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BS/MS Graduate Track Pathway in Chemistry

Graduate Track Pathways program: BS with graduate track option leading to Chemistry MS

Graduate Track Pathway leading to M.S. in Chemistry is designed to offer early provisional admission to exceptional UNT undergraduate students. This pathway will provide the opportunity to exceptional UNT undergraduate students to first earn a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry and then progress on the path towards a Masters (M.S.) degree in Chemistry. The student can take a maximum of 6 credit hours of graduate courses while the student is completing the BS degree. These credits will be counted towards both the BS and M.S. degrees.

This program will be open to all qualified UNT chemistry majors in their third year. UNT undergraduate students who are in their second year or four year will only be considered under extraordinary circumstances. Other majors with strong chemistry backgrounds may be considered at the discretion of the UNT Chemistry Department.

Application Requirements:

  1. Completion of at least 75 undergraduate credit hours that are counted for the baccalaureate degree.
  2. A GPA of 3.5 or higher in undergraduate Chemistry coursework, and an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher in undergraduate coursework.

*Undergraduate students who do not meet the above criteria, but have significant research experience, may also apply. In such case, a holistic review of the application will be conducted, and the admission will be at the sole discretion of the UNT Chemistry Department.

How to apply:

Students seeking this pathway must submit the Toulouse Graduate School's "Conditional Admission and Advisor Course Approval Form". Students are responsible for all applicable tuition and fees during the period leading up to the baccalaureate degree.

Upon completing the baccalaureate degree, a formal application must be submitted to the graduate program of the UNT Chemistry Department, typically during the fall semester of the student's senior year. The student's application fee will be waived, and the student may become eligible for Tuition Benefits.

Step-by-step application process:

  1. Student apply for the Grad Track option in the junior year.
  2. After the application is approved and have completed at least 90 credit hours, the students can start taking the graduate courses that are approved for Grad Track as chemistry electives for the BS degree requirement. For the graduate courses to be counted for the M.S. degree later, the student must meet the minimum grade requirements of the courses in the M.S. program.
  3. The students must enroll in graduate school in the long semester after finishing his/her BS degree and should take the remaining graduate courses in the following year(s) to complete his/her M.S. degree. If the student did not enroll in graduate school in the long semester after finishing his/her BS degree, those graduate course credit hours will not be counted anymore for the M.S. degree even if the student comes back for graduate school in the future.

Degree Requirements:

All M.S. students must take the Core Chemistry courses in the two areas in which they have demonstrated proficiency, including their primary area of research. A minimum of 12 hours of formal (lecture) courses are required above the proficiency level, i.e. the two required Core courses plus two other three-hour advanced courses. The third and fourth ones could be Core courses, or some other advanced graduate chemistry courses. Students must maintain a G.P.A. of at least 3.0 G.P.A. in their 12 hours of advanced courses.

Upon enrolling in the M.S. program in UNT Chemistry, students are required to satisfy proficiency requirements in the two of the five areas of chemistry: Analytical, Biochemistry, Inorganic, Organic and Physical. The proficiency requirements can be met by passing an American Chemical Society examination which is offered the week before each long semester or by taking the graduate proficiency course with a grade of "A" or "B". Proficiency courses do not court toward the 12 credit hours of lecture coursed required for the M.S. degree.

Curriculum:

The Proficiency Courses:

  • BIOC 5540 - Chemical Biology Proficiency (Offered Fall Only)
  • CHEM 5200 - Physical Proficiency (Offered Fall only)
  • CHEM 5560 - Inorganic Proficiency (Offered Fall only)
  • CHEM 5380 - Organic Proficiency (Offered Spring only)
  • CHEM 5460 - Analytical Proficiency (Offered Spring only)

The Core Courses:

  • CHEM 5570 - Advanced Analytical Chemistry
  • CHEM 5710 - Advanced Inorganic Chemistry
  • CHEM 5500 - Advanced Organic Chemistry
  • CHEM 5210 - Advanced Physical Chemistry
  • CHEM 6540 - Selected Topics in Chemical Biology

Core courses are scheduled to be offered in alternate semesters to the Proficiency courses in the same area. The Proficiency/Core course schedule is as follows:

Fall

  • Analytical Core (CHEM 5570)
  • Inorganic Proficiency (CHEM 5560)
  • Organic Core (CHEM 5500)
  • Physical Proficiency (CHEM 5200)
  • Chemical Biology Proficiency (BIOC 5540)

Spring

  • Analytical Proficiency (CHEM 5460)
  • Inorganic Core (CHEM 5710)
  • Organic Proficiency (CHEM 5380)
  • Physical Core (CHEM 5210)
  • Chemical Biology Core (CHEM 6540)