Master of Science in Chemistry
Because of its broad scope, contemporary chemistry offers exciting employment opportunities in rapidly growing fields, such as materials science, polymers, biochemistry, biotechnology, pharmaceutical/medicinal chemistry, chemical education research and environmental science. Graduates with a master's degree in chemistry are prepared to enter any of these fields or others, since chemistry is the central science with connections to physics and mathematics, biology and medicine, and environmental sciences. According to the American Chemical Society, the national professional association for chemists, "Many predict a growing role for chemistry as we tackle the major issues confronting the world in the 21st century: providing energy, responding to regulation, protecting the environment, improving health and feeding the world."
Why Pursue the Master of Science in Chemistry?
The reasons for pursuing a master's degree in chemistry are as diverse as our students. Many obtain their master's degree to gain entry into industry or government positions that require a greater degree of expertise, responsibility and independence that cannot be expected of a candidate with a bachelor's degree. Others use the master's program as a stepping-stone to doctoral studies by demonstrating their ability to succeed in graduate coursework, enhancing their research experience, and writing and defending a thesis. Still other students obtain the master's degree to gain expertise in chemical education - in fact, a number of our graduates are teaching at local community colleges.
Why Choose Cal State Fullerton?
Where Can I Get More Information?
- Additional information about the program can be found in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Graduate Program Handbook
- For more information, please contact the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- To contact the current Graduate Program Advisor, please visit our Contacts page
- We also encourage all prospective students to visit us on campus at the department office, McCarthy Hall 580.
- Current Graduate Students in the MS Program
Teaching is Our First Priority
Our faculty members take a personal interest in the success of their students. They provide one-on-one mentoring and fashion a graduate experience that meets the individual needs of each student. Our graduate classes are small, providing numerous opportunities for interaction with professors and fellow students. Graduate classes are offered in learning environments that are conducive to the development of critical thinking and personal communication skills, in addition to improving scientific knowledge.
Outstanding Research Opportunities
Research opportunities are available in analytical, biochemistry, bioorganic, computational, chemical education research, environmental, organic and physical. We have excellent facilities and instruments such as 400 MHz NMR, X-Band EPR, HPLC, GC, GC-MS, ITC, and lasers to support high quality research.
The MS Chemistry is a Research-Based Degree
Unlike MS programs at many other universities, our master's degree is primarily a research-based degree, which means that during your time in the program you will spend a major part of your time in a research laboratory working on an independent research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. You will carry out a sophisticated research project, and you will gain valuable critical thinking skills by analyzing your data and planning the next steps in your project. The degree culminates in a written thesis and a public oral defense of the thesis. The skills you learned in our program will prepare you very well for a career in teaching, industry or graduate school.
High Quality Faculty
Faculty at Cal State Fullerton are driven to excel in both teaching and research. Our faculty members have been awarded numerous grants from agencies and organizations such as Research Corporation, Petroleum Research Fund, Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Aeronautical and Space Administration, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and United States Environmental Protection Agency. Our faculty serve on many national committees and boards, review proposals for national agencies, and serve as editors and/or reviewers for national and international scientific journals. For the specific research ares of the faculty, refer to the Faculty Research Interests Sheet
and our Faculty Webpages.
National Reputation
Cal State Fullerton has a solid track record for training master's students to enter the workforce, graduate and professional programs, and teaching. Alumni from our graduate program are highly successful in achieving their career goals.
