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The UMD Chemistry and Biochemistry Graduate Program

Plan A: Master's Degree with Thesis

Plan A is the traditional degree program in which students prepare for a career in chemistry through coursework and original research. This plan provides solid academic preparation and practical laboratory experience, and is selected by most students. Plan A students must register for 10 thesis credits, and write and defend, as part of the final oral examination, a thesis on original research.

Plan B: Master's Degree without Thesis

Plan B provides an opportunity for those whose career plans may not benefit directly from laboratory research experience to pursue an advanced degree in chemistry. Plan B students must complete an additional 10 course credits, and prepare three papers in the major and related fields.

Required Core Courses

All students are required to complete four of the following core courses.

• CHEM 5424 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry I (3 credits)
• CHEM 5524 Advanced Organic Chemistry I (3 credits)
• CHEM 5624 Advanced Physical Chemistry I (3 credits)
• CHEM 5650 Computational Chemistry (3 credits)
• CHEM 5714 Applications of Spectroscopy (4 credits)
• CHEM 5725 Advanced Analytical Chemistry I (3 credits)
• IBS 5101, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (3 credits)

Selection of a Research Advisor

Plan A students select a research advisor during their first two semesters of residence. The selection of an advisor is an important decision that can have a significant impact on a student's career direction and professional development. Because of the low ratio of graduate students to faculty, students generally have no difficulty identifying an advisor who can provide appropriate guidance in planning their coursework and thesis research.

Research and Final Thesis

For most students, the excitement and valuable experience gained from conducting original research in chemistry, and communicating the results of that research in the form of a final thesis and publication in the scientific literature, are the defining aspects of graduate study in chemistry. The M.S. chemistry program at UMD provides the facilities and environment to conduct original research that can lead to significant contributions to the science of chemistry. After selecting an advisor, each student is assigned desk and bench space in the advisor's laboratory. Students have access to department research facilities described earlier. Funds to purchase supplies and for related expenses are provided through various research grants. Typical Plan-A programs of study for students in each of the program's five areas are given below. Every Plan-A program will also include Masters Thesis Credits, CHEM 8777, and Seminar, CHEM 8184. Students completing a Plan-B Masters degree must add 10 course credits plus Seminar, CHEM 8184, to each of the programs below.

Analytical Chemistry

Major Field (14 credits)

• CHEM 5725 Advanced Analytical Chemistry I (3 credits)
• CHEM 5624 Advanced Physical Chemistry I (3 credits)
• CHEM 5714 Applications of Spectroscopy (4 credits)

Other advanced analytical course (4 credits)

• CHEM 8224 Advanced Analytical Chemistry II or
• CHEM 8750 Special Topics in Chemistry

Related Field (6 credits)

• CHEM 5524 Advanced Organic Chemistry I (3 credits)
• CHEM 5424 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry I (3 credits)

Biological Chemistry

Major Field (14 credits)

• CHEM 5524 Advanced Organic Chemistry I (3 credits)
• IBS 5101 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (3 credits)
• CHEM 5624 Advanced Physical Chemistry I (3 credits)
• CHEM 5714 Applications of Spectroscopy (4 credits)
• graduate-level elective (1 or more credits)

Related Field (6 credits)

• CHEM 5725 Advanced Analytical Chemistry I (3 credits)
• CHEM 5424 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry I or
• CHEM 5650 Computational Chemistry (3 credits)

Inorganic Chemistry

Major Field (14 credits)

• CHEM 5424 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry I (3 credits)
• CHEM 8424 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry II (4 credits)
• CHEM 5624 Advanced Physical Chemistry I (3 credits)
• CHEM 5714 Applications of Spectroscopy (4 credits)

Related Field (6 credits)

• CHEM 5725 Advanced Analytical Chemistry I (3 credits)
• CHEM 5424 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry I or
• CHEM 5650 Computational Chemistry (3 credits)

Organic Chemistry

Major Field (14 credits)

• CHEM 5524 Advanced Organic Chemistry I (3 credits)
• CHEM 8524 Advanced Organic Chemistry II (4 credits)
• CHEM 5624 Advanced Physical Chemistry I (3 credits)
• CHEM 5714 Applications of Spectroscopy (4 credits)

Related Field (6 credits)

• CHEM 5725 Advanced Analytical Chemistry I (3 credits)
• CHEM 5424 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry I or
• CHEM 5650 Computational Chemistry (3 credits)

