Program overview
Inorganic chemistry is the oldest and most fundamental branch of chemistry. Simply put, it studies all elements and compounds except hydrocarbons (organic). At the graduate level, you'll dive deep into atomic structure, chemical bonding, coordination chemistry, solid-state chemistry, catalytic mechanisms, and more. Core courses include Advanced Inorganic Chemistry, Coordination Chemistry, Bioinorganic Chemistry, Inorganic Materials Chemistry, and Crystallography. Lab sessions involve high-end instruments like X-ray diffraction, NMR, and mass spectrometry, with plenty of hands-on opportunities. This major suits students who are curious about the periodic table, love doing experiments, and are willing to spend time in the lab repeatedly testing hypotheses. If you have a solid foundation in high school chemistry and are interested in practical applications like materials, energy, and catalysis, inorganic chemistry will offer many surprises. Chinese universities are strong in this field—for example, Nanjing University, Peking University, and the University of Science and Technology of China have internationally leading research groups in rare earth chemistry, nanomaterials, and coordination catalysis. Many labs collaborate closely with industry, giving you exposure to the full chain from basic research to applied development.