Graduate Programs

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry offers the following graduate degrees:

Master of Science in Chemistry (M.S.), Thesis Option

The Master of Science in Chemistry, Thesis Option, is a research-based degree.  The program is designed to prepare students for a career in the chemical industry or for continued graduate study.

Admission to the Program

1. All general requirements for admission to the graduate school of Mississippi College must be met.  Ordinarily, applications will be invited and received prior to June 30 for admission in the fall semester.  Students will be notified by mail concerning their admissions status.
2. Minimum criteria.  Applicants must have achieved a B.S. in Chemistry at an accredited institution.  The Graduate Record Examination must have been taken not more than two years following the bachelor's degree or not more than five years prior to the entrance date into this program.  The applicant shall have a score at or above the 40% percentile in each section of the examination.
3. Provisional admission.  Applicants with a B.A. in chemistry, B.S./B.A. in biological sciences, physics, mathematics, computing sciences, environmental science or equivalent and 24 semester hours of chemistry may be considered for provisional admission.  The graduate faculty will evaluate the undergraduate course transcripts of the prospective student and determine whether a need exists for additional upper-division preparatory course work in any area of evaluated deficiency.  A background in mathematics and physics (minimum: 6 semesters hours of calculus/analytic geometry, 6 semester hours physics) are required.  Upon provisional admission, deficiencies must be completed within the first 18-months of entry into the program.  Some courses taken to remediate deficiencies may not receive graduate credit.
4. Transfer credit.  Up to 6 semester hours of graduate course work in chemistry shall be allowed, but due to the thesis emphasis of the program, no research or thesis credit earned at another institution will be considered.  Graduate credit at another accredited institution may offset deficiencies for purposes of provisional admission.

Requirements of the Program

1. Thirty (30) semester hours of graduate credit must be completed.  Of this, not less than fifteen (15) semester hours shall be 6500 level work.
2. Students must complete six (6) semester hours of course work consisting of:
   CHE6530 Chemical Literature
   CHE6510 Chemical Instrumentation
3. Choose three to nine (3 – 9) semester hours from:
   CHE5402 Advanced Organic Chemistry
4. CHE5417 Theoretical Chemistry
   CHE5411 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry.
   And take three (3) semester hours of:
   CHE 6531 Graduate Chemistry Seminar
5. Students must complete six to twelve (6-12) semester hours of research by taking:
   CHE 6561 Master’s Research
   and complete three to six (3-6) semester hours of thesis preparation & defense consisting of
   CHE 6563 Thesis I
   CHE 6564 Thesis II and successfully defend the Thesis.
6. The program requires a student to take and pass four (4) qualifying examinations in areas of the chemical specializations.
7. A research proposal prepared under the guidance of a member of the graduate chemistry faculty must be completed by the end of the second semester.
8. Completion of the program will require not less than two nor more than six years. 

Master of Science in Chemistry (M.S.), Non-Thesis Option

The Master of Science in Chemistry, Non-Thesis Option, is a course-based degree.  Students successfully completing up to ten (10) hours in this option may be invited to pursue the Thesis Option M.S. Degree.  Opportunity for this change will be based on performance and the availability of space in the Thesis-Option Program.  The Non-Thesis Option requires 30 hours of graduate credit and includes the following twenty-five (25) hours of courses.

CHE 5402 Advanced Organic - 4 hours
CHE 5411 Advanced Inorganic - 3 hours
CHE 5417 Theoretical - 3 hours    
CHE 5418 Biochemistry:  Macromolecules or - 3 hours
CHE 5419 Biochemistry:  Metabolism
CHE 6510 Chemical Instrumentation - 3 hours
CHE 6530 Chemical Literature - 3 hours        
CHE 6531 Graduate Chemistry Seminar (3 times) - 3 hours
Three hours chosen from CHE 6561, 6591, 6592, & 6593 - 3 hours

The remaining five hours shall be chosen from the following courses:
CHE 5410 Instrumental Analysis - 3 hours
CHE 5418 Biochemistry:  Macromolecules or - 3 hours    
CHE 5419 Biochemistry:  Metabolism - 3 hours
CHE 5420 Bioanalytical Chemistry Laboratory - 3 hours
CHE 6521 Biophysical Chemistry Laboratory - 3 hours
CHE 6561 Graduate Research - 3 hours        
CHE 6591, 6592, 6593 Field Studies - 1,2,3 hours, respectively,
and from approved graduate courses in Biological Sciences, Computer Science, Mathematics, and/or Physics.

Master of Combined Sciences (M.C.S.) with a Major in Chemistry

The Master of Combined Sciences program with a major in Chemistry is designed for the person who wishes to pursue a program of graduate study that will provide added depth in chemistry as well as supporting information in related fields.

Admission to the Program

1. All general requirements for admission to the Graduate School of Mississippi College must be met.  A combined score of 850 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE or a score of at least 450 on either section and a score of 2.5 on the Writing Assessment Test of the GRE General Examination is required for most graduate programs.  Departments may exercise discretion for students who score between 800 and 840 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE and have at least a 3.5 undergraduate GPA.  Students seeking Class AA Educator License must have met the State minimum scores on the three sections of the NTE Core Battery (Communication Skills-651; General Knowledge-646; Professional Knowledge-649) or PPST (Reading-170; Writing-172; Mathematics-169) or CBT (Reading-316; Writing-318; Mathematics-314).
2. Twenty-four semester hours of undergraduate work in chemistry and the necessary pre-requisites in the minor field are required.

Requirements of the Program

1. A minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate work must be completed.
2. A thesis based on laboratory or library research may be substituted for 6 semester hours of course work.
3. The major shall consist of 18-21 hours of chemistry and minor shall consist of 9-12 hours chosen from Biology, Computer Science, Mathematics or Physics with no less than 6 hours in any subject area chosen.
4. In their last semester of enrollment, candidates for the MCS must take an oral comprehensive examination based upon course work used to satisfy degree requirements.  If applicable, the oral exam will also include a defense of the thesis.  If judged unsatisfactory, all or part of the written and/or oral examination may be retaken once in the following semester or summer term.