Master of Science degree – requirements

The awarding of a M.S. degree depends upon the accomplishments of the student in research coursework, individual examinations and on the thesis. Requirements in detail are indicated below. If a student seeks an exception to the graduate requirements, the student must present their case to the members of the Graduate Evaluation and Advising Committee. If the committee, by a simple majority, agrees to support the appeal, they will present it to the faculty for departmental consideration.

Course requirements

Candidates for the M.S. degree are expected to have earned at least 12 semester credit hours in research and a minimum of 15 credit hours in six graduate courses not including credit for seminar. The Graduate Recruitment and Admission committee will review the transcript of all transfer students and make recommendations to the chemistry faculty regarding the credits to be accepted in transfer (See the Graduate and Professional Programs Bulletins for the university rules for transfer credit.)

The credit hours include three of the following core courses (9 credits) selected from the following four areas:

The student will complete at least one additional course in his/her area of specialization and at least 12 hours of CHEM 697. Any other necessary course work for the student will be determined in consultation with the research advisor and with the approval of the Graduate Evaluation and Advisory Committee.

All full and part-time graduate students will enroll each semester in CHEM 690, Research Seminar in chemistry, except during the semester that the student is presenting their literature seminar or thesis/dissertation seminar, when they should register for CHEM 692, Chemistry Seminar Presentation.

An important aspect of graduate training is developing the ability to review critically the relevant literature. CHEM 698, Investigations in Current Chemistry Literature (0.5 credit) is designed for this purpose. Students are expected to register for at least two semesters of CHEM 698 during the course of their graduate studies. All full-time graduate students will be required to register for CHEM 698 in the semester preceding their literature seminar presentation. Up to two credits may be presented toward graduation requirements, with 1-2 credits considered one course.

Once the student has completed all required course work (with a 3.0 GPA) and the literature seminar, the student must fill out and submit to the Graduate Director the Application to Candidacy Form [Word document].

Research and Thesis

Each student conducts a research study under the guidance of the thesis advisor. The study is reported in a thesis prepared according to standards set by the School of Graduate Studies in the Thesis and Dissertation Manual [PDF].

When the adviser and the student determine that sufficient research has been completed to prepare a thesis, a meeting of the student's committee will be scheduled to review the completed work. The committee will then recommend that the student begin preparation of the thesis or complete additional research. This meeting will occur at least six months prior to the anticipated defense date, and the result will be reported to the graduate director.

When the thesis has been completed and the adviser considers it acceptable and all the M.S. degree requirements have been satisfied, the candidate so notifies the graduate director of the examination date. This date must be at least one month prior to the deadline for completion of all degree requirements. Four copies of the thesis, or more as required, in acceptable form and style are to be submitted to the thesis committee.

Upon approval of the thesis by the adviser, the student submits four or more copies as required to the thesis committee. The thesis is examined by the student’s thesis committee. An external examiner may be selected by reason of special knowledge and distinction in the field of the candidate’s work. On tentative approval of the thesis, the student appears for a final oral examination by the thesis committee. The final examination will be limited to the subject of the candidate’s thesis and related matters. A favorable vote of the candidate’s examiners, with no more than one negative vote shall be required for passing the final oral examination. The final examination shall be open to the faculty and its time and place, together with the candidate’s name, department, and title of thesis, shall be announced at least seven days in advance. It is the responsibility of the graduate student to inform the graduate director of the time, date and title of the proposal defense. Upon successful defense of the thesis, the student arranges at personal expense for the binding of a minimum of four copies of the thesis. Of these four copies, two are for the library, one goes to the chair of the Chemistry Department, and one to the major professor. Even if the candidate elects to use the electronic thesis option, bound copies are still required for the Department of Chemistry and the major professor. Information pertinent to the preparation of the thesis and binding can be found at www.library.vcu.edu/preservation/theses.html.

The student having fulfilled all the requirements for the degree of Master of Science is recommended to the graduate faculty, general faculty, and the president of the university for the degree to be awarded.

General Progress in Study in Research

It is deemed feasible for a well-prepared, full-time student commencing graduate studies with a bachelor's degree in chemistry to complete the M.S. requirements in two and one-half years. It is expected that the first academic year will be devoted primarily to course work; the effort of the second year will be divided between research and the completion of course work. It is essential that considerable progress be made on the research project during the summer after the first year. VCU requires that all graduate degree requirements be completed within a maximum of six years from the date of admission to graduate study. This time limitation applies to both full and part-time students.

It is considered desirable that the student be present as much of the time as possible at the university. Students should conduct research whenever course work and teaching duties allow.

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