A Master of Science in Organic Chemistry

Overview

Summary:

   A minimum of 18 credits of coursework (lecture classes and research) is required. Credits in excess of nine for any one semester, or in excess of five for any summer session may not be counted towards this minimum of 18. At least 15 of the 18 credits must be in courses beyond the fundamental ones (chemistry 346, 511, 524, 564 and their prerequisites), except that 511 or 524 may be counted in the 15. The candidate must maintain a cumulative grade-point average of B (course grades of P or S are counted as B, research course grades are excluded from the average).

  Option A requires at least eight credits in graduate research or advanced laboratory work. A formal thesis or a comprehensive written research report must be submitted to the major professor.

  Option B requires at least 12 credits in chemistry courses numbered 600 or above. The selection of courses must be approved by the advisor, and must represent a coherent program of study. A maximum of 3 credits of graduate research can be counted as part of the 18 required credits.

  The courses will typically include:

• Chemistry 641 (required course: reaction mechanisms and physical organic chemistry)
• Chemistry 841 (required course: organic synthesis and synthetic methods)
• Chemistry 605 (structure elucidation by use of NMR and other spectroscopic techniques)
• Chemistry 607 (all graduate students are required to register for and attend the Chemistry Department's Laboratory Safety Course during the spring semester. This course is given once a year during the week before classes start in January).
• Chemistry 636 (a lecture seminar and laboratory course on proper use of high-field NMR spectrometers)
• Chemistry 647 (a seminar-style course on electron-pushing mechanisms)

   Grades in Graduate Courses. The passing grade for all courses taken by graduate students is a B. Grades of less than B do not count for minor or major credit. A grade of less than B in the required courses Chem 641 or Chem 841 means the course has to be repeated. Graduate students also have to maintain a B average in all coursework, so a BC grade in one course has to be offset by a grade of AB or better in another course.

  There are no cumulative exam, seminar, or research proposal requirements for the MS degree in organic chemistry.

Joining a research group:

  Students in organic chemistry can only join a research group after Nov. 15 of the first semester of residence. Thus each student has about 12 weeks to carefully consider the important decision of choosing a research advisor. Students meet with each of the faculty in organic chemistry and related areas to familiarize themselves with the research projects available, they attend divisional group meetings, and they talk with the senior students in research groups they are interested in to learn how each group operates. On or shortly after Nov. 15 most students join a group and begin to work on their thesis research.

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