Program Overview

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Chemistry, MS

Overview

This master's degree provides advanced training for recent college graduates, professionals in teaching, and technical workers in research organizations who have an interest in chemistry or biochemistry. With a Thesis Option Master's in Chemistry, the serious student will perform original research and write an MS thesis under the direction of a faculty member. This option is for students planning to continue with a PhD, or to work in industry, academia, or a national laboratory. The Non Thesis Option is often used by those going on to a professional degree or to teach chemistry at the secondary school level.

Admissions

University-wide admissions policies can be found in the Graduate Admissions Policies section of this catalog. International students and students having earned international degrees should also refer to Admission of International Students for additional requirements.

Eligibility

• To be considered for admission to degree status, students must have a bachelor's degree in chemistry, biochemistry, or a related field from an institution of higher education accredited by a Mason-recognized U.S. institutional accrediting agency or international equivalent.
• Applicants with a bachelor's degree in other fields of study who have at least three years of chemistry or biochemistry coursework may be accepted into the program. In some cases, students may be accepted provisionally and will be required to successfully complete the selected remedial courses, some of which may not be applicable toward the master's requirements.

Application Requirements

• To apply for this program, prospective students should submit the George Mason University Admissions Application and its required supplemental documentation, and letters of recommendation.
• GRE scores are not required for admission into this program.

Policies

For policies governing all graduate programs, see AP.6 Graduate Policies.

• CHEM 500 Selected Topics in Modern Chemistry may not be applied toward the MS degree.
• CHEM courses numbered 502 through 510 may be applied toward the degree only with prior written approval of the department.

Transferring Previous Graduate Credit into this Program

• Previously earned and relevant graduate credits may be eligible for transfer into this program; details can be found in the Credit by Exam or Transfer section of this catalog.

Degree Requirements

Total credits: 30

Core Courses

• Select three of the following core courses. Courses must be selected from three different core areas shown below:
  • Analytical:
    • CHEM 624 Principles of Chemical Separation
  • Biochemistry:
    • CHEM 660 Protein Biochemistry
    • CHEM 662 Modern Methods of Drug Discovery
  • Environmental:
    • CHEM 651 Environmental Chemistry of Organic Substances
  • Inorganic:
    • CHEM 641 Solid State Chemistry
    • CHEM 646 Bioinorganic Chemistry
  • Organic:
    • CHEM 613 Modern Polymer Chemistry
    • CHEM 614 Physical Organic Chemistry

MS without Concentration

General chemistry students who do not wish to pursue a concentration complete the core courses above, the following requirements, and choose either the Thesis Option or the Non Thesis Option:

• Additional Core Course:
  • CHEM 633 Chemical Thermodynamics and Kinetics
• Chemistry Electives:
  • Select 3 credits of CHEM designated courses
  • Select 6 credits of courses in chemistry or related fields, approved by the graduate committee prior to registration
• Seminar:
  • CHEM 790 Graduate Seminar
• Thesis or Non Thesis:
  • Select the Thesis Option or the Non Thesis Option

Thesis Option

The Thesis Option is designed for students planning to pursue a doctoral degree or a career involving research in the chemical, biochemical, environmental, or pharmaceutical industries.

• Students must choose a research laboratory advisor during their first semester in the program and begin working on their thesis project no later than the second semester.
• The thesis is based on research that must be preapproved by the thesis or advisory committee, which is appointed prior to the first semester of registration in CHEM 799 Master's Thesis.
• Students must complete CHEM 799 Master's Thesis and present a seminar, followed by an oral defense.

Non Thesis Option

The Non Thesis Option is designed for those seeking to go on to professional school, teach chemistry in secondary schools, or pursue other careers in which advanced work in chemistry is necessary or advantageous.

• Students selecting this option are not required to complete a laboratory-based thesis.
• Instead, they must complete a research project or gain teaching experience in undergraduate chemistry labs, as described below.

