Chemistry, B.S. (Certified)/M.S.

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry offers an accelerated masters degree option for our best prepared and most successful undergraduate students. Students who have completed 50 hours of chemistry and collateral courses required for the B.S. in chemistry degree with a GPA of 3.50 or higher by the middle of the junior year may earn both an ACS certified Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degree in chemistry in as little as five years. The option permits 6 hours of coursework (CHM 445 /CHM 545  and CHM 491 /CHM 591  or CHM 499 /CHM 591 ) to be counted for both the undergraduate and graduate degree. Acceptance into this program requires a faculty research advisor within the department and acceptance into the master‘s degree program. Students will:

• fulfill the ACS Bachelor of Science requirement in inorganic chemistry by taking CHM 545  (Inorganic Chemistry, 3 credit hours) preferably in the second semester of their third year. Both undergraduate and graduate credit will be awarded for this course.
• fulfill part of the ACS laboratory requirements by counting a total of 3 hours (145 lab hours) of research preferably performed during the summer session between the 3rd and 4th year toward the B.S. degree (3 credit hours of CHM 491  or CHM 499 ), and an additional 3 credit hours (145 lab hours) of research (CHM 491 /CHM 591  or CHM 499 /CHM 591 ) preferably performed during the fall semester of the fourth year toward both the B.S. and M.S. degrees.
• count 4 graduate courses (12 semester hours) as undergraduate electives.
• complete the university studies requirements.
• complete the M.S. degree requirements by taking 16 credit hours of graduate course work, preferably in the fall and spring semesters of the 4th year, 3 credit hours of DIS (CHM 591 ), preferably in the summer between the 4th and 5th year, and 8 credit hours of graduate courses (thesis research and seminar), preferably in the 5th year. Up to one additional credit hour of graduate thesis work could be taken during the summer session immediately following the 5th year.