Chemistry (MS) Thesis Option

For more specific degree requirements, visit the academic catalog website.

Requirements (thesis option)

Credit Hours
A minimum total 30 semester hours with at least 15 semester hours in chemistry courses. An overall GPA of 3.0 must be maintained.

Courses
Students must pass at least 4 graduate lecture courses from at least 3 of 6 divisions with a minimum grade of 'C' in any one course during the first 4 semesters (excluding summers).

Mentor
The research mentor should be selected during the first semester. Students are required to interview a minimum of 5 chemistry faculty, including members of at least 2 divisions.

Committee
The student will select his/her Thesis Committee in consultation with the research mentor during the first 4 semesters of study. The committee consists of the mentor, a chemistry faculty in the same division, a chemistry faculty in a different division, and a faculty member from a different department.

Literature Seminar
Students must enroll in seminar (Chem 695) each of their first 4 semesters (excluding summers) and attend departmental seminars. Students must make a presentation based on a topic under active discussion in the recent literature during their second or third semester. The remaining seminar attendance requirement may be waived after all other Master's candidacy requirements have been achieved.

Publication
It is expected that prior to the thesis defense at least one manuscript based on the student's research would have been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.

Thesis
A written thesis describing the research program is submitted a minimum of 14 days before the defense. The defense consists of a one-hour seminar followed by an oral examination with the Faculty Reading committee.

Milestones (thesis option)

First Year
Coursework
Attend Seminars
Select a Mentor
Begin Research
Literature Seminar

Second Year
Continue/Finish Coursework
Literature Seminar (deadline 3rd semester)
Attend Seminars
Finish Research
Write and Defend Thesis