Master of Science in Chemistry

Admission Requirements

The applicant must meet the School of Graduate Studies’ current minimum general admission requirements as published in the graduate catalog. These requirements pertain to all MS chemistry tracks* including thesis and non-thesis options, combined and accelerated BS/MS, and professional science master (PSM) degrees.

  1. A four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
    1. For thesis students, a degree with a major in chemistry
    2. For non-thesis students, a degree with a major in chemistry or related area, with strong background in Chemistry or a minor or its equivalent (on the approval by the Department).
  2. A cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.75 for all undergraduate work or a GPA of at least 3.0 for the junior and senior years of undergrad work (based on a 4.00 scale).
  3. Undergraduate credit in mathematics through integral calculus (For the Non-Thesis, BS/MS, and PSM options, Applied Calculus may suffice if approved by the Department).
  4. One year of physics.
  5. Satisfy the School of Graduate Studies’ English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the graduate catalog.
  6. Application Requirements.** In addition to the application form and fee, the following must be submitted as part of the application process:
    1. Three letters of recommendation
    2. One official copy of all academic transcripts
    3. Statement of goals and objectives

*Students in these programs are not a priority for Departmental financial support through Teaching/Research Assistantships and/or tuition waivers.

**For other, program-specific requirements, see below

Accelerated Program

The Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s (ABM) 4+1 program allows exceptional undergraduate students at UND an opportunity to complete the requirements for both the bachelor’s and the master’s degree at an accelerated pace. All requirements for both degrees must be met, and the students may double count up to 12 graduate-level credits toward the requirements for both their bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. ABM students must obtain their master’s degree within 12 months of completing the bachelor’s degree.

Combined Program

The Combined Bachelor’s/Master’s (CBM) program allows qualified undergraduate students at UND an opportunity to complete the requirements for both the bachelor’s and the master’s degree on a faster timeline. All requirements for both degrees must be met, and the students may double count up to 6 graduate-level credits toward the requirements for both their bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.

ABM/CBM Additional Admission Requirements

  1. Students must have completed at least 60 credits toward the bachelor’s degree
  2. A cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.00 for all undergraduate work.
  3. One year general chemistry, one year organic chemistry. One semester analytical chemistry, and one semester physical chemistry are desired. Students with a different background in Chemistry will be placed on the level appropriate to their BS degree and/or prior background.
  4. Must submit a combined/accelerated program of study with the application

Degree Requirements

Students seeking the Master of Science Degree at the University of North Dakota must satisfy all general requirements set forth by the School of Graduate Studies as well as particular requirements set forth by the Chemistry Department.

  1. A minimum of 32 semester credits in a major field, including the credits granted for the thesis and the research leading to the thesis.
  2. At least sixteen (16) credits must be at or above the 500-level in chemistry and related fields.
  3. A maximum of one-fourth of the credit hours required for the degree may be transferred from another institution.
  4. CHEM 509 Graduate Seminar - minimum 1 credit. (This course requires the commitment of student's technical mentor in the topic area. The spring course is on technical literature review; the fall course is on technical proposal writing.)
  5. Scholarly Tools: Up to nine (9) credit hours of foundational classes listed below, in place of non-mandatory classes within the total of 32 credit hours. Some may be stipulated by the Department.
    CHEM 361Problem Solving in Organic Chemistry I1
    CHEM 362Problem Solving in Organic Chemistry II1
    CHEM 441Instrumental Analysis I - Spectroscopy2
    CHEM 442Instrumental Analysis II - Electrochemistry2
    CHEM 443Instrumental Analysis III - Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry2
    CHEM 454Inorganic Chemistry II3
    CHEM 455Spectroscopy and Structure3
    CHEM 463Advanced Synthesis Laboratory3
    CHEM 466Fundamentals of Physical and Biophysical Chemistry3
    CHEM 470Thermodynamics Kinetics3
    CHEM 471Quantum Mechanics Spectroscopy3

