
Chairperson: Scott Reid, Ph.D.
marquette.edu/chem/
Degrees Offered
Master of Science, students are admitted under Plan A (thesis option) but Plan B (non-thesis option) is also offered; Doctor of Philosophy
Specializations
Analytical Chemistry, Bioanalytical Chemistry, Biophysical Chemistry, Chemical Physics, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry
Subspecialty areas of research within the Department of Chemistry include: photochemistry; molecular spectroscopy; organometallic, physical organic, bioorganic, polymer, and theoretical chemistry; and chemical dynamics.
Program Description
The Department of Chemistry offers graduate degree programs for both full- and part-time students. Two tracks of study are offered:
- Plan A: preparation for a career as a professional chemist
- Plan B: enhancement of scientific background for persons employed as high school science teachers.
The heart of the professional track is research, conducted in concert with a faculty mentor. The focus of the background track is enrichment and strengthening of the skills that teachers bring to their students. Plan B, the background track, is offered only at the master’s level.
Prerequisites for Admission
Applicants should have graduated with, or be about to graduate with, a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. The minimum prerequisite for any graduate course is one year of undergraduate physical chemistry. In addition, an undergraduate course in an area of study (e.g., analytical, inorganic, organic) appropriate to the graduate course involved is required. A student’s undergraduate grade point should be equivalent to a B (3.000) or above.
Application Requirements
Applicants must submit a paper application (applicants may not apply online), directly to the Department of Chemistry:
- A completed application form.
- Official transcripts from all current and previous colleges/universities except Marquette.
- Three letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the applicant’s academic work.
- (For international applicants only) a TOEFL score or other acceptable proof of English proficiency.
- GRE scores are optional, but it is to the applicant’s advantage to have taken the Subject Test for chemistry.
General Information
For more detailed and comprehensive information about the master of science and doctoral programs in chemistry, students should consult the most recent edition of the Chemistry Department’s Graduate Student Handbook. This publication defines the current rules and guidelines that govern department and program requirements.
Foreign Language Requirements
Normally, no reading knowledge of a foreign language is required in either the master’s or doctoral programs. However, at the discretion of the student’s thesis or dissertation committee, proficiency in a foreign language may be required if it is necessary in the student’s research.
Proficiency Examinations
Incoming chemistry students must pass three proficiency examinations, which may be selected from among the four traditional areas of chemistry (analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry). Incoming chemical physics students must pass proficiency examinations in physics, physical chemistry, and one other area of chemistry. These examinations can be repeated up to two times each, and the student must pass three by the end of his/her second term of full-time study or the equivalent.
Edit "CHEM-MS"

Chemistry
A program for the master’s degree is determined by the student’s research adviser in consultation with the student’s thesis committee.
All students are admitted to the program under Plan A but may transfer to Plan B if a Change of Plan form is submitted and approved. In Plan A (research option), the student must complete 24 credit hours of course work and six credit hours of CHEM 6999 Master's Thesis for a total of 30 credit hours. Six credit hours of course work may be CHEM 6995 Independent Study in Chemistry. In addition, seminar course work (CHEM 6960 Departmental Seminar) is required for the program but earns no credit. The student must submit a thesis describing a substantial research project completed by the student in a mentor-professor’s laboratory. Public defense of the thesis constitutes a comprehensive examination.
In Plan B (essay option), the student must complete 24 credit hours of course work and six credit hours of CHEM 6999 Master's Thesis for a total of 30 credit hours. An essay must also be submitted. Up to six credits of course work may be CHEM 6995 Independent Study in Chemistry. In addition, seminar course work (CHEM 6960 Departmental Seminar) is required for the program but earns no credit. The essay will include a review of the literature of some area of chemistry and a proposal of how knowledge in that area might be extended by research. Public defense of the essay constitutes a comprehensive examination.


Chemistry
A program for the doctoral degree is determined by the student’s research adviser in consultation with the student’s dissertation committee.
A doctoral student must complete a program of study defined on an approved Doctoral Program Planning Form. Normally, the student will be required to complete 24 credit hours of course work and 12 credit hours of CHEM 8999 Doctoral Dissertation for a total of 36 post-bachelor’s degree credit hours. An intense program of laboratory instruction and research to begin no later than the second term of study is also required. Six credit hours of course work may be CHEM 6995 Independent Study in Chemistry. In addition, seminar course work (CHEM 6960 Departmental Seminar) is required for the program but earns no credit. A series of cumulative examinations constitutes a qualifying examination. Eight of these examinations are given each year. The student is expected to pass four exams by the end of the fifth semester of doctoral study. The student must submit a dissertation describing a significant body of independent research carried out in concert with a faculty mentor. The dissertation must be of a caliber that would be publishable in the leading scientific journals. A public defense of the dissertation is required.
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