Physical Chemistry

Major Field (15 credits)

• CHEM 5624 Advanced Physical Chemistry I (3 credits)
• CHEM 5650 Computational Chemistry (3 credits)
• CHEM 5424 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry I (3 credits)
• CHEM 5725 Advanced Analytical Chemistry I (3 credits)
• Physics or Math (3 credits)

Related Field (7 credits)

• CHEM 5714 Applications of Spectroscopy (4 credits)
• Physics or Math (3 credits)

Likely physics and math courses to choose among:

• MATH 4230 Complex Variables (3 credits)
• MATH 4820 Applied Math - Numerical Methods (3 credits)
• MATH 5260 Dynamical Systems (3 credits)
• MATH 5270 Modeling with Dynamical Systems (3 credits)
• MATH 5327 Advanced Linear Algebra (3 credits)
• PHYS 4021 Quantum Physics II (4 credits)
• PHYS 4031 Thermal and Statistical Physics (4 credits)
• PHYS 5052 Computational Methods in Physics (3 credits)

Graduate Courses Courses offered by the Chemistry Department for the graduate program in chemistry are listed below. Graduate level courses offered by other programs may also be used as a component of a student's program of courses.

• CHEM 5424 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry I (3 credits) This course will cover advanced topics in inorganic chemistry. Students will gain proficiency and good understanding of advanced topics in inorganic chemistry. Topics will include applications of group theory and organometallic chemistry, including structure, bonding, reactions and reaction mechanisms, and applications. Bioinorganic chemistry and aspects of material science may be covered.
• CHEM 5524 Advanced Organic Chemistry I (3 credits) This course will cover advanced topics of organic reaction mechanisms and aspects of organic synthesis. Students will gain a good understanding of advanced topics in organic chemistry.
• CHEM 5994 Directed Research in Chemistry (1 - 3 credits [max 9 credits]. Directed laboratory or theoretical research in the chemical sciences.
• CHEM 5624 Advanced Physical Chemistry I (3 credits) This course will cover classical and statistical thermodynamics, chemical kinetics and other selected topics in physical chemistry. Students will understand methods and underlying principles of chemical thermodynamics and kinetics.
• CHEM 5650 Computational Chemistry (3 credits) This course will cover topics in computational quantum chemistry, including molecular mechanics, quantum mechanics, semiempirical and ab initio molecular orbital calculations, and density functional theory. Additional topics may include biochemical applications, QSAR, and ligand modeling and docking. Students will understand and be able to use modern methods of computational chemistry, especially computational quantum chemistry.
• CHEM 5714 Applications of Spectroscopy (4 credits, including lab) This course will cover applications of spectroscopic techniques to structure elucidation, including NMR, FTIR, MS, UV-Vis, X-ray, EPR spectroscopy. In the laboratory component, students will be trained in using modern research instruments available in chemistry department, including 500 MHz NMR, EPR, FT-IR spectrometers, GC mass-spectrometers, and an X-ray diffractometer.
• CHEM 5725 Advanced Analytical Chemistry I (3 credits) This course augments basic coursework in wet and instrumental analytical chemistry. Topics include statistical and chemometric methods for experimental design and data analysis, electronics and computers in chemical instrumentation, and selected techniques of instrumental analysis such as mass spectrometry, inductively coupled optical emission spectroscopy and analytical gas chromatography.
• CHEM 8184 Seminar (1 credit). Practice in preparation and oral presentation of reports on articles from the literature or on graduate research.
• CHEM 8224. Advanced Analytical Chemistry II. (4 credits). Advanced treatment of selected methods in analytical chemistry.
• CHEM 8324. Advanced Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. (4 credits).
• CHEM 8424 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry II (4 credits). Discussion of structure, reactions, and bonding in inorganic and organometallic compounds in terms of valence bond, molecular orbital, and ligand field theories.
• CHEM 8524 Advanced Organic Chemistry II (4 credtis). Advanced treatment of synthetic methods and reaction mechanisms in organic chemistry.
• CHEM 8624. Advanced Physical Chemistry II (4 credits). Advanced topics selected from quantum and computational chemistry, reaction kinetics and dynamics, statistical mechanics, and thermodynamics.
• CHEM 8750 Selected Topics in Chemistry (1-4 credits [max 8 credits]). Topics not available in standard curriculum.
• CHEM 8777. Thesis Credits: Masters. (1-18 credits).