Journal of Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 57, No. 1, 2002, pp. 89–90. Translated from Zhurnal Analiticheskoi Khimii, Vol. 57, No. 1, 2002, pp. 99–100. Original Russian Text Copyright © 2002 by the Editorial Board.
IN THE SCIENTIFIC COUNCIL ON ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY OF THE RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
Recommendations of the Commission on Teaching in Analytical Chemistry of the Scientific Council on Analytical Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences for the Content of Specialization in Analytical Chemistry With the aim of optimizing the training of specialists when changing over to new curricula (State Educational Standard-2000), the Commission on Analytical Chemistry Teaching of the Scientific Council on Analytical Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences recommends graduating departments of classical universities (and other higher educational institutions) that offer specialization “Analytical Chemistry” within the framework of the specialty 011000-“Chemistry” (onelevel training system, qualification of “chemist”) to introduce a set of special courses unified for all the universities of the Russian Federation that reflects the fundamental approach to the subject traditional for classical universities. This set comprises the following special courses: (1) Introduction to Analytical Chemistry (its place in the system of sciences, practical importance, system of methods, history, geography, principles of analytical service, equipment, literature, instruments, etc.), 5– 10% of total study hours allocated for the courses of the specialization; (2) Spectroscopic Analysis Methods (atomic emission, atomic absorption, spectrophotometry, luminescence, and, if possible, X-ray spectral analysis), 20– 25%; (3) Electrochemical Analysis Methods (direct and indirect potentiometry, voltammetry, and coulometry), 15–20%; (4) Separation and Preconcentration Methods (mainly, various versions of chromatography and other methods), 20–25%; (5) Analysis of Particular Samples (including environmental samples; the theory of sampling and general problems of sample preparation should occupy an important place in this course), 15–20%; (6) Metrological Principles of Analytical Chemistry, 10%. Additionally, it is recommended that 10–15% of total study hours should be allocated for other special courses at the department’s discretion, which can be either traditional or important from the viewpoint of regional interests. These courses can be required or elective for students. Among other special courses, the course of analytical service (that includes considering
its structure, functions, creation problems, standardization of analytical procedures, certification of samples, accreditation of laboratories and organization of their work, etc.) seems to be most important. If a graduating department has no corresponding specialists for reading lectures and conducting seminars on the special courses indicated above, the Commission recommends that the universities enter into bilateral association agreements that include reading lectures by experts from one university at the other; exchange of curricula and tutorials on the special courses; and arrangement of the probation of teachers, postgraduate students, and students at an institution where the special courses are taught at a higher professional level. The Commission recommends branch higher educational institutions that offer specialization in analytical chemistry to use an applied approach to the training of analysts associated with understanding specialization as professional training tailored for a given field of future work of the graduates. This approach is also suitable for classical universities of the regions where no analysts are trained according to their demands. In this case, in addition to the required special courses listed above, it is recommended to introduce the following interrelated courses into the curricula: (1) Management of Analytical Laboratory (including legal, economic, administrative, and psychological aspects); (2) Analytical Instruments, Reagents, and Reference Samples; (3) Certification, Unification, and Standardization of Analytical Procedures; (4) Analysis of specific (technological, agricultural, forensic, etc.) samples (in this course, in addition to general problems, the potentialities of different methods in the analysis of samples of a special group and in the determination of the corresponding quality indices should be emphasized). In the case of a lack of time, some courses can be introduced into the curricula as elective and regional courses provided by the State Standards. In the regions lacking highly specialized analysts, it is recommended that they should be trained through the
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RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMISSION ON TEACHING ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
system of extra professional education with or without giving a qualification (Normativnoe obespechenie dopolnitel’nykh professional’nykh obrazovatel’nykh programm dlya polucheniya dopolnitel’nykh kvalifikatsii [Guidelines of Extra Professional Education Programs for Extra Qualification], Moscow: MADI, 2000. The Commission recommends classical universities that use an applied approach to the training of analysts to submit proposals to the University Methodological Association (Scientific Methodological Council on Chemical Education) about the registration of a new specialization “Chemical Analytical Service” with further training of these specialists for the region within the new specialization. The recommendations of the Commission are based on an analysis of problems of teaching analytical chemistry at some higher educational institutions of Russia
with regard to the state of the art in analytical chemistry as a science, the level and outlook of the development of analytical service in Russia, and the experience and traditions of leading Russian universities. The recommendations were discussed and approved at the 26th session of the Scientific Council on Analytical Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which was held in Zvenigorod, February 25–March 1, 2001 and were approved at the plenary session of the Council on Chemistry of the Teaching and Methodological Association of Russian Universities on October 18, 2001.
Commission on Teaching Analytical Chemistry of the Scientific Council on Analytical Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences
JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
Vol. 57
No. 1
2002