WPAC-Eurocurriculum Analytical Chemistry – Advanced Studies 1995 An evaluation for the WPAC-Study Group Education

This paper describes the results of the 3rd Europe-wide enquiry of the Working Party on Analytical Chemistry (WPAC) of the Federation of European Chemical Societies (FECS) in the field of education of analytical chemists at university level. While the first enquiry launched in 1983/84 showed the importance of separate chairs in Analytical Chemistry for maintaining the quality of modern curricula in a rapidly changing world and the evaluation of the second questionnaire from 1989/90 was the basis of the “WPAC-Eurocurriculum”, this third enquiry (1995) was aimed at determining the impact that the WPAC-Eurocurriculum initiative has made on the “Advanced Study Schemes” in Analytical Chemistry at European universities 3 years after its announcement. From the 141 questionnaires evaluated, it could be clearly shown that the WPAC-Eurocurriculum is already well known and accepted at universities in Europe, but not yet sufficiently established. Institutions having the WPAC-Eurocurriculum already implemented, however show a more flexible, modern and application oriented approach to the advanced study programme in Analytical Chemistry than universities teaching in the old way. Received: 15 January 1996 / Accepted: 27 June 1996