Program Overview

Teaching Chemistry, MA

Overview

The Department of Chemistry, within the College of Arts and Sciences, offers courses of study leading to the degrees of Master of Arts in Teaching Chemistry, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy.

Admission Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree in chemistry earned in a curriculum approved by the American Chemical Society, or an equivalent course of study.
• A minimum grade point average of 3.00 (B) in all undergraduate work and 3.00 (B) in all courses in the sciences and mathematics.
• Results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test.
• Acceptance by the Department of Chemistry and by the Graduate School.

Requirements for the M.A. Degree in Teaching Chemistry

• The curriculum for a Master of Arts in Teaching Chemistry consists of 36 credits distributed among graduate-level course offerings in chemistry, other sciences and mathematics, teaching methods in both science and general education, and practice teaching in secondary schools.
• Individual programs are tailored to the background and interests of the student in consultation with an advisor.

Research Areas

Synthetic Chemistry

• The synthesis of new molecular compounds distinguishes chemistry from other scientific disciplines.
• Research programs in synthetic chemistry include the search for inventive synthetic reactions to produce new molecules, the synthesis of new molecular structures to evaluate our theories of chemical bonding, and the synthesis of new compounds with unusual physical properties (molecular engineering).

Organometallic Chemistry

• Organometallic chemistry is an interdisciplinary field bringing together many aspects of inorganic and organic chemistry.
• Research programs in organometallic chemistry include the study of organometallic systems using a variety of synthetic, structural, mechanistic, and theoretical techniques.

Structural and Mechanistic Organic Chemistry

• The structures of a wide range of organic molecules are examined at Stony Brook using many techniques, including automated high-field FT-NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography.
• Research programs in structural and mechanistic organic chemistry include the study of conformational changes in macrocycles and other synthetic hosts for guest metal ions and organic molecules.

Institute of Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery at Stony Brook (ICB&DD)

• The primary objective of the ICB&DD is to serve as a world-class “Center of Excellence” in chemical biology and drug discovery at Stony Brook.
• Research programs in the ICB&DD include the discovery of novel therapeutic drugs and the study of the molecular basis of diseases.

Biological Chemistry

• A significant number of the faculty are using their chemical expertise to explore the chemical and physical details of biological phenomena.
• Research programs in biological chemistry include the study of enzyme mechanisms, protein folding, membrane structure and function, biophysics, and structural biology.

Inorganic Chemistry

• Inorganic chemistry, being concerned with the synthesis, structure, and dynamics of the compounds formed by the more than 100 natural and synthetic elements, covers an extremely vast research area.
• Research programs in inorganic chemistry include the study of new compounds and new synthetic methods, as well as the study of materials important in technology and catalysts for industrial chemical processes.

Magnetic Resonance

• Magnetic resonance in the Chemistry Department ranges from studies in physiology to studies in chemical physics.
• Research programs in magnetic resonance include the use of liquid and solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and micro-imaging techniques with stable spin 1/2 and quadrupolar nuclides.

Macromolecules

• With development of state-of-the-art X-ray diffraction and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) at the State University of New York’s X3 Beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory, the polymer and biomacromolecular physics group possesses one of the most powerful X-ray scattering facilities in the country.
• Research programs in macromolecules include the study of the structure and dynamical behavior of advanced polymeric materials, supramolecular systems, and biomacromolecules.

Photon-Molecule Interactions

• Recent developments in the use of lasers for the investigation of molecular structure and dynamics have led to a revolution in the fields of molecular spectroscopy and dynamics.
• Research programs in photon-molecule interactions include the study of intimate details about the structure and interactions of atoms and molecules.

Soft X-Ray Spectroscopy

• The National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory provides unique opportunities for frontier research in chemistry.
• Research programs in soft X-ray spectroscopy include the study of the excitation and relaxation of core electrons in molecules.

Surface Chemistry

• Catalysis, corrosion, and friction are a few examples of familiar processes that occur on solid surfaces.
• Research programs in surface chemistry include the study of how the electronic and geometric structure of a surface affects its chemical selectivity and reactivity during surface-mediated processes.

Theoretical Chemistry

• Theoretical investigations of a wide variety of chemical phenomena are underway at Stony Brook.
• Research programs in theoretical chemistry include the development of formalism and computational techniques, as well as the study of electronic structure theory and statistical mechanics.

Nuclear and Isotope Chemistry

• Nuclear chemistry research at Stony Brook has focused on reactions induced by heavy ion beams.
• Research programs in nuclear and isotope chemistry include the study of the small differences in physical and chemical properties of matter that have their origin in the mass difference of isotopes of an element.