Program Requirements

While students are completing a BS degree in chemistry, they may also complete some of the requirements for an MS degree in chemistry by participating in the BS/MS program using the following guidelines:

• The student must apply and be accepted for participation in the BS/MS program prior to completion of the BS degree in consultation with both the undergraduate and graduate advisors.
• Up to 12 semester hours of graduate-level course work may be taken as an undergraduate and applied toward the MS degree. This course work may not be applied toward the BS degree or ACS certification requirements for the BS degree. In addition, up to 3 semester hours of independent study (research) may be applied toward the graduate degree if that research is expanded and continued for a portion of the master’s thesis research. This requires approval of the
• student’s graduate research advisor in chemistry, the chemistry graduate program director and the CLAS associate dean for graduate studies.
• The chemistry department will waive the requirement for qualifying examinations in each area of chemistry for which the student has completed the undergraduate sequence of courses and laboratories at the Downtown Campus with grades of B (3.0) or better for each course.
• The student must apply for and be admitted to the MS program in chemistry beginning the semester immediately following completion of the BS degree in chemistry at the Downtown Campus.

The BS/MS program allows undergraduate students who have begun their research as undergraduates to complete up to 12 semester hours (with approval of the graduate dean) toward the 30 semester hours required for a Plan I MS degree in chemistry while they are still completing their BS degree. This makes it possible for students to complete an MS degree in chemistry in only one year beyond the BS degree in chemistry. Students entering the MS program through the BS/MS program option must fulfill all of the requirements of the Plan I or Plan II MS degree options.