MS Degree Requirements

Distribution Requirement

Each student must complete (with a B or higher) a distribution requirement consisting of two courses selected from the following list of introductory courses in the 5 major areas of study:

CHEM 720	Fundamentals and Methods of Analytical Chemistry	3
CHEM 730	Coordination and Organometallic Chemistry	3
CHEM 740	Principles of Organic Reactions	3
CHEM 750	Introduction to Quantum Mechanics	3
CHEM 760	Introduction to Chemistry in Biology	3

Advanced Courses

Complete with a B or higher 4 courses at the 700 level or above in chemistry or a related area. The list of courses to be completed must be agreed upon by the student and the student’s research advisor and approved by the Graduate Affairs Committee before the beginning of the student’s second semester in the program. [Changes to the list can only be made with the approval of the student, the research advisor, and the Graduate Affairs Committee.]

Note: These 4 courses represent a minimal set and do not preclude the student, with consultation of the research advisor, from taking additional courses in support of the research effort.

Lab Safety & Responsible Scholarship

Complete CHEM 700 (Responsible Scholarship in the Chemical Sciences) and CHEM 701 (Laboratory Safety in the Chemical Sciences) with a B or higher. CHEM 700 satisfies the university's Responsible Scholarship requirement for the chemistry Ph.D.

The minimum total credit hours required for the master’s degree is 30.

Thesis

The candidate for the master’s degree must complete a thesis that does not exceed one-third of the credit hours and demands the solution of some research problem in chemistry. The remaining work may consist of additional specialized courses in chemistry or in related fields such as physics, mathematics, microbiology, biochemistry, or chemical engineering. Students completing a master’s thesis in chemical education must take EPSY 715 Understanding Research in Education and EPSY 710 Introduction to Statistical Analysis. Courses from outside the department cannot be from more than 2 departments.

At the time of the completion of the thesis, a candidate for the master’s degree must pass an oral thesis defense (examination) administered by a committee of three members of the department’s Graduate Faculty.