Curriculum | M.S. Chemistry

Completion of the M.S. in Chemistry will consist of 4 core courses and a choice of 6 elective courses. Each course is 3 credits and delivered in 8 weeks. Courses can be completed in any order.

Course descriptions

For core 2, you may take either CHM 6002 or CHM 6005 to fulfill the required course.

Elective courses

CHM 6107 - Advanced Instrumentation and Analysis: A survey of the theory, scope and limitations of the most commonly applied instrumental techniques of chemical analysis. Theory and techniques of atomic and molecular spectroscopy, gas and liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry and electrochemistry will be viewed through a lens of practical method development. Emphasis between these methods and factors such as noise, resolution, sensitivity, error and economic factors will be a common theme.

CHM 6112 - Advanced Organic Synthesis: Fundamental concepts of chemical synthesis, such as: retrosynthesis, reactions, reagents, structural/stereochemical issues and mechanistic skills. This can include the areas of organic, organometallic and inorganic synthetic chemistry. Examples: natural products, heterocycles, asymmetric synthesis, organometallic synthesis, inorganic synthesis, polymer chemistry and air and moisture free synthesis. Some topics may vary by year and instructor.

CHM 6110 - Advanced Pharmaceutical Chemistry: Students will understand the molecular basis of drug action. Chemical concepts developed in organic chemistry and biomolecular chemistry courses such as stereochemistry, reaction mechanisms, enzyme structure and function, and DNA structure and function will be extended to drug action.

CHM 6109 - Advanced Separations: A deep dive into the molecular view of separations, via a quantitative approach to the basic principles of mass transport and phase transfer thermodynamics. Instrument design and quantification methods for gas and liquid chromatography as well as electrophoretic techniques will be discussed.

CHM 6108 - Analytical Electrochemistry: A deep dive into electroanalytical techniques and the physicochemical principles that drive each technique. This course will cover the thermodynamics and kinetics of electron and ion transfer, the electric double layer and mass transfer by diffusion and migration, as they apply to ion-selective potentiometry, chronoamperometry, chronocoulometry, cyclic voltammetry, pulse voltammetry, ion-transfer voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy.

CHM 6102 - Bioanalytical Chemistry: The goal of the course is to deepen student knowledge in the field of bioanalytical chemistry through the identification of complex bioanalytical challenges facing modern scientists and proposal of novel methodologies to solve them. To accomplish this goal, the course will explore the history of bioanalytical measurements, current bioanalytical assays, and emerging bioanalytical techniques and methodologies. Students will develop the skills to: i) critically evaluate the primary literature to identify current bioanalytical challenges, ii) think creatively to propose novel methods or techniques to overcome a challenge in their chosen sub-field (e.g. genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, bioinformatics, or single-cell analysis), and iii) clearly and persuasively communicate their ideas to the scientific community in written and oral formats.

CHM 6103 - Chemical Education: Provides students with the background and knowledge to apply the most current teaching theories and tactics in the chemistry classroom. Students will gain experience and confidence in utilizing multiple educational approaches to teach chemistry. Best practices for teaching will be explored and discussed, including an emphasis on inclusive and adaptive strategies for every classroom. Students will leave with practical and applicable resources, instructional methods, and hands-on approaches to sharing their knowledge of chemistry with others.

CHM 6111 - Chemistry of the Elements: A survey of the periodic table, its development and organization, in-depth looks at the behavior of the different elemental groups and the root of periodic trends. Environmental Chemistry — Development of a fundamental understanding of the behavior of natural and anthropogenic chemicals in the atmospheric, aquatic and geochemical spheres. Students will investigate the cycling and impact of chemicals in the environment through fundamental photochemical, kinetic and transport aspects.

CHM 6104 - Energy and Environment: Development of a fundamental understanding of the behavior of natural and anthropogenic chemicals in the atmospheric, aquatic and geochemical spheres. Students will investigate the cycling and impact of chemicals in the environment through via fundamental photochemical, kinetic and transport aspects.

CHM 6105 - Introduction to Computational Chemistry: Several of the basic computational techniques will be discussed. The fundamentals of molecular dynamics, Monte Carlo simulations, electronic calculations as well as applications in materials science, phase equilibria and some industrial applications will be covered.

CHM 6101 - Medical Biochemistry: Biochemically distinguish protein structure and function in relation to selected human diseases. Describe the biochemical consequences underlying disease such as sickle cell anemia, diabetes, Alzheimer's and cancer. Recognize that biochemistry integrates knowledge of the chemical processes in living cells with strategies to understand disease and identify potential therapies.

CHM 6113 - Organometallic Reaction and Structures: A study of the bonding and reactions that are common for organometallic compounds. The course will study both main-group and transition metal organometallic systems.