Chemistry and Biochemistry Department information
BS/MS Joint Program in Biochemistry
Students in the BS/MS program complete all of the requirements for the approved American Chemical Society (ACS) certified Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry. The BS/MS program requirements beyond the BS degree requirements total 27 credit hours. The program is research intensive, requiring students to perform a total of 16 credit hours of research under the mentorship of a faculty advisor. Students are also required to produce and defend a graduate thesis, as well as to present an advanced seminar.
Students who are accepted into the BS/MS program begin chemical research at the CHM 499 level and move into CHM 599 research as they progress in their studies. An advanced special topics course (CHM 592 ) includes advanced current topics within the major chemical sub-disciplines of Analytical, Inorganic, Organic and Physical Chemistry and Biochemistry, depending on the faculty member teaching the course in a given semester. Students are allowed to take up to 9 credits of CHM 592, where each course offering is focused on a different advanced topic.
Program Mission and Assessment
The mission of the Master of Science Program is to prepare better students for their first industrial position or to go onto graduate school. The Program participates in the University-wide effort to assess its academic programs. Information on assessment plans, including goals, methods and outcomes is available at http://www.umflint.edu/assessment/.
Admission to the Program
For acceptance into the BS/MS program, students must have a minimum overall GPA of 2.75 and a minimum GPA of 2.75 in chemistry courses. Students interested in the BS/MS program will apply at the start of their junior year. Students must have completed the Organic Chemistry sequence (CHM 330 , CHM 331 , CHM 332 , CHM 333 ) in order to gain admission to the program.
Thesis Committee
During the junior year (based on credit hours completed), a student in the program will choose a thesis committee consisting of at least three faculty members, including two from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. This committee will be responsible for helping to direct the student’s academic career, reviewing and evaluating thesis work, and monitoring progress in the program.
Academic Standing
A minimum overall GPA of 3.0 must be maintained in all graduate chemistry/biochemistry courses to remain in good standing. A student who does not achieve or maintain this GPA will be on “probation” and will be required to correct the deficiency by the end of the next semester. If a GPA of 3.0 is still not achieved, the student’s thesis committee will decide what action should be taken. Possible actions include extension of probation or withdrawal from the graduate level of the BS/MS program.
Academic Rules and Regulations
See College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) and Graduate Study for rules and regulations pertaining to all College of Arts and Sciences graduate programs.
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