MS with Concentration in Biochemistry (BC)

Students who wish to pursue an optional concentration in biochemistry complete the core courses above, the following requirements, and choose either Thesis Option or the Non Thesis Option:

• Additional Core Course:
  • CHEM 633 Chemical Thermodynamics and Kinetics
• Chemistry Electives:
  • Select 3 credits of CHEM designated courses
• Seminar:
  • CHEM 790 Graduate Seminar
• Thesis or Non Thesis:
  • Select the Thesis Option or the Non Thesis Option

Thesis Option

The Thesis Option is designed for students planning to pursue a doctoral degree or a career involving research in the chemical, biochemical, environmental, or pharmaceutical industries.

• Students must choose a research laboratory advisor during their first semester in the program and begin working on their thesis project no later than the second semester.
• The thesis is based on research that must be preapproved by the thesis or advisory committee, which is appointed prior to the first semester of registration in CHEM 799 Master's Thesis.
• Students must complete CHEM 799 Master's Thesis and present a seminar, followed by an oral defense.

Non Thesis Option

The Non Thesis Option is designed for those seeking to go on to professional school, teach chemistry in secondary schools, or pursue other careers in which advanced work in chemistry is necessary or advantageous.

• Students selecting this option are not required to complete a laboratory-based thesis.
• Instead, they must complete a research project or gain teaching experience in undergraduate chemistry labs, as described below.

Chemistry, BS/Chemistry, Accelerated MS

Overview

This bachelor's/accelerated master's degree program allows academically strong undergraduates with a commitment to advance their education to obtain both the Chemistry, BS and the Chemistry, MS degrees within an accelerated timeframe. Upon completion of this 138 credit accelerated program, students will be exceptionally well prepared for entry into their careers or into a doctoral program in the field or in a related discipline.

Application Requirements

Applicants to all graduate programs at George Mason University must meet the admission standards and application requirements for graduate study as specified in the Graduate Admission Policies section of this catalog.

Accelerated Option Requirements

• After the completion of 75 undergraduate credits, students may complete 3 to 12 credits of graduate coursework that can apply to both the undergraduate and graduate degrees.
• In addition to applying to graduate from the undergraduate program, students in the accelerated program must submit a bachelor's/accelerated master's transition form (available from the Office of the University Registrar) to the College of Science's Office of Academic and Student Affairs by the last day to add classes of their final undergraduate semester.
• Students should enroll for courses in the master's program in the fall or spring semester immediately following conferral of the bachelor's degree, but should contact an advisor if they would like to defer up to one semester.

Reserve Graduate Credit

Accelerated master's students may also take up to 6 graduate credits as reserve graduate credits. These credits do not apply to the undergraduate degree, but will reduce the master's degree by up to 6 credits. With 12 graduate credits counted toward the undergraduate and graduate degrees plus the maximum 6 reserve graduate credits, the credits necessary for the graduate degree can be reduced by up to 18.

Graduate Course Suggestions

The following list of suggested courses is provided for general reference. To ensure an efficient route to graduation and post-graduation readiness, students are strongly encouraged to meet with an advisor before registering for graduate-level courses.

• CHEM 633 Chemical Thermodynamics and Kinetics
• For Students Interested in the Environmental Sciences:
  • CHEM 627 Aquatic Environmental Chemistry
  • CHEM 651 Environmental Chemistry of Organic Substances
• For Students Interested in Biochemistry:
  • CHEM 567 The Chemistry of Enzyme-Catalyzed Reactions
  • CHEM 660 Protein Biochemistry
• For Students Interested in Organic Chemistry:
  • CHEM 568 Bioorganic Chemistry
  • CHEM 613 Modern Polymer Chemistry
  • CHEM 614 Physical Organic Chemistry
• For Students Interested in Inorganic Chemistry:
  • CHEM 641 Solid State Chemistry
  • CHEM 646 Bioinorganic Chemistry
• For Students Interested in Analytical Chemistry:
  • CHEM 624 Principles of Chemical Separation
  • CHEM 625 Electroanalytical Chemistry
• For Students Interested in Materials Science:
  • CHEM 680 Fundamentals of Nanoscience and Nanomaterials