When you apply for the ChIR you are automatically applying for an Erasmus Mundus studentship for its edition starting in the following year, provided you submit your application before the deadline for Erasmus Mundus studentships.

Each year the period for Erasmus Mundus applications is typically between November and February. Applications submitted after the February deadline are not eligible for Erasmus Mundus funding, in which case you must provide alternative sources of funding to cover the program fees, travel and living costs.

All countries of the world can be defined either as "Partner Country" or "Programme Country", depending on their participation in the Erasmus+ Programme. Erasmus Mundus students who are nationals of Programme countries receive different grant amounts relative to Partner Country students.

Programme countries are the countries which can participate in all the Erasmus+ actions, i.e. the Member States of the European Union (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden), Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Turkey, Serbia and North Macedonia.

Partner countries are all the other countries of the world.

Students who have worked or lived in a Programme Country for more than a total of 12 months within the past five years are considered Programme Country students, regardless of their nationality.

A Joint Diploma is the final certificate of conclusion issued by the Universities of the consortium offering a Joint Degree. It is one single document that is valid in all countries of the consortium.

A Joint Diploma is considered much more valuable than a traditional single diploma, because:

- it is automatically recognized in more than one country;
- it is proof of a high quality degree that is only possible using the resources of more than one university;
- it represents the future of Higher Education.

All students successfully completing the ChIR programme are awarded a Joint Diploma issued by the University of Algarve, the University of Bologna and the University of Barcelona. The Joint Diploma is accompanied by a Diploma Supplement, detailing all information about the program and credits gained.

A Joint Degree is a program which was developed by a consortium of two or more Higher Education Institutions.

Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees are integrated and require mobility. Integrated means that all the universities of the consortium assume equal responsibility for the students taking the course, regardless of the institution where the classes take place. Mobility means that all students must visit at least two different countries during their studies.

Integrated programs use the resources of all the consortium universities and explore synergies between them to build much richer courses, that would be impossible in one university alone.

Mobility, in particular international mobility, allows students to contact, live in and learn different cultures, which gives them social and human skills that are invaluable in a global economy.

The ChIR program is designed to provide additional education or training in your specialized branch of knowledge. The minimum requirements for admission to the ChIR are:

1) Strong Academic Background in appropriate disciplines

A "strong academic background" in appropriate disciplines means candidates must hold a high education diploma issued by a competent High Education authority attesting the completion of a degree equivalent to a 1st cycle (180 ECTS credits), in a field where chemistry plays an important role. This may be a degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Environmental Sciences, etc.

2) Demonstrated command of the English language

A "demonstrated command of English" means the candidate must prove he/she can understand, speak and write English proficiently enough to take the majority of modules, which are taught in English.

Possible examples include:

- Test of English as a Foreign Language, TOEFL scores paper 575 / computer 232
- Internet based TOEFL (TOEFL iBT™ ) total score 94
- International English Language Testing System, IELTS scores 6.5
- General Certificate of Education, GCSE, AS Level, A Level
- Cambridge Proficiency Certificate, CPE, Level 4-5
- Oxford Higher Certificate, International Certificate Conference (ICC Stage 3 Technical)

It is not mandatory to present an official test of English language for the application. Instead, you may take the self-test included in the online application. A minimum classification of B2 is required in all fields.

In case of selection, accepted candidates who only took the self-test may be interviewed. The interview will have the objective of confirming the self-test of English proficiency presented in the application.

3) Adequate financial resources

When you apply there is no guarantee that you will be considered for an Erasmus Mundus studentship so you should be fully aware of the financial costs of the programme. All candidates must take the financial aspects in consideration when applying. The studentships are extremely competitive and only the very best students in a field of many excellent applicants will be awarded the studentships.

Yes. To be accepted in the ChIR you must have completed your first degree before you register for the start of classes, which is in October. You must apply for an Erasmus Mundus grant one year in advance, so you may apply before you complete your degree.

Just don't forget to make this clear in your application. On the online application form:

- state clearly in the Personal Statement section when you expect to complete your studies;

- in the place of your degree diploma, upload a detailed transcript of records with all your grades obtained so far, translated in English or another language of the Consortium (Portuguese, Spanish or Italian).

When you register in the ChIR Moodle, a message with a username and password is sent automatically to the email address you provided, from noreply@emmcchir.net with the subject "ChIR Applications: account confirmation".

If you have not received this email:

- check that the email address you provided is correct and valid;
- check that you completed the registration page by clicking "create my new account";
- check your email spam filter for any message from noreply@emmcchir.net

For application purposes, the online form MUST be filled in English, but the EMMC-ChIR consortium will accept documents from applicants in any language of the consortium: English, Catalan, Spanish, Italian or Portuguese. This applies to the documents to be uploaded in the application form: diplomas, certificates, ID, etc. If these documents are in a different language than the ones above then a translation must be provided.

Only if you are selected will you be required to provide a copy of your previous diploma, either certified with the Haya Stamp or translated and certified by an European consulate..

The language for teaching and assessment in ChIR is English. To be eligible for the course, you must demonstrate you have a command of English sufficient for reading materials, understanding classes, communicating with the lecturers and your colleagues and writing assignments.

You can prove your English proficiency by taking a standard international English proficiency test. Some examples are described under "Minimum Admission Requirements", here.

If you have another type of certificate, for example attesting that the main language in your previous education was English, you may include it in your application in the same manner.

You may upload these certificates in stage 3.1 of the online application form.

If you do not have a certificate, your evaluation will only be done based on the self-evaluation English proficiency test provided in the online application form, under stage 3.2. In case you are selected, an interview may be arranged to assess the trueness of your self-evaluation.

The ChIR application form allows only uploading one file per field. You may nevertheless need to upload several files. For example, you may wish to upload both a pdf of your original Diploma and an additional file with its English translation. You may do so either by merging them.
There are many ways to merge several pdf documents into one. If you are not sure how to do it, you may do a google search on "how to merge pdf documents" to find some ways of doing it online, for free.

International mobility is intrinsic to the ChIR structure. The program is designed to allow you to experience different international environments and learn from them. The exceptional circumstances of the COVID19 pandemic, however, may prevent students and lecturers from travelling. Under such circumstances, the Consortium will activate its mechanisms for online learning so that you may follow the classes remotely. Also, Erasmus Mundus grant-holders who are prevented from traveling due to COVID19 measures may still be funded while studying remotely.