Chemistry, MS
Program Description
The mission of the Master of Science program in Chemistry is to prepare students for technical careers, careers in chemical education at the secondary level, or who aspire to enroll in a doctoral program. This program is designed to provide students with a quality experience that will help them grow as scholars and as professionals.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of their degree, students will:
- Possess a broad understanding of chemical concepts.
- Possess enhanced knowledge of a specific area of chemistry, including relevant scientific literature, related to their thesis or professional paper.
- Have the ability to accurately describe and assess chemistry-related research both orally and in writing.
For Additional Information
Website:
https://www.tamucc.edu/science/departments/physical-sciences/chemistry/graduate.php
Campus Address:
Center for Sciences Suite 130
Phone (361) 825-2681
Mailing Address:
Chemistry Program, Unit 5802
College of Science
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
6300 Ocean Drive
Corpus Christi, Texas 78412-5802
Admission Requirements
Applicants must comply with university procedures for admission to the degree program. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Persons seeking admission to the MS Program in Chemistry should first contact the program faculty and identify a faculty member willing to serve as the graduate advisor. Applicants will not be admitted to the program without a graduate advisor. Persons seeking admission to the MS Program in Chemistry should consult the Admissions section of this catalog for university requirements for admission. In addition to the documents required by the Office of Recruitment and Admissions, applicants must submit GRE general test scores, an essay of at least 300 words describing their educational and career interests, goals, and challenges, and three letters of evaluation from persons knowledgeable about their potential for success in graduate studies. Applicants may optionally submit other relevant materials, e.g., copies of published works or reports of past scientific research. All materials submitted will be considered. Applicants who already hold an earned graduate degree from a regionally accredited university need not submit GRE scores. The applicant will be notified by letter of acceptance or rejection.
Students accepted to the degree program in chemistry are generally expected to enter the program with an undergraduate degree in chemistry. Students accepted to the degree program with insufficient background in chemistry will be required to take undergraduate or graduate prerequisite courses prescribed by their advisory committees. These courses may or may not apply toward the total required for completion of the master’s degree.
Teaching assistant positions are available to graduate students admitted as degree-seeking students. Minimum qualifications and applications for assistantships may be found on the Graduate Education website.
Program Requirements
Each student accepted to the Master of Science in Chemistry degree program must complete a minimum of 36 semester hours for the non-thesis “Professional” track and a minimum of 30 semester hours for the thesis track.
Students will choose between thesis and professional (non-thesis) options. Students following either option will be required to take a core of chemistry/chemistry-related courses to provide a broad background to the field, and to select elective courses in consultation with their advisory committee to provide in-depth education in a particular area of emphasis related to chemistry. A student will define an emphasis area for his or her graduate studies with assistance from the graduate advisor and advisory committee. The emphasis areas include the traditional areas of chemistry such as analytical chemistry, biochemistry, environmental chemistry, inorganic chemistry, materials chemistry, physical chemistry or theoretical chemistry; or the student may choose an MS degree in chemistry related to one of the other programs at TAMUCC such as Coastal and Marine System Science, Engineering, Marine Biology, Environmental Science, etc.
A graduate student who has met with his or her advisory committee, formulated a degree plan approved by the graduate committee, and has the plan on file is considered a degree candidate. A student must have advanced to degree candidacy by the end of the second full semester of graduate study following admission to the program. A student’s advisory committee must approve any subsequent changes to the degree plan. A change from the thesis to the professional (non-thesis) option or vice versa requires that the student file a new degree plan as approved by the advisory committee.
All Chemistry MS students must successfully complete at least six semester hours per academic year to remain in the program.
All Chemistry MS students must enroll in CHEM 5303 Research in the Chemical Sciences (3 sch) during their first semester.
All Chemistry MS students must pass a final oral exam, to be administered by their advisory committee, during their last semester before graduation.
Thesis Track
The thesis option requires a thesis based upon original research supported by the scientific literature, and analyzed statistically when appropriate. The thesis master’s degree will allow a person to pursue advanced graduate study, or to obtain employment in most areas requiring a detailed knowledge of a specific aspect of chemistry.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| CHEM 5303 | Research in the Chemical Sciences 1 | 3 |
| CHEM 5392 | Thesis Proposal | 3 |
| CHEM 5394 | Thesis Submission | 3 |
| CHEM 5993 | Thesis Research 2 | 6 |
| Select 6 hours from the following: | 6 | |
| Advanced Inorganic Chemistry | ||
| Advanced Instrumental Analysis | ||
| Advanced Environmental Chemistry | ||
| Advanced Organic Chemistry | ||
| Advanced Physical Chemistry | ||
| Prescribed Elective Courses | ||
| Select 9 hours from the following: 3 | 9 | |
| Advanced Inorganic Chemistry | ||
| Advanced Instrumental Analysis | ||
| Molecular Ecology | ||
| Supramolecular Chemistry | ||
| Advanced Environmental Chemistry | ||
| Advanced Organic Chemistry | ||
| Advanced Physical Chemistry | ||
| Computational Chemistry | ||
| Chemical Oceanography | ||
| Advanced Molecular Spectroscopy | ||
| Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry | ||
| Aquatic Chemistry | ||
| Advanced Topics | ||
| Thesis Research 2 | ||
| Total Hours | 30 | |
- 1
CHEM 5303 Research in the Chemical Sciences (3 sch) must be taken the first semester by all Chemistry MS students.
