Combined BS (certified)/MS Degree
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry offers an accelerated Masters degree option for
our best prepared and most successful undergraduate students. If you have completed 50 hours
of chemistry and collateral courses required for the BS in chemistry degree with a GPA of 3.5 or
higher by the middle of the junior year, this option allows you to 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 six hours of coursework {CHM 445/545 and CHM 491/591 (or CHM 499/591)}
to be counted for both the undergraduate and graduate degree. You will:
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fulfill the ACS Bachelor of Science requirement in inorganic chemistry by taking CHM 545
(Inorganic Chemistry, 3 credit hours) in the second semester of your third year. You will
receive both undergraduate and graduate credit for this course.
fulfill part of the ACS laboratory requirements by counting a total of three hours (145 lab
hours) of research during the summer session between the 3rd and 4th year toward the
BS degree (3 credit hours of CHM 491 or 499), and an additional three credit hours (145
lab hours) of research (CHM 491/591 or 499/591) performed during the Fall semester of
the fourth year toward both the BS and MS degrees.
Count four graduate courses (12 semester hours) as undergraduate electives.
Complete the basic studies requirements
complete the MS degree requirements by taking 16 credit hours of graduate course work
in the fall and spring semesters of the 4th year, 3 credit hours of DIS (CHM 591) in the
summer between the 4 and 5th year, and 8 credit hours of graduate courses (thesis
research and seminar) 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.