EXCHANGE STUDENT RESEARCH PROJECT
Many students coming to Ghent University like to participate in a research project. This is indeed a quite exciting task as it allows you to get familiar with real scientific research.
Usually such research involves 10-30 credits and means that you will be member of a specific research group. Naturally, this requires quite a lot of skills and is therefore only suited for students who finished already at least two years of chemistry.
A research project is a major undertaking and therefore can only be chosen after thorough discussion between a professor at Ghent University and one in your local university. It is therefore very advisable to establish this link as soon as possible after you decided to be an exchange student. Think about what specific area of chemistry you enjoy most and then contact the professor teaching this subject at your university and ask him if he knows a colleague in our university. You can then negotiate a research project. You may find it useful to see a list of available project areas here.
Any research project in the learning agreement should be agreed upon by a local professor at your institute and one at Ghent University. This way, we make sure that there is space for you in the laboratories and that we can provide a project that is useful upon your return to your local university!
If you choose to take a research project, you will need to fill in this form (Office 2007) or here (PDF). and have it signed by your local chemistry professor and his colleague at Ghent University. Note that it is your responsability to contact the Ghent professor and to ask for his signature. Forms not signed by both the local and Ghent professor are not accepted.
Like any course, research projects are also subject to an exam. This exam is very similar to the exam our local students take and involves two steps. First, at the end of your project you need to write a research report. Your promotor (the professor in charge of your project) will guide you in this matter. This report is then sent to two members of a small jury who read the report and will attend your oral defense. There you need to give a short presentation of your work and the members of the jury will have the opportunity to ask questions. Based on your report, quality of the oral presentation and your skill at answering the questions, you will get a mark that will also be officially communicated to your home university.
