Program Overview

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Chemistry Master of Science Degree

Chemistry

Master of Science Degree

Overview

A master’s degree in chemistry that prepares you to be an independent researcher in a wide array of chemical disciplines, including your chosen specialty.

Why Pursue an MS in Chemistry at RIT?

• STEM-OPT Visa Eligible: The STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) program allows full-time, on-campus international students on an F-1 student visa to stay and work in the U.S. for up to three years after graduation.
• Versatile Professional Pathways: This distinctive degree offers valuable skills applicable to various fields including teaching, military service, and beyond.
• Comprehensive Lab Access: Master the operation of all laboratory instruments with unrestricted access for research endeavors and projects.
• Cutting-Edge Research Endeavors: Recent student projects delve into innovative realms such as synthetic methodologies for Targeted Molecular Imaging Agents (TMIAs) and examining the repercussions of vaping and e-cigarettes.
• Diverse Career Outcomes: Alumni have secured positions at prestigious organizations including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Sevenson Environmental Services, Inc., Bausch & Lomb, and Meso Scale Diagnostics LLC, showcasing the breadth of opportunities stemming from this program.

With a chemistry master’s degree, you’ll be able to solve scientific problems with agility and accuracy. Conduct research specific to your field of interest as you develop skills that translate to infinite career opportunities. With an emphasis on leadership, many graduates excel in leadership positions in dynamic fields such as sustainability, public policy, lobbying, sales, government, imaging science, space exploration, medicine, and much more.

The School of Chemistry and Materials Science 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 develop the ability to attack scientific problems with minimal supervision.

RIT’s Master’s Degree in Chemistry

This master’s of chemistry will prepare you for the next step, whether that is a Ph.D. program, getting a new job, or advancing your career at the company you are already working for. Our program emphasizes independent research with faculty mentors on a wide range of possible topics. You will also focus on improving your written and oral scientific communication skills.

With RIT’s master's degree in chemistry, you’ll have an opportunity to conduct research in many areas of chemistry. Research currently underway in the School of Chemistry and Materials Science:

• Synthesis of cancer imaging agents
• Synthesis, design, and construction of organic solar cells
• Synthesis and characterization of electrical and optical nanomaterials
• Study of aerosols from nicotine delivery devices
• Study of microplastics in the environment
• Biochemical research including RNA and DNA structure, protein biochemistry, structural biology, and immunology
• Research into chemical education

Chemistry Master’s Program

Together with an advisor, you will choose courses to create a customized curriculum that best meets your interests, needs, and career aspirations. A deliberate effort is made to strengthen any areas of weakness indicated by the undergraduate records and the placement examinations.

The chemistry master’s program consists of the following requirements:

1. A minimum of 30 semester credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree.

Courses in chemistry consist of core and focus area courses. Core courses are designed to increase your breadth of chemical knowledge, while focus area courses increase depth. Core courses include four semester credit hours in Graduate Chemistry Seminar and one credit hour in Chemistry Writing (CHEM-670). Focus area courses are chosen to address the you career goals and any undergraduate deficiencies in chemistry. Focus area courses must be at the graduate level and are chosen in consultation between you and your graduate advisor. Focus area courses outside of chemistry are acceptable provided they are approved by your graduate advisor.

The program offers two options: a thesis or a project. Concentrations are available in organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, polymer chemistry, materials science, and biochemistry. Customized concentrations are available to accommodate specific student interests and needs relating to graduate study in chemistry.

2. Research

Ten semester credit hours of research are required with the thesis option. If you opt for the project option, four semester hours of project research are required.

3. Capstone

If enrolled in the thesis option you will be expected to complete an independent research thesis and pass an oral defense. Typically, all requirements are met within two years. While enrolled in the project option you will have numerous ways of satisfying the capstone requirement for their project. These include but are not limited to conference presentations, papers, journal articles, patents, and seminars.

Equipment and Resources

The School of Chemistry and Materials Science 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).

Part-time Study

Courses are offered in the late afternoons and evenings to encourage practicing chemists to pursue the MS degree without interrupting their employment. Part-time students may take the project option, which includes a capstone project in place of a thesis. Students employed full-time normally take one course each semester. At this pace, coursework can be completed within four to five years.

Careers and Experiential Learning

Typical Job Titles

• Quality Assurance Technician
• Life Scientist
• Researcher
• Scribe
• Medical Professional

Cooperative Education

Cooperative education, or co-op for short, is full-time, paid work experience in your field of study. And it sets RIT graduates apart from their competitors. It’s exposure–early and often–to a variety of professional work environments, career paths, and industries. RIT co-op is designed for your success.

What makes an RIT education exceptional? It’s the ability to complete relevant, hands-on career experience. At the graduate level, and paired with an advanced degree, cooperative education and internships give you the unparalleled credentials that truly set you apart. Learn more about graduate co-op and how it provides you with the career experience employers look for in their next top hires.

