WELCOME TO THE COURSE
Dear students, welcome to the Master’s programme of the Department of Chemistry! We are looking forward in guiding you throughout your time under this programme. You will be part of a multidisciplinary environment, and will be taught and supervised by active researchers in Chemistry. My name is Jean-François Boily, and I am the director of the Master’s programme in which you have been accepted. Please do not hesitate in contacting me for information and guidance throughout your studies.
As a new student, you need to activate your user account (your Umu-id) approximately two weeks prior to the start of the semester.
With your user account you can:
If you are a new student, you will automatically receive a user account when you are admitted, but you will need to activate it for it to function properly. You will not be able to activate it until approximately two weeks prior to the start of the semester.
Install MFA for a more secure login
To increase security and reduce the risk of unauthorised access to your information or account, students must enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) to log in to various systems, such as Canvas and the Student Web.
I want to activate my user account and install MFA
If you are an exchange student or tuition fee paying student, you will receive an email with instructions on how to activate your account.
If you are having problems activating your account or logging in, please contact our Servicedesk. You will find answers to common questions, and can submit enquiries.
First, we wish to remind you to reply to your Notification of Selection Results at universityadmissions.se or antagning.se, so that you do not lose your place on the programme. If you have any questions, you are most welcome to contact us at any time. You will find our contact information at the end of this letter.
The first course of the programme is Biophysical-Chemical Concepts. The course starts August 31 with Professor Gerhard Gröbner.
You need to be registered for the course in the study documentation system in order to be able to follow the course and to get your results registered during the course. Registration on a course (and to the programme) will occur only if you are actually present at the first lecture of the course. If you are unable to attend the registration and introduction, you need to contact the study counselor in advance, or else you risk losing your place on the programme.
Covid-19 and campus based education
You are warmly welcome to Umeå University and the Chemistry Department. For this autumn, the University has been given the go-a-head to return to campus-based education, with disease preventative measures following the Public Health Authorities (Folkhälsomyndigheten) of Sweden.
These measures include in particular to stay at home if you are sick or are having any symptoms, apply social distancing and the protection of risk groups. Education can only take place in groups of a maximum of 50 participants and it should be possible to keep a distance of 1,5 meters between each individual. These recommendations mean that your studies will be affected in one way or another this autumn. However, course contents and programs will be intact and cover all aspects of the syllabus, and be given with high quality. After a spring with a closed campus, we are now better prepared for a semester with alternative teaching and examination forms.
Lectures will be given on campus but several lectures will be given remotely. We will also as much as possible take appropriate measures to enable students with symptoms to follow courses from home. Exams may be adapted to alternative forms (home exams) and we may have to schedule some activities during late afternoons or early evenings to follow the health recommendations on social distancing. Many laboratory exercises will be conducted on campus with smaller groups, but in some of the courses, the laboratory exercises will be replaced by other teaching forms. Currently Sweden has no recommendations for the general public to wear face masks. However, any recommendation may change over time by the current Covid-19 situation.
We want you to regularly read the university's website where we have up-to-date information on how Covid-19 affect your studies:
You as a student is urged to take personal responsibility to follow given recommendations including staying at home when sick or having any symptoms and applying social distancing when conducting your studies. Since teaching will partly be done remotely, it is important that you have a computer so that you can study from home.
We are doing our best to provide a safe and good study environment and are looking forward seeing you in Umeå this autumn. If you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Maria Jansson (maria.jansson@umu.se). Warmly welcome to Umeå and Sweden!
The recommended course order is given as follows.
Year 1
Biophysical-Chemical Concepts, 15 ECTS
Advanced Experimental Tools in Chemistry, 15 ECTS
Chemometrics, 7.5 ECTS
Computational chemistry, 7.5 ECTS
Optional course 15 ECTS
Year 2
Optional courses 0-30 ECTS
Degree project 30-60 ECTS
You have the possibility to specialise in Medicinal chemistry, Environmental chemistry or Biochemistry. The specialisation is determined by the choice of the free courses (at least 15 ECTS) and the field of the degree project.
A degree project within the main area of Chemistry is included in the programme and can be started when the prerequisites in the syllabus are met. In the thesis work, which comprises 30, 45 or 60 ECTS, the student shall apply the knowledge acquired during the study period. The work must deal with a specialization in the field of chemistry. The work shall be reported in English, both orally and in a written "Masters’ thesis" report/essay. A part of the requirement in the degree project is also to act as opponent on a degree project presented by another master's student. The degree project is carried out individually.
If you are in need of special support due to disability, you should apply for that in good time before you start your studies. Find more information on support for studying with disabilities at:
It is not allowed to be in the laboratory or perform laboratory work in the lab if you are pregnant. Please contact the responsible teacher if you are pregnant when the course begins.
Checklist for admitted students
Follow this simple list of things to complete your enrolment at Umeå University. It includes: how to secure housing, getting a residence permit (for citizens from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland), tuition payment (if applicable), travel directions and more.
The Student web
The website for current students has all sorts of information about services, support, legal and practical matters at Umeå University. You can sign in to the learning platforms, see your schedule and course overview, get a study certificate, apply for a degree or sign up for an examination.
Recommended arrival times
International students are recommended to arrive at least a few days before the start of the regular semester, preferably prior to the Orientation. If you fail to arrive on time, you have to contact the study counselor as soon as possible, but no later than one week ahead of the course start, or you may not be able to register for the programme or course.
If you will have student housing through the Housing Office at Umeå University you will receive information about your arrival in your offer of housing.
Don't forget - Umeå has cold winters, so pack accordingly with a warm jacket, warm shoes, gloves and hat.
Orientation
Moving to a new country with an unfamiliar language, culture and customs can be a challenge. We would like to help you and ease that challenge so that you can focus on your studies. Therefore, we would like to offer you the possibility to take part in our Orientation, which begins a few days before the start of the semester (Autumn) or the same day as the semester starts (Spring).
Welcome Fair
Are you a new student at Umeå University? Visit the Welcome Fair – a perfect opportunity to learn what our university and Umeå can offer. The fair normally takes place in the beginning of each semester.
Get your UmU card
When you are on Campus Umeå, Umeå Arts Campus or Campus Örnsköldsvik, you will need a UmU card. The card has the following functions:
To get the card, you need to apply for it. Here’s how to apply for the UmU card.
Join a student union
There are three student unions at Umeå University:
They are actively involved so that fellow students have a high quality of education, good working environment, and fun leisure time.
Access to Microsoft Office 365
Students at Umeå University have free access to the programmes of Microsoft Office 365. This means that you have access to Teams, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Whiteboard Forms, your student email and other services which can facilitate your studies and your collaboration with other students. To access Office 365 you need to activate your UmU-id.
Learn more about Office 365 and how to install it on your computer