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Chemistry

Master of Science in Chemistry

The undergraduate prerequisites are the minimum requirements specified by the American Chemical Society. Those students who have graduated from ACS-approved schools will have fulfilled these requirements. Others may need to take certain courses concurrently from the undergraduate program to meet ACS requirements. We do not require the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) as a prerequisite for admissions to our graduate program for domestic or international applicants.

The Department of Chemistry offers the following graduate program options:

Students entering the M.S. program with ACS-approved undergraduate chemistry degrees should be well prepared for the core courses of the program. Students with other science degrees such as biology or biochemistry, or students who performed poorly in specific undergraduate courses may be required to take preparatory courses. A maximum of six semester hours in this category can be applied towards the 30-hour degree.

The core courses - Analytical CHM  546, Biochemistry CHM 553, Inorganic CHM  544, Organic 550 and Physical CHM 539 - may be thought of as the pillars of the program. Each student is required to take four of the five core courses, depending on their research interests. Students majoring in biochemistry might take CHM 553, 546, 550 and 539 whereas a student interested in materials science could take CHM 546, 544, 550 and 539.

Depending on the number of hours taken in the core, a student would have opportunities to take elective courses in chemistry or a course from other departments such as biology. Three hours of elective courses may come from  chemistry courses that are double-numbered as undergraduate courses.

Students are also required to present one seminar a year in addition to their thesis defense, based on topics of relevance to the student's research area.  Since the M.S. is a research-based degree, 6 to 9 semester hours of thesis research are required.


The Non-Thesis option is designed for professional chemists and high school chemistry teachers who would like to increase their chemical knowledge base and enhance their job opportunities.

The coursework is designed for students who have been out of  undergraduate school for a few years and need time to re-acclimate to Chemistry studies.  The first year courses reinforce concepts from the senior year of undergraduate school and then provide the bridge to the more specialized  courses in the second year. There are also opportunities to take elective courses outside of the Chemistry department in areas such as Biology, Engineering and Health Sciences.  A student can use this flexibility to create an area of focus that can aid them in their current position or add a strength that would allow them to bridge to other disciplines.

MS IN CHEMISTRY NON-THESIS COURSEWORK

First Year

  • CHM 541 or 539: Physical Chemistry, 3 sem. hrs.
  • CHM 515 and lab: Analytical Chemistry, 4 sem. hrs.
  • CHM 512: Intermediate Organic, 3 sem. hrs.
  • CHM 517: Inorganic Chemistry, 3 sem. hrs.
  • Elective,* 3 sem. hrs.

Total 16 sem. hrs.

Second Year

Choose 9 sem. hrs. (3 classes) from the following list:

  • CHM 526, 550,544, 546,  551, 552, 555 for 9 sem. hrs.
  • 2 Electives,* 6 sem. hrs.

Total 15 sem. hrs.

*Possible electives from inside or outside the department: CHM elective, CME 509 and 510 (Polymer Science), 500 level Biology elective, 500 level Health Science elective, others possible with advisor permission.


The 5-year “Bachelors Plus Masters” (BPM) degree option allows bachelor of science students majoring in chemistry, biochemistry, and medicinal/pharmaceutical chemistry to obtain both a bachelor of science (B.S.) and a master of science (M.S.) degree in chemistry in five years. The B.S. degree is earned in the first four years, with the M.S. degree being earned in the fifth year.

BPM students are charged at the regular undergraduate tuition rate for their first four years, and are offered an ~30% discounted rate (the graduate tuition rate) for the 24 semester hours of graduate coursework they must complete in their fifth year. To help support their M.S. degree completion, several paid teaching opportunities in the chemistry department are available for BPM students.

To enter the BPM degree program, interested students should take 6 semester hours of 500-level cross-listed chemistry courses by the end of their fourth year. In addition, BPM students must establish a research collaboration with a chemistry faculty member by no later than the end of the first semester of their fourth year. BPM students will continue this research collaboration with a full summer of research immersion between their fourth and fifth years. Candidates with a GPA of 3.2 or higher after completing 60 hours of undergraduate work are invited to apply.


More Information

Please feel free to contact us for more information about our graduate programs. We look forward to hearing from you.

Graduate Programs in Chemistry
University of Dayton
Science Center Room 178
300 College Park
Dayton,  OH  45469-2357

Phone: 937-229-2631
Fax: 937-229-2635

Garry Crosson
Department of Chemistry Chair

Justin Biffinger
Graduate Program in Chemistry Co-director

Mark Masthay
Graduate Program in Chemistry Co-director

Margaret Goodrich
Administrative Support Staff


CONTACT

Department of Chemistry

Science Center
300 College Park
Dayton, Ohio 45469 - 2357
937-229-2631