M.S. Degree with a Major in Chemistry

The Department of Chemistry offers a program of study leading to the M.S. degree with concentrations available in the following areas of chemistry: analytical chemistry, biochemistry, chemistry education, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry. 

Degree Requirements

A minimum of 35 semester hours of credit is required for the MS degree. Chemistry 6975, 6980, 6981, and 6982 are required of all students.  Additionally, 9 to 15 semester hours of content courses are required, depending upon performance in placement exams.  A minimum of 6 hours of 6990 is also required for the degree.  Teaching assistants must register each semester for Chemistry 6976, 6977 or 6978 as assigned by the Department Chairperson.  For graduation, the student must achieve a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher in chemistry and must complete an acceptable thesis.

Content courses are those with specialized chemistry content, including the advanced and special-topics courses in the chemistry divisions. Fifteen s.h. of content courses are required, at least nine s.h. of which must be at the 6900 level. These and the electives (which may include additional credits in Chem 6990) are chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor.

Admission Requirements

In addition to the minimum requirements of the School of Graduate Studies, an applicant for admission to the M.S. degree program in the Department of Chemistry must present an undergraduate major in chemistry or the the equivalent.  Ordinarily, this entails the completion of at least a year's study of organic chemistry and a semester of physical chemistry.  In those cases where the undergraduate preparation is slightly deficient, the applicant may be admitted with provisional status with the approval of the Chair of the department and the Graduate Dean.

For further information, contact Dr. Tim Wagner, Graduate Program Director for Chemistry, or the School of Graduate Studies, whose site provides an admission application form in pdf format, or fill out an online request for information .

Assistantships

Applicants who intend to maintain full-time status may apply for a Graduate Assistantship. Assistants are typically assigned teaching duties in undergraduate laboratories and recitation sessions. Assistants are paid a stipend of approximately $11,300 for the year (including summer research support), with tuition charges waived. Assistantship application forms are available from the School of Graduate Studies.