Graduate Programs

CHEMISTRY

Degrees Offered:
Master of Science Degree in Chemistry, M.S.

Coordinator: Craig A. Ogle

MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN CHEMISTRY

The Chemistry Department offers a research-based Master of Science (M.S.) degree, which provides the background necessary for a career in industry or for further graduate studies in chemistry and related fields. The M.S. degree requires a minimum of 30 credit hours and a thesis based on original research carried out under the direction of a member of the graduate faculty. Student participation in research activities is through selection of a faculty adviser and enrollment in the special research courses offered in the summer sessions and during the academic year. Major emphasis is placed upon the research project and required thesis.

Additional Admission Requirements. In addition to the general requirements for admission to the Graduate School, the following are required for graduate study in Chemistry:

  1. A satisfactory score on the Aptitude Portion of the Graduate Record Examination.
  2. Conditional admission of students judged by the Chemistry department to be deficient in their training.
  3. Administration of placement examinations by the department each semester just prior to registration as an aid in identifying such deficiencies.
  4. Removal of any deficiencies within one year by remedial study directed by the department.
Degree Requirements. The candidate for the degree must present a minimum of 30 semester hours including at least 15 semester hours in 6000-level courses open to graduate students only. Required courses include CHEM 4111, 4121, 4133, either 4134 or 4135, 6682 and 6900. Two semester hours of graduate seminar, CHEM 6682, and at least one, but up to 16 semester hours of research and thesis credit, CHEM 6900, must be presented. In addition, six semester hours from the course group CHEM 6115, 6125, 6135, 6145, 6146 or 6060 are required. Departmental approval is necessary before CHEM 6060 credit can be used to satisfy this requirement. Any 4000 level or higher mathematics or physics course except those designed for a professional education sequence may be taken for graduate credit. Well-prepared students, particularly those with degrees from ACS-approved programs, will normally satisfy the requirement for CHEM 4111, 4121, 4133, and 4134, or 4135 through placement examinations administered after admission. In those cases, hours that would have been earned for these courses may be replaced by research, CHEM 6900, or by elective courses. A grade point average of 3.0 is required for the degree. In addition, the thesis must be accepted within six calendar years after admission into the M.S. program as a degree student. This includes a successful defense of the written thesis before a special thesis committee of no fewer than four persons, at least one of whom must be from outside of the Chemistry Department.

Approval of the program of each student and monitoring his/her progress toward the degree is the responsibility of the student's research adviser. Prior to the selection of a research adviser, graduate student progress is monitored by the departmental Graduate Committee.

A student in the chemistry M.S. program is required to maintain satisfactory progress toward the degree. Continued enrollment is at all times subject to review on the basis of academic record. This review is performed by the departmental Graduate Committee.

Comprehensive Examination. None is required.

Admission to Candidacy. An Admission to Candidacy form must be submitted approximately one month prior to the beginning of the semester in which the graduate student expects to complete all requisites for the M.S. degree.

Assistantships. Graduate students generally support their education through teaching or research assistantships available through the Chemistry Department. Further information is available in the Department.

Research Experiences. The Chemistry Department offers research opportunities in such areas as laser spectroscopy, computational chemistry, microelectronics, microcomputer controlled instrumentation, biological chemistry, environmental chemistry and toxicology, chemical reactivity, organometallic chemistry, the structure and design of molecules, atmospheric chemistry, chemical dynamics, electrochemistry and chemical separation technology. Students receive academic credit for their research and may obtain financial assistance in the form of a stipend to support their research in the summer. The low student-to-faculty ratio in the Chemistry Department permits close faculty-student interaction throughout the student's research experience. Research in the Department is funded in part from competitive grants obtained from agencies such as the American Chemical Society, National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, Research Corporation, N.C. State Board of Science and Technology, and the Office of Naval Research.

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