Master of Science in Chemistry
Thomas Smith, Chair, Chemistry Graduate Committee
(585) 475-7982, twssch@rit.edu
The master of science degree in chemistry is offered on a full- or part-time basis. The program is designed to fill the needs of the full-time graduate student or the practicing chemist who is employed full time and wishes to pursue a graduate degree on a part-time basis.
The department of chemistry has research- and teaching-oriented faculty, as well as excellent equipment and facilities that enable full-time graduate students to carry on a program of independent study and develop the ability to attack scientific problems at the fundamental level. The research can result in either a thesis or a project report.
Through course work and research activities, the program strives to increase the breadth and depth of the student’s background in chemistry. Students in the program will develop the ability to attack scientific problems with minimal supervision.
Admission requirements
Admission to the program will be granted to qualified graduates who hold a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from an accredited college or university. Applicants with a bachelor’s degree in another scientific discipline and the equivalent of a full year’s course work in analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, physics, and calculus also will be considered for admission.
The admission decision will be based on:
- College transcripts
- Graduate Record Exam scores (chemistry exam is recommended)
- Letters of reference
As a supplement to the normal application process, it is strongly recommended that students visit RIT. All candidates for teaching assistantships must have a personal interview with the department head. International students can complete the interview by phone. An applicant with a bachelor’s degree from an approved undergraduate institution and the background necessary for specific courses is permitted to take graduate courses as a nonmatriculated student. If the student is subsequently admitted to the graduate program, courses taken for credit usually can be applied toward the master’s degree. The number of credits (from courses taken at RIT as a nonmatriculated student) that can be transferred to the degree program is limited to a maximum of nine.
Any applicant who wishes to register for a graduate course as a nonmatriculated student must obtain permission from the chair of the graduate program and the course instructor.
All students who do not speak English as their primary language are required to submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language. Foreign students may be required to take the Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency, given by the RIT English Language Center. If a student’s score is below standard, additional course work may be recommended. Successful completion of this work is a program requirement for the master of science degree in chemistry. This may mean that the student will need additional time and financial resources to complete the degree program.
Curriculum
The program offers concentrations in the traditional disciplinary areas of organic, analytical, inorganic, and physical chemistry. In addition, interdisciplinary concentrations in polymer chemistry, materials science, biochemistry, and environmental chemistry are available. Customized program options are available to accommodate specific student interests and needs relating to graduate study in chemistry.
Each student, together with an adviser, will arrange a program best suited to his or her interests and needs. This program will be subject to the approval of the department head and the chair of the graduate committee.
A deliberate effort will be made to strengthen any areas of weakness indicated by the student’s undergraduate records and the placement examinations. To qualify for the MS degree, a candidate must satisfy the following requirements:
1. A minimum of 45 quarter credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree
Courses in chemistry will generally be chosen from 700- and 800-level courses and should include one or more courses in analytical, organic, and physical chemistry. The core requirement is one course each in organic, physical, and analytical chemistry, plus one course in inorganic chemistry, if an appropriate undergraduate course was not taken. Specifically, each student must select core courses (subject to approval by the student’s adviser and the graduate committee) that include the following: Analytical Chemistry, 1008-621 and 1008-711; Organic Chemistry, 1013-737 or 1013-739; and Physical Chemistry, 1014-741, 1014-742, 1014-743, or 1014-744. The inorganic core course is 1012-764. As part of the required credits, each student must have one or two quarter credit hours in seminar 1010-870, and three to four quarter credit hours from outside of the department of chemistry. A maximum of nine quarter credits may be taken in undergraduate-level courses.
2. Nine credit hours in research (minimum) for the MS thesis option
A minimum of four and a maximum of eight credit hours are required with the project option. The program also offers a course-work-only MS option. With this option, the student must complete a four credit hour capstone course.
3. Passage of an oral defense of the MS thesis
Students enrolled in the program full time are expected to complete 45 credit hours of course work, including up to 21 quarter credit hours of research leading to the submission of an independent research thesis, and pass an oral defense of the thesis. A full-time student normally takes six to nine graduate credits per quarter, including thesis work. Typically, all requirements are met within two years. No more than eight credit hours of research are allowed in the non-thesis MS option.
Part-time study
The department of chemistry encourages practicing chemists to pursue a master of science degree in chemistry without interrupting their employment. Consequently, many of the courses in the graduate program in chemistry are scheduled in the late afternoon or early evening.
Part-time students in the program may take the course-work-only option with the capstone project, 1010-800. Students employed full time normally take one course each quarter. At this pace, course work can be completed within four to five years.
Accelerated dual degree programs
The accelerated BS/MS program combines the BS programs in chemistry, biochemistry, or polymer chemistry with the MS chemistry program, and enables undergraduates to acquire an MS degree with only one extra year of study. Undergraduate chemistry majors may be considered for entrance into the combined BS/MS chemistry program after completion of their sophomore year. Students in the combined program take graduate-level electives and typically complete an MS thesis or project. Students in the combined BS/MS chemistry program receive both the BS and MS degrees after five years of full-time study.
Equipment
The department of chemistry has modern instrumentation in the areas of spectroscopy (NMR, IR, UV-vis, fluorescence, atomic absorption, fluorimetry), chromatography (gas chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, etc.), mass spectrometry (high-performance lc- and gc-mass spectrometry and electrospray mass spectrometry), and materials characterization (rheometry, thermal gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, hot-stage microscopy and contact angle goniometry). A full listing of departmental instrumentation is available on the chemistry department’s webpage at
http://www.rit.edu/cos/chemistry/resources/instrumentation/instruments.html
External research credit
The department of chemistry recognizes that the experience of a number of chemists employed in local industry includes independent, creative research. A maximum of 16 hours of research credit, conducted during employment, may be applied toward the completion of the master of science degree in chemistry on either a full- or part-time basis.
Cooperative education option
The cooperative education option accommodates students at the master’s level who have, or are able to obtain, industrial employment. Quarters of work can be interspersed with quarters of full-time academic work. If industrial employment permits research, up to 16 of the 45 required credits may be obtained through the external research credit option. If industrial employment does not permit research, then research credits may be obtained within the department of chemistry.
Additional information
More information may be obtained from the chair of the graduate committee, (585) 475-7982, the department of chemistry, (585) 475-2497, or the website, www.rit.edu/chemistry.