With a chemistry master's degree, you’ll be able to solve scientific problems with agility and accuracy. Conduct research specific to your field of interest as you develop skills that translate to infinite career opportunities. With an emphasis on leadership, many graduates excel in leadership positions in dynamic fields such as sustainability, public policy, lobbying, sales, government, imaging science, space exploration, medicine, and much more.

The MS degree in chemistry is offered on a full- or part-time basis. The program is designed to fill the needs of the traditional student or the practicing chemist who is employed full time and wishes to pursue a graduate degree on a part-time basis.

The School of Chemistry and Materials Science has research- and teaching-oriented faculty, as well as excellent equipment and facilities that enable full-time graduate students to carry on a program of independent study and develop the ability to attack scientific problems at the fundamental level. The research can result in either a thesis or a project report.

• A unique degree valuable for professionals in teaching, military, and other careers.
• Gain experience operating all lab instruments and have unfettered access to use our labs for research or projects.
• Recent student research projects explored synthetic approaches to Targeted Molecular Imaging Agents (TMIAs) and the side effects of vaping and e-cigarettes.

Chemistry Master's Program

Together with an advisor, you will choose courses to create a customized curriculum that best meets your interests, needs, and career aspirations. A deliberate effort is made to strengthen any areas of weakness indicated by the undergraduate records and the placement examinations.

The chemistry master’s program consists of the following requirements:

1. A minimum of 30 semester credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree.

Courses in chemistry consist of core and focus area courses. Core courses are designed to increase your breadth of chemical knowledge, while focus area courses increase depth. Core courses include four semester credit hours in Graduate Chemistry Seminar and one credit hour in Chemistry Writing (CHEM-670). Focus area courses are chosen to address the you career goals and any undergraduate deficiencies in chemistry. Focus area courses must be at the graduate level and are chosen in consultation between you and your graduate advisor. Focus area courses outside of chemistry are acceptable provided they are approved by your graduate advisor.

The program offers two options: a thesis or a project. Concentrations are available in organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, polymer chemistry, materials science, and biochemistry. Customized concentrations are available to accommodate specific student interests and needs relating to graduate study in chemistry.

2. Research

Ten semester credit hours of research are required with the thesis option. If you opt for the project option, four semester hours of project research are required.

3. Capstone

If enrolled in the thesis option you will be expected to complete an independent research thesis and pass an oral defense. Typically, all requirements are met within two years. While enrolled in the project option you will have numerous ways of satisfying the capstone requirement for their project. These include but are not limited to conference presentations, papers, journal articles, patents, and seminars.

Equipment and Resources

The School of Chemistry and Materials Science has modern instrumentation in the areas of spectroscopy (NMR, IR, UV-vis, fluorescence, atomic absorption, fluorimetry), chromatography (gas chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, etc.), mass spectrometry (high-performance lc- and gc-mass spectrometry and electrospray mass spectrometry), and materials characterization (rheometry, thermal gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, hot-stage microscopy and contact angle goniometry).

Chemistry (thesis option), MS degree, typical course sequence
Course    Sem. Cr. Hrs.
First Year
CHEM-670    Graduate Chemistry Writing    1
CHEM-771    Graduate Chemistry Seminar I    1
CHEM-772    Graduate Chemistry Seminar II    1
CHEM-790    Research & Thesis    5
     
Graduate Chemistry Focus Courses
12
Second Year
CHEM-773    Graduate Chemistry Seminar III    1
CHEM-774    Graduate Chemistry Seminar IV    1
CHEM-790    Research & Thesis    5
     
Graduate Chemistry Focus Course
3
Total Semester Credit Hours    
30
Chemistry (project option), MS degree, typical course sequence
Course    Sem. Cr. Hrs.
First Year
CHEM-771    Graduate Chemistry Seminar I    1
CHEM-772    Graduate Chemistry Seminar II    1
CHEM-670    Graduate Chemistry Writing    1
     
Graduate Chemistry Focus Courses
12
Second Year
CHEM-773    Graduate Chemistry Seminar III    1
CHEM-774    Graduate Chemistry Seminar IV    1
CHEM-780    Chemistry Project    1-4*
     
Graduate Chemistry Focus Courses
9-12*
Total Semester Credit Hours    
30
* Students must complete at least 1 semester credit hour (sch) of CHEM-780, but may elect to take up to 4 sch of CHEM-780 in place of one (1) Chemistry Focus Course.

Chemistry Focus Courses
Course    Sem. Cr. Hrs.
CHMA-621    Advanced Instrumental Analysis Lab    3
CHMA-650    Separations and Mass Spectroscopy in Biological Chemistry    3
CHMA-670    Advanced Concepts of Environmental Chemistry    3
CHMA-711    Advanced Instrumental Analysis    3
CHMA-725    The Magnetic Resonance Family    3
CHMA-740    Practical NMR    3
CHMA-750    NMR Spectrometer Maintenance    3
CHMB-610    Advanced Protein Biochemistry: Structure and Function    3
CHMB-702    Protein Conformation and Dynamics    3
CHMB-704    Advanced Nucleic Acids Biochemistry; Structure and Function    3
CHMI-664    Modern Inorganic Chemistry    3
CHMO-636    Spectrometric Identification of Organic Compounds    3
CHMO-637    Advanced Organic Chemistry    3
CHMO-640    Mechanisms of Drug Interactions    3
CHMO-710    Literature Exploration of Organic Synthesis    1
CHMO-739    Advanced Physical Organic Chemistry    3
CHMP-747    Principles of Magnetic Resonance    3
CHMP-751    Colloid & Interface Science    3
CHMP-752    Molecular Photophysics and Photochemistry    3
CHMP-753    Computational Chemistry    3
CHPO-706    Polymer Synthesis    3
CHPO-707    Polymer Chemistry II    3
CHPO-708    Polymer Synthesis & Characterization Lab    3
IMGS-730    Magnetic Resonance Imaging    3
MTSE-602    Polymer Science    3

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission to the MS program in chemistry, candidates must fulfill the following requirements:

• Complete an online graduate application. Refer to Graduate Admission Deadlines and Requirements for information on application deadlines, entry terms, and more.
• Submit copies of official transcript(s) (in English) of all previously completed undergraduate and graduate course work, including any transfer credit earned.
• Hold a baccalaureate degree (or US equivalent) from an accredited university or college in chemistry. Applicants with an undergraduate degree in another scientific discipline and the equivalent of a full year of work in analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, physics, and calculus will also be considered for admission.
• Recommended minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (or equivalent).
• Submit a current resume or curriculum vitae.
• Two letters of recommendation are required. Refer to Application Instructions and Requirements for additional information.
• Not all programs require the submission of scores from entrance exams (GMAT or GRE). Please refer to the Graduate Admission Deadlines and Requirements page for more information.
• Submit a personal statement of educational objectives. Refer to Application Instructions and Requirements for additional information.
• International applicants whose native language is not English must submit official test scores from the TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE. Students below the minimum requirement may be considered for conditional admission. Refer to Graduate Admission Deadlines and Requirements for additional information on English requirements. International applicants may be considered for an English test requirement waiver. Refer to Additional Requirements for International Applicants to review waiver eligibility.

Assistantships

Merit scholarships and teaching assistantships are available. All candidates for teaching assistantships must participate in a personal interview with the department head and/or the director of the chemistry MS program. International students can complete the interview by phone or internet.

Tuition fee-2 years1,06,000

Total fee-2 years1,44,000