- 2
Students are required to take CHEM 5993 Thesis Research (1-9 sch) for at least 6 semester hours of credit. CHEM 5993 Thesis Research (1-9 sch) can be taken for a variable number of credit hours (1-9) per semester.
- 3
Additional courses from relevant fields (e.g. Biomedical Science, Coastal and Marine Systems Science, Environmental Science, etc.) may be substituted with committee approval.
Professional Track - Non-Thesis
The professional option allows students to take required and elective graduate courses to further explore sub-disciplines of chemistry and identify a project that will help them advance their careers or better compete for leadership opportunities. The project would be appropriate (for example) to partner with local chemical industries to help develop solutions to applied problems arising during their operations, or for local educators to further their chemistry experience. Non-thesis students must complete a professional research project with a written final report and seminar.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| CHEM 5303 | Research in the Chemical Sciences 1 | 3 |
| CHEM 5317 | Advanced Instrumental Analysis | 3 |
| Professional Track | ||
| CHEM 5369 | Advanced Molecular Spectroscopy | 3 |
| CHEM 5397 | Directed Research 2 | 3 |
| Prescribed Elective Courses | ||
| Select 24 hours from the following: 3 | 24 | |
| Advanced Inorganic Chemistry | ||
| Molecular Ecology | ||
| Supramolecular Chemistry | ||
| Advanced Environmental Chemistry | ||
| Advanced Organic Chemistry | ||
| Computational Chemistry | ||
| Organic Geochemistry | ||
| Chemical Oceanography | ||
| Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry | ||
| Directed Research 2 | ||
| Aquatic Chemistry | ||
| Advanced Topics | ||
| Total Hours | 36 | |
- 1
CHEM 5303 Research in the Chemical Sciences (3 sch) must be taken the first semester by all Chemistry MS students.
- 2
Students are required to take CHEM 5397 Directed Research (3 sch) for up to six hours. At least three hours of CHEM 5397 Directed Research (3 sch) may be counted toward the requirements of the Professional track with approval from the program coordinator.
- 3
Additional courses from relevant fields (e.g. Biomedical Science, Coastal and Marine Systems Science, Environmental Science, etc.) may be substituted with committee approval.
Information About the Thesis or Professional Paper
Thesis and Professional Paper Format and Style
The thesis or professional paper must be prepared in a standard format and style dictated by the advisory committee and Graduate Education. The format and style requirements will specify paper size, paper quality, margins, pagination, etc.
Upon approval by a student’s advisory committee, a copy of the thesis will be sent to the Office of the Dean of the College of Science. At the time of successful completion of the oral exam, committee members will sign the thesis and return it to the Dean of the College of Science for final approval and signature. All submitted copies of the thesis must be bound in prescribed buckram. The student must pay the fee for this service. Thesis formatting and submission requirements have changed. Please visit the following link for further information: http://gradcollege.tamucc.edu/current_students/dissertation_thesis.html.
Grades for Thesis or Directed Research Courses
The following courses are eligible for awarding a permanent mark of “In Progress” (IP) if the work is not completed by the end of the semester in which a student has enrolled in the course: CHEM 5392 Thesis Proposal (3 sch), CHEM 5394 Thesis Submission (3 sch) and CHEM 5397 Directed Research (3 sch). University rules stipulate that the student must register for the same course in the subsequent semester, paying the appropriate tuition and fees, to receive a letter grade for the course.
For thesis students, the student’s graduate committee must sign the completed Thesis Proposal before the student is awarded a letter grade for CHEM 5392 Thesis Proposal (3 sch). If the proposal is not signed and on file in the College of Science (Dean’s Office) by the end of the semester, a permanent mark of IP will be awarded. The student will also receive a permanent mark of IP for each semester of CHEM 5394 Thesis Submission (3 sch) until the student has defended the thesis and the graduate committee has approved and signed the final thesis manuscript. At that time the student’s graduate advisor will award a letter grade which reflects the overall quality of the thesis defense and the manuscript itself. Students who receive marks of IP must continuously enroll for CHEM 5392 Thesis Proposal (3 sch) or CHEM 5394 Thesis Submission (3 sch) until they earn a letter grade.
For non-thesis students, the student must have successfully defended the professional project, the student’s graduate committee must have accepted the professional paper, and a final copy must be on file in the College of Science (Dean’s Office) by the end of the semester before the student is awarded a letter grade for CHEM 5397 Directed Research (3 sch). The letter grade will reflect the overall quality of the professional project research and the final professional paper. Otherwise the student will receive a permanent mark of IP and must sign up again for CHEM 5397 Directed Research (3 sch) in a subsequent semester to receive a letter grade for this work.
Final Oral Exam
Each student must pass a final oral exam during the last semester before graduation, to be administered by the student’s advisory committee. The oral exam will cover topics related to
- all graduate coursework undertaken for the chemistry program,
- a student’s emphasis area (including the thesis or directed research project), and
- broad concepts of chemistry, including a familiarity with the literature and appropriate professional societies.
The student is responsible for scheduling the exam with the faculty involved. A student who fails the final oral exam may repeat it once, but only after an interval of four months or more. If a student fails the second oral examination, the student will be terminated from the program.
Graduate Coursework
General prerequisite for 5000- and 6000-level courses: graduate standing. Senior undergraduates in their last semester or summer session of undergraduate work may take graduate-level courses provided that they have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better, and that written approval is obtained from the Dean of the college in which the work is offered. Weekly lecture and laboratory hours associated with each course are designated by (lecture:lab) following the semester hours. The indicated laboratory hours are laboratory instructional time. In most cases, additional laboratory time will be required to complete assigned work.