Sustainable Chemistry Justus Liebig University Giessen

Are you interested in science? Do you enjoy doing exciting lab experiments and do you already have a Bachelor’s degree in chemistry or a related subject? Do you want to play an active role in shaping a better future for our planet and all its inhabitants? Are you passionate about sustainability issues?

Then the MSc Sustainable Chemistry programme at Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) is the right choice for you. The international Master's programme combines all of the above. You will learn how to design chemical processes, products and methods so that they meet the requirements of sustainability. This means that environmental and social aspects such as resource consumption, energy efficiency, climate protection, health and safety are considered in the development and use of chemical products and processes.

The MSc Sustainable Chemistry is taught by internationally renowned experts in various areas of sustainable chemistry. The programme provides you with both theoretical and practical in-depth knowledge of chemical concepts of synthesis, analysis, and evaluation from a sustainability perspective. In addition to lectures and seminars, you will be involved in cutting-edge research projects at an early stage. On completion of the programme, graduates will have learned the following:

• fundamentals of sustainability and sustainable chemistry,
• advanced topics in inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry such as heavy metal-free synthesis and catalysis, photochemistry, electrochemistry,
• circular economy for chemical processes,
• chemical research in the context of sustainability.

Through the network of "DigiChem – creating a digital study environment for sustainable chemistry", together with the Universities of Padua (Italy), Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Zagreb (Croatia), the study programme also offers various opportunities for international exchange. Due to its international focus, the programme also offers national and global career opportunities. These are facilitated through international networking with partner universities and experts in the field.

The programme has a duration of two years and comprises 120 ECTS credit points. It starts in the first year with taught modules (comprising lectures, seminars, exercises) including compulsory and elective modules. Students can choose the elective modules according to their interests (Energy Materials, Sustainable Water Treat­ment, Sustainable Materials Chemistry, etc.). Likewise, soft skills (e.g. Scientific Writing and Data Dissemination) and professional skills (Innovation Management for Natural Scientists) can be enhanced.

The second year of the programme is entirely devoted to research work. Students are directly involved in the current research of the chemistry working groups. They learn about the latest developments in sustainable synthesis and materials development, right through to the recovery of critical resources. At the end of the programme, students complete the Master’s thesis.

Modules of the first year – taught modules

• Introduction to Principles of Sustainability
• MSc seminar: New Frontiers in Chemical Sustainability
• Chemical Concepts of Sustainability
• Sustainable Inorganic Chemistry: Criticality, Synthesis, Substitution and Recovery
• Sustainable Energy Technologies
• Circular Economy
• Sustainability of Organic Reactions: Principles of Green Chemistry
• Three elective modules – from chemistry or other subjects (see below)

Examples for elective modules

• Sustainable Water Treatment
• Sustainable Materials Chemistry: Energy Materials
• Innovation Management for Natural Scientists
• Risk and Quality Management
• and more

Modules of the second year – research modules

• Two research modules with lab work in a research group
• One laboratory project in sustainable chemistry
• Master's thesis

Applicants must hold a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry with at least 180 ECTS points. The previous studies must demonstrate a profile that complies with the "Empfehlungen der GDCh-Studienkommission zum Bachelorstudium Chemie an Universitäten". This is assessed by the examination board as part of the application and admission procedure.

Other courses of study may be accepted following a case-by-case assessment. 

The admission may include additional coursework of up to 30 CP, which must be completed within the first two semesters. These additional academic performances are not part of the Master's course.

Admission may be dependent on passing an entrance examination. Here, the skills and knowledge required for the Master's programme are examined based on the "Empfehlungen der GDCh-Studienkommission zum Bachelorstudium Chemie an Universitäten". The examination board executes the entry examination. Applicants will be given an examination notice of at least three weeks.

403 EUR (summer semester 2026, varies slightly with each semester)

The current semester contribution can be found here: https://www.uni-giessen.de/en/org/admin/departments/b/5/studoffice/sc.

• Partial scholarships for international students at JLU in the closing phase of their degree: Partial scholarships are possible for three to six months and range between 300 to 450 EUR per month. More: https://www.uni-giessen.de/en/international-pages/study/grants/closingphase

• DAAD scholarships for more equity and opportunity: Possible funding duration of one to six months, ranging from 300 to 450 EUR per month for students who face special challenges during their studies (a disability, a chronic illness, a refugee background, single parenting and those caring for close relatives in Germany). More: https://www.uni-giessen.de/en/international-pages/study/grants/equalopportunities

Career Service and special opportunities for international students: www.uni-giessen.de/en/faculties/research-centers/zfbk/career_services/

Founded in 1607, Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU), Germany, is a comprehensive university with a longstanding tradition which attracts around 25,000 students. JLU offers the full range of traditional and modern subjects with top-level teaching and research — extending from classical natural sciences, law and economics, social and educational sciences, linguistics and cultural studies to a unique selection of life science subjects such as human and veterinary medicine, agricultural, environmental and nutritional sciences and food chemistry. The leading personae who carried out research and taught at JLU include a number of Nobel Prize winners, such as Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (Nobel Prize for Physics in 1901) and Wangari Maathai (Nobel Peace Prize in 2004). Since 2006, research at JLU has received continuous funding from the Excellence Initiative schemes and the Excellence Strategy of the German Federal Republic and Federal States.

With around 94,000 inhabitants, Giessen has one of the highest student densities throughout Germany. Four higher education institutions with altogether 40,000 students provide a unique university-town atmosphere. The city offers plenty of leisure options for students, such as canoeing on the Lahn river, walks and picnics in its multiple green areas, cinemas with student concession tickets, the municipal theatre with a programme consisting of plays, opera and ballet as well as swimming pools and sports facilities, and a variety of pubs, restaurants and night life venues. The great thing about Giessen is that it's an easy place to navigate and, when the mood takes you, to escape into the picturesque surrounding countryside or the metropolis of Frankfurt am Main, which is about 60 kilometres away.