Breadcrumb

Home Students Graduate Students Plan 1 (Thesis) Requirements

Plan 1 (Thesis) Requirements

Chemistry MS program requirements:

  • Compliance with all Graduate Education Policies and Procedures 
  • Students must complete a total of 30 credits. A minimum of 20 semester hours must be earned in formal lecture or lab courses in the Department of Chemistry. Additional credits can be acquired through research, internships, thesis work, independent study, transfer credits, etc. within the Department of Chemistry and in other departments. Course selections outside of the department must be approved by the Graduate Program Director.
  • Out of the 30 credit hours students must complete a minimum of 24 graduate (5000 and above) level credit hours. Up to 6 4000-level credits may be counted as electives with prior approval, provided that they have not been earned as part of an awarded undergraduate degree. Among these 6 credit hours 3 may be taken as Chemistry lectures and another 3 may be taken outside Chemistry.
  • A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better at the time of graduation is required. All graded attempts in required and elective courses are calculated in the GPA.
  • Students must earn a grade of B­- (2.7) or better in each course to be counted toward the degree. Courses taken using P+/P/F or S/U grading cannot apply to program requirements.
  • Every student must select a thesis or non-thesis plan. A student may switch between these plans with permission from the Graduate Program Director.
  • In addition to choosing a plan, every student must select a content emphasis track. Students can switch between tracks with approval from the Graduate Program Director.
  • In addition to choosing a plan, every student must select a content emphasis track. Each track has separate placement examinations, therefore switching between tracks requires approval from the Graduate Program Director.
  • Although degrees can be completed in as little as one year, all work must be completed within five years after enrolling in the first graduate class in the department.
  • Students are eligible to apply for a research assistantship or a teaching assistantship positions. Students who are interested in improving teaching skills can enroll in CHEM 5655 Teaching Assistant Bootcamp. This course is required for all students who are interested in working as a teaching assistant in the department.

Plan I (Thesis) is a research oriented program involving a minimum of 30 semester hours with the following requirements:

  • Successful completion of a content emphasis track. See the current course catalog for details. Emphasis Tracks include Biochemistry, Synthesis & Measurement, Molecular Modeling, and Traditional Chemistry.
  • An acceptable formal thesis consistent with the Graduate Education Policies and Procedures 
  • Successful oral defense of the Master’s Thesis before a committee consisting of at least three (3) members, a majority of whom (i.e., at least two) must be from the Graduate Faculty. The Chair of the committee must be a member of the Chemistry Master’s Program and have a Graduate Faculty appointment.
  • Completion of a high quality research project suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. 
  • 3 semester hours of  CHEM 6950 - Master's Thesis
  • All thesis students must complete 1 credit of  CHEM 5610 - Understanding & Presenting Chemical Research no later than the semester before they defend their thesis.