Five-Year MS Program

The Department of Chemistry offers a special, research-based master’s degree program, available only to University of Rochester undergraduates. In this program students can complete their MS degree one year after the BS program by taking advantage of the intensive curriculum in the BS program and by integrating BS and MS research.

Since the program is based on an integration of the fourth and fifth years of study, careful planning is required. Students should discuss this program with a faculty advisor when they begin to make decisions about senior research in the spring of the junior year.

Formal application to the graduate school and admission to the program follows in the fall of the senior year.

BS/MS Program Information

The BS/MS program is 30 credit hours total: 16 credits of graduate lecture courses, 12 credits of MS research (CHEM 495), and two credits of graduate seminar (CHEM 511). The 16 credits of coursework in fall and spring of MS year, in addition to research, is common. Typically, this means two graduate courses each semester (fall and spring).

Students will also need to complete full-time research over the summer after the BS degree is earned.

Both BS and MS theses are required. The bachelor’s degree research will serve as the basis of the master’s degree thesis which will be submitted and defended in the final semester of the BS/MS program.

Student can take undergraduate classes through the first semester of the fifth year.

Student can transfer or use up to 10 credits from the BS degree toward the MS degree as long as those credits were not used toward the BS degree.

Download the Program Information PDF

Example Program of Study

Senior year: Student takes at least one additional 400-level course that they can apply to the MS degree. (One is required for the BS, so this would be the second 400-level course taken prior to entering the MS program.)

Summer after completing BS: Student performs full-time research over the summer for at least 10-weeks (four credits of CHEM 495). Occasionally, the student may need to do summer research the following summer if they cannot do it immediately after completing the BS.

Fall and spring semester of MS year: Student completes two graduate courses each semester (16 credits total), CHEM 511 each semester (two credits total), and CHEM 495 master’s research each semester (four credits per semester, eight credits total).

Final semester: Student writes MS thesis and undergoes an oral exam with their research advisor and two other faculty members to assess the MS research thesis. The student is responsible for assembling the committee and scheduling the exam.

MS Thesis and Oral Defense

Students will write their MS thesis following the thesis formatting requirements and the graduate studies’ thesis writing guidelines, under the guidance of their advisor.

Once completed, students will be responsible for assembling a three-person defense committee that includes their faculty advisor, one additional chemistry faculty member, and one external faculty member (not in chemistry). For the faculty member outside of chemistry, they can be affiliated with chemistry but must not have any academic/research relationship with any other members of the committee or the student.

Once the defense committee is finalized, students will schedule a two-hour oral defense at a date and time that works for the committee (allows one hour for oral defense, one hour for Q&A).

After the defense, student emails a copy of the final thesis to the graduate coordinator

Costs

There is a 50 percent tuition discount for the MS year. Students are responsible for health insurance and health fees. Students are ineligible for stipends and fellowships from the department.

Application

Students must meet and/or submit the following application requirements:

  • Confirmation from a chemistry department faculty member stating they will host the student in their lab for the fifth year (email confirmation should be sent to the chemistry graduate coordinator)
  • Confirmation from the chemistry undergraduate coordinator or undergraduate committee chair stating the student is on-track to complete the BS degree per the program of study document (email confirmation should be sent to chemistry graduate coordinator)
  • Unofficial transcript (uploaded to application)
  • Resume (uploaded to application)
  • A $30 application fee (fee waivers can be requested from the graduate coordinator)

Apply to the Accelerated MS Program

Important Contacts

Chemistry Graduate Coordinator
chemgradrec@ur.rochester.edu
(585) 275-0635

Chemistry Undergraduate Coordinator
chemugradadm@ur.rochester.edu
(585) 276-3663