About EACH

Why EACH?

The importance of chemical analysis for the society is very large and is increasing. Just some examples:

• It has been estimated that measurements and chemical analyses make up 4-6% of the GDP in developed countries, thus having enormous economic impact.
• Recent advances in genomics, proteomics and metabolomics all rely on high level instrumental analytical chemistry – chromatography, mass spectrometry, fluorescence, etc.
• Chemical analysis is one of the cornerstones of technological progress (supporting hi-tech product development and production), as well as, guaranteeing security (detecting drug residues, explosives, etc) and safety (detecting residual solvents in plastics, toxic gases in workplace air, contaminants in food or water, etc).

This international two-year joint master degree programme, EACH – Excellence in Analytical CHemistry, educates specialists in analytical chemistry well qualified to work in industry (food, pharmaceutical, materials, energy, etc) and chemical analysis laboratories (environment, food, health, etc) worldwide. EACH provides knowledge and skills in both fundamental and applied aspects of modern analytical chemistry.

The programme is taught by four universities: University of Tartu (UT, coordinator), Estonia; Uppsala University (UU), Sweden; University Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), France; and Åbo Akademi University (AAU), Finland. The language of instruction is English, but students will also learn to communicate in one of the languages of the countries involved.

The study programme has 3 study tracks:

All students spend the first study year at UT learning the fundamental concepts and skills of analytical chemistry, metrology in chemistry, and the quality and socio-economic aspects of analytical chemistry (in the framework of the UT’s Applied Measurement Science programme). The second year is oriented towards specific applications of analytical chemistry and is spent either at UCBL, UU or AAU. The particular strengths of the partner universities are:
– UU: organic analysis, separation methods and mass spectrometry, especially as applied to biological samples;
– UCBL: industrial analytical chemistry and process control;
– AAU: sensors, advanced analytical instrumentation and electrochemistry.
The complementary competences of the universities enable the students to acquire both fundamental knowledge and practical skills at the highest contemporary level. The EACH programme has well-established cooperation with a number of companies: Solvay, Sanofi, Axel’One, Neste, Servier, Recipharm, etc. Their active involvement via teaching courses and supervising internships ensures that EACH responds to needs in industry, including the newly emerging areas of analytical chemistry: nano-analysis, in vivo microanalysis, “omics”, process control, etc. This “practical touch” ensures good employment prospects of the EACH graduates. EACH is suitable both for the graduates of bachelor’s studies (or equivalent), and analytical chemists in industry and labs. EACH is distinguished from other analytical chemistry programmes by its strong emphasis on metrology (traceability, measurement uncertainty, etc) and on the socio-economic aspects of analytical chemistry (costs and legal implications of chemical analysis, climate, public security, etc).

On completion of studies double degrees are awarded. The first degree will be from UT: Master of Science (Excellence in Analytical Chemistry). The second degree will be one of the three:
– Master of Science (120 credits). Main Field of Study: Chemistry – UU
– Master of Physical and Analytical Chemistry (Industrial Analysis) – UCBL
– Master of Science (Technology), (Master’s Programme of Excellence in Analytical Chemistry) – AAU

Who should apply to the EACH programme:

• Graduates with Bachelor’ s degrees in physics, chemistry, materials science, natural sciences, engineering, technology or medicine
• Practitioners in analysis and measurement laboratories who are facing the fast development of analytical methods and new regulations (Quality systems, ISO 17025 accreditation, etc.)
• Personnel of laboratories, accreditation, certification and inspection agencies
• Quality managers in different industries