Chemistry (MS)
Description
The M.S. degree in chemistry is designed for students who intend to seek employment as a professional chemist or who plan to pursue the D.A. degree in chemistry at UM. This program requires the submission of a thesis based on original laboratory or theoretical research. The M.S. degree is not a prerequisite for the Ph.D. degree.
Minimum Total Credit Hours: 30
Course Requirements
For the M.S. degree, a minimum of 30 hours of graduate credit are required, which must include 18 hours of formal nonremedial lecture courses, 1 hour each of CHEM 6590 Masters Seminar and CHEM 7504 Area Seminars, 3 hours of CHEM 7000 Introduction to Graduate Research, and 6 hours of thesis (CHEM 6997A Thesis). Credit for previous graduate-level course work may be applied towards these requirements at the discretion of the student's advisory committee and with approval by the department chairman.
All M.S. and Ph.D. students must take one Core Course from each of four of the five specialty areas. Core courses for each area are:
Analytical Chemistry
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 5120 | Advanced Instrumental Analysis | 3 |
| CHEM 5140 | Fundamentals of Electrochemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 5190 | Molecular Biochemistry II | 3 |
Biochemistry
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 5340 | Physical Biochemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 7710 | Biochemistry I | 3 |
Inorganic Chemistry
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 5440 | Chemical Applications of Group Theory | 3 |
| CHEM 7010 | Advanced Inorganic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 7020 | Advanced Inorganic Chemistry II | 3 |
Organic Chemistry
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 5270 | Adv. Organic Chem., Structure Mechanism | 3 |
| CHEM 5280 | Adv. Organic Chem., Structure Synthesis | 3 |
Physical Chemistry
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 5310 | Advanced Physical Chem., Quantum Chem. | 3 |
| CHEM 5320 | Chemical Thermodynamics | 3 |
| CHEM 5360 | Advanced Phys. Chem., Reaction Dynamics | 3 |
A cumulative average of not less than B is required in the core courses.
A minimum grade of B is also required in each course in the student's area of specialization. These course and credit requirements are minimum requirements and may not be satisfied with remedial courses. Specific requirements for individual students in excess of the minimum may be imposed by the student's adviser and advisory committee.
Other Academic Requirements
Thesis
A thesis, which must be a formal written account of the student's research results, is required of all M.S. degree candidates. The thesis is defended by the student in a final oral examination, which typically follows the student's final seminar. The student's advisory committee conducts the examination, which is not restricted to the content of the thesis.
Final Oral Examination
Satisfactory performance on an oral examination, as judged by the student's advisory committee, completes the competency requirements for the degree. This examination includes, but is not limited to, a defense of the student's thesis.
Seminar Presentations
Each student must make an initial oral presentation, which may be either a research seminar or a literature seminar to the assembled faculty and students of the department. The seminar will be evaluated by the faculty in attendance. Each student must also present a final seminar based on the contents of his or her dissertation or thesis to the same audience.