Students at the master’s level who have, or are able to obtain, industrial employment may be able to earn cooperative education credit for their work experiences. Semesters of co-op can be interspersed with semesters of full-time academic work.

National Labs Career Events and Recruiting

The Office of Career Services and Cooperative Education offers National Labs and federally-funded Research Centers from all research areas and sponsoring agencies a variety of options to connect with and recruit students. Students connect with employer partners to gather information on their laboratories and explore co-op, internship, research, and full-time opportunities. These national labs focus on scientific discovery, clean energy development, national security, technology advancements, and more. Recruiting events include our university-wide Fall Career Fair, on-campus and virtual interviews, information sessions, 1:1 networking with lab representatives, and a National Labs Resume Book available to all labs.

Featured Work and Profiles

• From Student Support to Student Success in Chemistry MS
• From an RIT Student to a Leading Biotech Professional in Analytics
• Chemistry MS Provides Path from Brazil to Business
• Analyzing Alligator Blood to Identify Toxic Chemical Effects
• Implementing New Technologies at Global Chemical Producer, BASF
• Your Partners in Success: Meet Our Faculty, Dr. Michel

Curriculum

Chemistry (thesis option), MS degree, typical course sequence

• CHEM-670: Graduate Chemistry Writing
• CHEM-771: Graduate Chemistry Seminar I
• CHEM-772: Graduate Chemistry Seminar II
• CHEM-790: Research & Thesis
• Graduate Chemistry Focus Courses

Chemistry (project option), MS degree, typical course sequence

• CHEM-771: Graduate Chemistry Seminar I
• CHEM-772: Graduate Chemistry Seminar II
• CHEM-670: Graduate Chemistry Writing
• CHEM-780: Chemistry Project
• Graduate Chemistry Focus Courses

Chemistry Focus Courses

• CHMA-621: Advanced Instrumental Analysis Lab
• CHMA-650: Chemical Separations and Mass Spectrometry
• CHMA-670: Advanced Concepts of Environmental Chemistry
• CHMA-711: Advanced Instrumental Analysis
• CHMA-725: The Magnetic Resonance Family
• CHMA-740: Practical NMR
• CHMA-750: NMR Spectrometer Maintenance
• CHMB-610: Advanced Protein Biochemistry: Structure and Function
• CHMB-702: Protein Conformation and Dynamics
• CHMB-704: Advanced Nucleic Acids Biochemistry; Structure and Function
• CHMI-664: Modern Inorganic Chemistry
• CHMO-636: Spectrometric Identification of Organic Compounds
• CHMO-637: Advanced Organic Chemistry
• CHMO-640: Mechanisms of Drug Interactions
• CHMO-710: Literature Exploration of Organic Synthesis
• CHMO-739: Advanced Physical Organic Chemistry
• CHMP-747: Principles of Magnetic Resonance
• CHMP-751: Colloid & Interface Science
• CHMP-752: Molecular Photophysics and Photochemistry
• CHMP-753: Computational Chemistry
• CHPO-706: Polymer Synthesis
• CHPO-707: Polymer Chemistry II
• CHPO-708: Polymer Synthesis & Characterization Lab
• IMGS-730: Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• MTSE-602: Polymer Science

Admissions and Financial Aid

This program is available on-campus only.

• Offered: Full-time or Part-time
• Admit Term(s): Fall or Spring
• Application Deadline: Fall - February 15 priority deadline, rolling thereafter; Spring - rolling
• STEM Designated: Yes

Application Details

To be considered for admission to the Chemistry MS program, candidates must fulfill the following requirements:

• Complete an online graduate application.
• Submit copies of official transcript(s) (in English) of all previously completed undergraduate and graduate course work, including any transfer credit earned.
• Hold a baccalaureate degree (or US equivalent) from an accredited university or college in chemistry. Applicants with an undergraduate degree in another scientific discipline and the equivalent of a full year of work in analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, physics, and calculus will also be considered for admission. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (or equivalent) is recommended.
• Submit a current resume or curriculum vitae.
• Submit a personal statement of educational objectives.
• Submit two letters of recommendation.
• Entrance exam requirements: GRE required. No minimum score requirement.
• Submit English language test scores (TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic), if required.

Faculty

• Scott Williams, Professor

Research

Research focuses on chemical structural biology, bioanalytical chemistry, environmental chemistry, alternative energy, and chemistry of materials.

The College of Science consistently receives research grant awards from organizations that include the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and NASA, which provide you with unique opportunities to conduct cutting-edge research with faculty.

Faculty in the School of Chemistry and Materials Science conducts research on a broad variety of topics including:

• additive manufacturing
• biomedical applications of biochemistry
• chemistry education
• materials science and engineering
• organic photovoltaics.

External Research Credit

For students currently employed as chemists, the chemistry program provides the opportunity to utilize research conducted at your place of employment as project research credit. A maximum of 4-semester credits of research is required. Please consult with the director of the program for more information.