciences and Science.
For HBO Bachelor graduates there is also the possibility to be admitted to a Master's programme in Chemistry via a pre-Master’s programme (30-45 EC).
For an admission via a pre-Master's programme to a Master's programme in Molecular Life Sciences, please contact the student advisor.
Goals and Competences
A Bachelor’s graduate:
1. knows the major types of organic chemical reactions/mechanisms and the main characteristics associated with them;
2. knows the principles of quantum mechanics and their application to the description of the structure and properties of atoms and molecules;
3. knows the nature and behaviour of functional groups in organic molecules;
4. understands the principles of thermodynamics and their applications to molecular life sciences;
5. knows the structure and reactivity of important classes of biomolecules and the chemistry of important biological processes;
6. understands the building of living cells, the biological function of cellular structures, components and biomolecules and the interactions between biomolecules in health and disease;
7. knows the properties and physiology of micro-organisms;
8. knows the principal techniques of biochemical and molecular genetic investigations;
9. is able to apply concepts from chemistry and physics, handle and derive formulas, do calculations, analyse and solve theoretical problems in the fields of organic and chemical biology, physical chemistry, thermodynamics, biophysics and spectroscopy;
10. has the capacity to apply mathematical knowledge, methods and techniques from linear algebra and calculus and use relevant software to solve mathematical problems, in the domain of the molecular life sciences;
11. can explain the relationships between structure and reactivity of molecules and apply concepts and theories in synthesis, catalysis, biochemistry and molecular biology;
12. has information-management competences, in relation to primary and secondary information sources, including information retrieval through on-line internet searches;
12. is able to execute (under supervision) simple scientific experiments in the various fields of molecular life sciences including analytical, physical and organic chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics and spectroscopy, test a hypothesis and analyse and interpret own experimental data in relation to data presented in literature and on the internet;
13. can resolve (under supervision) a pre-defined research question in the field of molecular life sciences into verifiable research;
14. is able to develop and execute (under supervision) a research plan in at least one of the domains of the molecular life sciences in which research question, hypothesis, experimental set-up and data analysis are described in relation to relevant literature;
15. has acquired skills in planning and time management;
16. demonstrates academic conduct by generating and recognizing creative ideas and recognizing limits of scientific knowledge;
17. is able to include safety, environmental, ethical, societal considerations that are intrinsically related to being active in the molecular-sciences domain in decisions;
18. can process, present and discuss results of learning and collected data, both orally and in writing;
19. can participate in multi-disciplinary teamwork and discussions with other people;
20. can reflect upon personal knowledge, skills, attitudes and functioning, both individually and in discussions with others;
21. is able to design and plan their own learning path including making a well-founded choice for a follow-up master programme or a position in the labour market.