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ESF HOME > CHEMISTRY > M.P.S. in Chemistry

The Masters in Professional Studies in Chemistry is a coursework-based program intended for students who need additional courses in Chemistry, but who are not planning on pursuing a research career in the field.

M.P.S. students take courses in any of the subject areas of the department: Biochemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Natural Products/Organic Chemistry and Polymer Chemistry. The curriculum is sufficiently flexible to allow a student interested in specializing in one of these areas to take the core sequence in that area, although this is not required. Students who have taken any of these courses as undergraduates may not repeat them for graduate credit.

All students entering graduate programs at ESF are expected to be proficient in communication skills, including technical writing and library skills. This requirement can be met by completing at least one course in technical writing and one course in library usage, either as an undergraduate or as a graduate student. Alternatively, graduate students can meet the requirement by demonstrating the equivalent in experience in writing and library skills, as determined by the steering committee.

In addition to the formal coursework, the M.P.S. program also requires an integrative experience that allows the student to synthesize their knowledge. This can be a detailed analysis of one particular area of chemistry, an independent study, internship with industry, or work in a research laboratory. The integrative experience should be approved by the student's steering committee prior to starting. The student will be expected to present a written final report on the integrative experience.

M.P.S. Program Requirements

The Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) degree requires a total of 30 credits (minimum) in the following configuration:

Area

Credits

Chemistry

15

Other sciences, engineering and mathematics

6

Seminars

3

Integrative experience (internship or independent study)

3

Elective coursework, seminars, internships or research experience

3

Total (minimum)

30