The Program
The Chemistry Department offers a Master of Science degree in addition to a dual degree BS/MS degree. This flexible program is designed for recent graduates and those holding positions in chemical industry, high schools and community colleges who seek advancement through further professional training. Attempts will be made to arrange schedules for those who must study part time. For students who are intent upon continuing their studies in a research-oriented graduate program, the curriculum offers the opportunity for both extensive coursework and high impact chemistry research project.. The master's program allows students to focus on a particular research area: Biological Chemistry, Green Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physical/Analytical Chemistry, or Chemistry Education.
Degree Requirements
GENERAL TIMELINE TO COMPLETION
Select requirement for more details.
| SEMESTER 1 | SEMESTER 2 | SEMESTER 3 | SEMESTER 4 | SEMESTER 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two courses | Two courses | Two courses | Finish research | Defend thesis |
| Choose advisor | Begin research | Continue research | Write thesis | |
| Thesis Committee | Literature seminar | |||
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Note: |
SELECT RESEARCH ADVISOR
Students are required to choose a research advisor within their first semester of enrollment in the Chemistry Graduate Program. In order to make an informed choice, students are required to speak with at least three chemistry faculty members currently conducting research within the department.
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RESEARCH
The master's program is thesis-based. All MS students conduct original research relevant to chemistry.
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SELECT THESIS COMMITTEE
Master's students must choose three faculty members from the Chemistry Department (including their research advisor as the chair of the committee) by the end of their first year.
The responsibilities of a thesis committee member consist of participating in the literature seminar the oral defense of the thesis.
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COURSEWORK (Complete 36 credits.)
CORE COURSE IN ALL CHEMISTRY DEGREES (One of these is required to be taken.)
While one of these courses is required to be taken for the Chemistry MS, both are allowed (and encouraged). If both courses are taken, one of them will count as one of the additional five required courses for the Chemistry MS.
CHEM 631 – Chemical Toxicology
CHEM 671 – Introduction to Green Chemistry
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CORE COURSES FOR THE MASTER'S DEGREE
A total of six graduate courses are required for the MS degree. Besides taking one core course (above) that is required for all chemistry graduate degrees, five additional courses must be taken. Any other Chemistry graduate courses are permitted. Of the five, up to two graduate courses are permitted to be taken outside the Chemistry Department with approval by the Graduate Program Director and thesis advisor. It is suggested that Chemistry MS students consider taking courses in their respective areas of concentration.
Biological Chemistry
CHEM 658 – Medicinal Chemistry
CHEM 680 – Physical Biochemistry
CHEM 681 – Medical Biochemistry
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Chemistry Education (take CHEM 641 and one of the others)
CHEM 641 – Chemistry and Biochemistry Education Research
Quantitative Methods: EEOS 611 (Applied Statistics) or BIOL 607 (Computational Data Analysis for Biology)
Qualitative Methods: HIGHED 752 (Research Methods in Higher Education: Qualitative Analysis) or PSYCLN 775 (Qualitative Methods in Clinical Psychology)
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Green Chemistry
CHEM 631 – Chemical Toxicology
CHEM 671 – Introduction to Green Chemistry
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Inorganic Chemistry
CHEM 611 – Inorganic Synthesis and Analysis
CHEM 612 – Inorganic Structure and Reactivity
CHEM 690 – Topics in Inorganic Chemistry
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Organic Chemistry
CHEM 621 – Synthetic Organic Chemistry
CHEM 622 – Physical Organic Chemistry
CHEM 658 – Medicinal Chemistry
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Physical/Analytical Chemistry
CHEM 601 – Thermodynamics and Kinetics
CHEM 602 – Quantum Mechanics
CHEM 661 – Analytical Instrumentation
CHEM 688 – Topics in Physical Chemistry
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ELECTIVE COURSES (Choose three from list.)
CHEM 601 – Thermodynamics and Kinetics
CHEM 602 – Quantum Mechanics
CHEM 611 – Inorganic Synthesis and Analysis
CHEM 612 – Inorganic Structure and Reactivity
CHEM 621 – Synthetic Organic Chemistry
CHEM 622 – Physical Organic Chemistry
CHEM 631 – Chemical Toxicology
CHEM 641 – Chemistry and Biochemistry Education Research
CHEM 651 – Spectroscopic Identification of Organic Compounds
CHEM 654 – Biological Chemistry
CHEM 658 – Medicinal Chemistry
CHEM 661 – Analytical Instrumentation
CHEM 662 – Applied Chemometrics
CHEM 666 – Electrochemistry
CHEM 671 – Introduction to Green Chemistry
CHEM 680 – Physical Biochemistry
CHEM 681 – Medical Biochemistry
CHEM 687 – Topics in Chemistry
CHEM 688 – Topics in Physical Chemistry
CHEM 689 – Topics in Organic Chemistry
CHEM 690 – Topics in Inorganic Chemistry
CHEM 696 – Independent Study
CHEM 697 – Special Topics in Chemistry
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EXTRA-DEPARTMENTAL ELECTIVES
Students may choose electives from external departments if they are relevant to their course of study and research. Students choose courses with the permission of the advisor and Graduate Program Director.
Biology Department
BIOL 614 – Advanced Cell Chemistry
BIOL 678 – Protein Chemistry and Enzymology
BIOL 679 – Protein Chemistry and Enzymology Lecture
BIOL 685 – Biomedical Tracers
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Physics Department
PHYSIC 601 – Electronic Instrumentation II: Digital
PHYSIC 612 – Electromagnetic Theory
PHYSIC 632 – Advanced Laser Optics (with lab)
PHYSIC 609 – Physics of Medical Imaging
PHYSIC 615 – Solid State Physics
PHYSIC 621 – Physics of Semiconductor Materials
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School for the Environment
EEOS 611 – Applied Statistics
EEOS 640 – The Chemistry of Natural Waters
EEOS 710 – Environmental Biogeochemistry
EEOS 715 – Isotope Geochemistry
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SEMINAR COURSES (Enroll in seminar every semester.)
CHEM 691 – Seminar I (fall)
CHEM 692 – Seminar II (spring)
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MASTER'S RESEARCH (Complete 8 credits.)
CHEM 699 – Master's Thesis
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TEACHING OR WORK EXPERIENCE
All students must acquire at least one semester of teaching or work experience in chemistry, subject to approval by the Graduate Program Director.
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PERIODIC GRADUATE STUDENT TEACHING AND RESEARCH EVALUATIONS
Teaching and research evaluations are completed by the department on a regular basis, to provide students with feedback on their responsibilities and degree progress. Evaluations of teaching quality are completed by instructional supervisors and departmental staff. Students and research advisors should meet regularly to set goals for research and to assess progress toward these goals. Progress on these is reported in the periodic research evaluations.
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LITERATURE SEMINAR
All students are required to prepare a presentation based on review of the scientific literature related to a selected topic of current chemical interest. The literature seminar must be completed within the first two semesters of matriculation.
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THESIS & DEFENSE
The master's thesis is based on original scientific work, conducted under the close supervision of a faculty advisor.
A private oral exam between the student and Graduate Committee will be held following the defense in order to establish the student's understanding of the research. Passing of the defense in conjunction with publishing the thesis through the Office of Graduate Studies will result in the awarding of the MS degree in Chemistry.
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Additional Chemistry Graduate Program Information
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