Thesis Option

6. Required Courses

  1. One (1) credit of Special Topics in Chemistry, CHEM 519
  2. Minimum fourteen (14) credits of combined Research and Thesis credits
  3. CHEM 599 Research 10-12 credits; some of these credits may be replaced by Scholarly Tools as described above if deemed appropriate as long as the minimum requirement is met.
  4. CHEM 998 Thesis4-6 credits
  5. Six (6) credit hours from one of the three specific major sequences below:
    Analysis and Applications
    Select two of the following:6
    CHEM 541
    		Analytical Spectroscopy
    CHEM 542
    		Electrochemical Methods
    CHEM 543
    		Chromatography
    Synthetic
    Select any two of the following:6
    CHEM 511
    		Advanced Inorganic Chemistry
    CHEM 512
    		Organometallic Chemistry
    CHEM 520Advanced Organic Chemistry I3
    CHEM 521
    		Advanced Organic Chemistry II
    CHEM 522
    		Advanced Organic Chemistry III
    CHEM 475
    		Materials Chemistry
    Theory
    Select two of the following:6
    CHEM 530
    		Chemical Thermodynamics
    or PHYS 543
    		 Statistical Physics
    or CHE 509
    		 Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics
    CHEM 531
    		Chemical Dynamics
    CHEM 532
    		Quantum Mechanics in Chemistry
    or PHYS 539
    		 Quantum Mechanics

7. Six (6) credit hours of 500-level chemistry courses from two sequences other than the major. Foundational classes from other divisions may be included. Three (3) of these credits may be from other Departments.

Non-Thesis, ABM/CBM and PSM Options

6. Satisfactory completion of an appropriate standardized American Chemical Society (ACS) exam(s) to be determined by the student's Advisory Committee (not required for PSM).

7. Required Courses:

  1. At least twelve (12) credit hours from the following list:
    CHEM 541Analytical Spectroscopy3
    CHEM 542Electrochemical Methods3
    CHEM 543Chromatography3
    CHEM 510Intermediate Inorganic Chemistry3
    CHEM 511Advanced Inorganic Chemistry3
    CHEM 512Organometallic Chemistry3
    CHEM 520Advanced Organic Chemistry I3
    CHEM 521Advanced Organic Chemistry II3
    CHEM 522Advanced Organic Chemistry III3
    CHEM 475Materials Chemistry3
    CHEM 530Chemical Thermodynamics3
    CHEM 531Chemical Dynamics3
    CHEM 532Quantum Mechanics in Chemistry3
    CHE 509Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics3
    PHYS 539Quantum Mechanics3
    PHYS 543Statistical Physics3
  2. Experiential component to be determined by the student’s advisory committee. The final experiential component has two options. Both options must include the final product, both written (report) and oral (presentation) to be evaluated by the Advisory Committee.

    Option 1. Two (2) credits of CHEM 997, Independent Studies, or CHEM 519, Special Topics in Chemistry. Preparation of a written independent study and oral presentation of results to the advisor and interested faculty are required for successful completion of this course.

    Option 2: A 3-6 credit research experience via Chem 599 research credit.

Remaining course work for Non-thesis and ABM/CBM options

8. The rest of the classes (15 credits for non-thesis, up to 9 credits for ABM/CBM including the double counted course work) may be taken from other Departments, based on student interests (including upper-level undergraduate classes if allowed for graduate credit and approved by the Advisory Committee).  The Department of Chemistry encourages students to take interdisciplinary coursework. The following areas are recommended: Physics, Chemical Engineering, Atmospheric Sciences, Education. ABM/CBM may include up to three undergraduate foundation courses as Scholarly Tools with prior approval of student’s committee.

Remaining course work for PSM options

8. At least 13 PSM core credits from the following list (one credit of CHEM 509 is required, if taken for PSM, 2nd seminar should be taken) with a minimum one in each area:

Quantitative/Analytic Skills Courses:
EFR 513Large Dataset Management and Analysis3
EFR 515Statistics I3
EFR 516Statistics II3
EFR 518Multivariate Analysis3
EFR 535Data Analytics and Visualization with R3
ENE 530Applied Engineering Business Analysis3
PSYC 540Foundations of Behavioral Data Analytics3
Professional Skills Courses:
COMM 516Principles of Professional Communication3
COMM 524International/Intercultural Communication for Professionals3
COMM 527Persuasion & Persuasive Communication3
COMM 529Science Communication3
ENGL 408Advanced Public and Professional Writing3
ENGL 540Science Writing3
ENGR 554Applied Project Management3
ESSP 562Environmental Economics, Policy and Management3
ESSP 570Communicating Environmental Information3
ENE 533Project Dynamics & Strategy Modeling3
POLS 532Public Policy3
POLS 533Administrative Ethics in the Public Sector3