What are you studying at IQS?
Em dic Oriol Rojas i soc de Cabrera de Mar, un poble prop de Barcelona. He estudiat el grau en Química i estic cursant el Màster en Química Analítica. Actualment, estic realitzant el TFM sobre l’anàlisi de compostos emesos pels materials utilitzats per vitrines temporals en museus.
What would you highlight about the program?
In general, both for the degree and the master’s degree, I am very satisfied with the practical approach and the large number of internships carried out at IQS. Specifically, the master’s practices, since they are very oriented to problems that you could find in all types of industries, such as pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics…
Why did you choose IQS?
Firstly, I chose to take the degree at IQS because of the laboratory teaching hours, the good reputation it represents and the professional opportunities it can offer. Once I finished my degree, I joined the IQS Chromatography Department for an internship where I did an internship in the IQS Tech Transfer technical services, performing analysis by industry. I wanted to continue my master’s studies at IQS, since the master’s degree in analytical chemistry had very sophisticated equipment that I would not have been able to use in other places and also because I already knew a lot about the university environment and made me want to extend my studies.
Secondly, we must highlight the scholarships offered by IQS for people who have completed the degree and want to continue their studies with the master’s degree, since in my case it made it much easier for me to continue studying. Thanks to this scholarship I was able to do an internship at Lluch Essence, a fragrance and essence company, which helped me discover new fields of application of analytical chemistry that I was unaware of.
Thirdly, during this last year of the TFM I have been able to participate as a teaching assistant in the chemistry-physics laboratory of the pharmacy degree. It has been a very enriching experience that has reaffirmed my desire to continue with research and has opened the possible door to teaching.
What skills are you acquiring thanks to this Master’s degree?
With the master’s degree I acquired many different skills, since you work in many areas because tomorrow you never know where you will end up working. Thanks to this, by doing internships in companies, I was able to see that many tools developed during the degree are really very useful in the world of work. The skill that I would highlight the most is how to undertake a chemical analysis and, if you do not know how to do it, have the tools to find out how to solve it.
What would you say to a student who wants to study IQS?
I would tell a student who wants to study IQS that if they like to spend hours in research and in the laboratory, this is undoubtedly the master’s degree for them. I would also tell you to take advantage of the opportunities that IQS offers to do internships in companies, since you can make many contacts that are very necessary for your professional future.