Students who wish to enter the M.S. program should have a baccalaureate degree in a life, physical, mathematical science, or engineering, including one year of physics; one year of general chemistry; one year of physical chemistry; mathematics consisting of either three semesters of calculus or two semesters of calculus and one semester of differential equations; and four courses in other areas of chemistry at the 300-400 level. Students deficient in these requirements may satisfy them after admission, but the courses may not be taken for graduate credit and must be approved by the Graduate Program Committee after consultation with the department faculty in the student's primary area of interest. These deficiencies must be satisfied with a grade of C or better during the first two semesters of enrollment in the program. University Honors students who graduate from Northern Illinois University with a baccalaureate degree in chemistry or a related area are guaranteed admission into the M.S. or Ph.D. program (with acceptable scores on entry tests for the latter) as space permits.
The background examination in general chemistry is required at the time of entering the program during the orientation weeks in January and August. All students must pass this exam with a normative score of 50% in order to hold a TA appointment in the department. Students failing to pass the exam must attend general chemistry lectures (CHEM 210 or CHEM 211) during their first semester, then retake the general chemistry examination at its next offering. Failure to pass the exam the second time will result in termination of the student's TA appointment.
The student must fulfill all requirements for the M.S. degree within five consecutive years from entry into the program.
Check departmental information for any additional requirements.
The student learning outcomes for this degree are located at http://www.niu.edu/assessment/clearinghouse/outcomes/index.shtml.

