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 beyond the BS program by taking advantage of the intensive curriculum in the BS program and by integrating BS and MS research.Students in this program typically enroll in four graduate chemistry courses during their fourth and fifth years of study. A research program is started in the fourth year and continued in the fifth, including full-time research over the summer following completion of the BS degree. 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 BSMS program.Chemistry is the study of the composition, structure, properties, and reactions of matter and substances, especially of atomic and molecular systems. It is an inspiring and diverse field of study—the science of change. As the American Chemical Society notes, “Anything that can be touched, tasted, smelled, seen or felt is made of chemicals and chemists are the people who transform the everyday materials around us into amazing things.”Undergraduate students in our program:Have the opportunity to conduct research in state-of-the-art instrumentation facilitiesReceive individual attention by faculty who are committed to teachingStudy in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere and enjoy a supportive environment in which to pursue their interestsCareersWhether it is through technologies for energy conversion, approaches to curing cancer, chemistry for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, textiles to be used in the latest fashions, or a new direction to environmental protection, chemistry affects modern life in countless and important ways.An undergraduate degree in chemistry is a doorway to many career pathways, including:Agriculture, Organic or inorganic chemistry, Sales, Teaching, Physical, analytical, or polymer chemistry, Pharmaceuticals, Patent law, Food technology, Forensics, Environmental quality regulation.
