The Chemistry Program of Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology was officially approved by the China Ministry of Education in early 2022 and conducted the student recruitment in the same year. The chemistry discipline of the Technion is strong. In the past two decades, three in-service professors have won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, namely Aaron Ciechanover (2004), Avram Hershko (2004) and Dan Shechtman (2011). The Schulich Faculty of Chemistry also has a number of interdisciplinary projects, including materials engineering, chemical engineering, physics, food engineering, etc., and undertakes more than 100 research projects supported by the chemical industry, national, and international funds, which may provide sufficient teaching and scientific research strength and resources.

Figure 1: Three serving professors at the Technion have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (left: Aaron Ciechanover, center: Avram Hershko, right: Dan Shechtman (2011))

1. Program Positioning

The science of chemistry overlaps with a diverse set of fields, such as physics, mathematics, biology, medicine, and environmental sciences. Chemistry is sometimes referred to as the central science because it connects so many aspects of modern science. Acquiring knowledge on the properties of chemicals and on chemical processes can give a deep understanding of biological processes or the physical properties of materials.

Figure 2: Chemistry is the Central Science

As in the Technion and in most renown universities, the Chemistry program will host and provide academic support to several research facilities which offer specialized services to researchers working in various fields, as well as to external customers. These research facilities will be made available for use of all GTIIT researchers, and also for other universities and local industry.

2. Talent-cultivation Goal

Chemistry is the science of substances, their properties, structure, and of chemical reactions. The fundamental laws to which these transformations are subject is also a major part of Chemistry. The aim of the program is to provide students with a solid knowledge of all the subfields of chemistry and to build a solid foundation in the supporting fields of physics, mathematics and biology. The Chemistry program includes theoretical and practical training courses in organic, inorganic, analytical, and physical chemistry.

A Bachelor of Chemistry is a degree granted to students studying chemistry, including obtaining basic knowledge of structures, compositions, properties of substances and their changes. Areas of employment for a chemist include academic research institutes, chemical enterprises (for the production of plastics, synthetic fibers and fabrics, fertilizers, etc.), educational institutions (schools, technical schools, institutes, universities),  medical institutions (hospitals, pharmaceutical industry), central factory laboratories and control stations; food industry enterprises, pharmaceuticals, petroleum, polymer, perfumery and others industries. In addition, chemists are employed in environmental protection agencies, and in numerous start-up companies that require chemical input to the development of their product. Chemistry graduates can also continue studying to make a career in chemistry as scientists.  

The graduates are expected to have the following skills:

· Master the basic knowledge, theories and lab skills of chemistry.

· Master the basic content of mathematics, physics, biology and other related disciplines required by the study program.

· Master the basic methods and means of chemistry research or chemistry design, development, inspection, production, etc., and have the initial ability to discover, propose, analyze and solve problems in chemistry and related disciplines.

· Master the essential computer information technology, and have the ability to obtain, process and use the knowledge of chemistry and other related disciplines.

· Cultivate systematic and coherent disciplinary thinking, which can initially form a relatively broad disciplinary vision among the main disciplines of chemistry and even related interdisciplinary disciplines.

· Have a broad international vision and cross-cultural communication, competition and cooperation capabilities.

· Have the same language proficiency required for studying in universities in English-speaking countries.

3. Cultivation Scheme

This is a four-year program in Chemistry. It is designed to provide a strong background in all branches of Chemistry, as well as a solid foundation in the complementary fields of Physics, Mathematics and Biology. Following the corresponding program of the Technion, students of the Chemistry program are required to complete 159.5 credits in four years. Generally students will complete the 124 credits required in the first 3 years including 96 credits of mandatory courses, 20 credits of recommended elective courses, 6 credits of enrichments courses and 2 credits of free elective courses. On top of this students are required to complete 19.5 credits of courses in Year 4 (semester 7-8), including 3 credits recommended elective courses and 3 credits of internship. The curriculum includes theoretical knowledge and practical teaching.

Students must complete 16 credits of MOE courses in order to receive a bachelor's degree in Chemistry of GTIIT. All courses are taught in English except MOE courses.

Students will be granted GTIIT B.Sc and the Technion B.Sc. degrees when fulfilling the credit requirements. 

4. Course Curriculum

The courses studied in the first two semesters provide strong foundations in mathematics, physics and computer science, as well as the basics of chemistry. The next semesters are used to broaden knowledge in the different branches of chemistry – physical and theoretical, organic, inorganic and analytical. In the last two semesters the students may deepen their studies according to their interests. They may choose their lecture curricula from a variety of electives courses given by members of the Chemistry program and may also attend approved courses at other academic programs at GTIIT. The curriculum is also composed of basic and advanced laboratory work and offers participation in short research projects.

Please refer to Chemistry Curriculum for details.

5. Faculty Team

The faculty team of the program is complete, including several teaching and research experienced teachers directly dispatched by the Technion, as well as professional teachers recruited by the Technion according to its academic standards. All faculty/teachers were educated in internationally renowned universities, and the teaching and research personnel or lab technicians who undertake the teaching tasks of chemistry basics and professional knowledge are all have a chemistry education background, and have a wealth of teaching experience and research experience background. Prof. Israel Schechter, the Program Head, has made outstanding achievements in the professional field. He has rich experience in teaching, scientific research and management in the Faculty of Chemistry at the Technion. He served as the President of the Israel Analytical Chemistry Society and the head of the Israel Laboratory Accreditation Authority.

Please visit our directory of academic team for details.

6. Teaching Conditions

It is equipped with teaching laboratories, including basic chemistry laboratory, organic chemistry laboratory, physical chemistry laboratory, analytical chemistry laboratory, inorganic chemistry laboratory and so on. These laboratories are fully open to students from other programs who need to take chemistry lab courses. Students will receive necessary practical training through participating in scientific research projects, internships, etc.

Figure 3: GTIIT Chemistry Laboratory