Purpose

This program prepares students for research careers in industry, for doctoral studies, or for professional school. Students complete a minimum of 36 units of courses and research, with the emphasis on research. Students write, present and defend their thesis to a committee of their Thesis Adviser and two other faculty.

Choosing a Research Advisor

You can refer to the our list of Faculty members for their contact and research information. Once you find your research advisor, please have him/her fill out the     MS Thesis Agreement Form and submit it to Jeff Rances the MS Coordinator.

Advancement to Candidacy

The deadline to file the paperwork to Advance to Candidacy is the end of the second week of the quarter the MS degree will be conferred.  The final units needed to advance may be in-progress the quarter the paperwork is filed.  At the time the paperwork is filed, the Thesis Committee must be named (see below). These are the unit and grade requirements for advancing to candidacy:

1. Complete a minimum of 36 units. Note the following stipulations.

• Lower-division courses may not be applied to the degree.
• A maximum of 12 units upper-division courses may be applied.
• A maximum of 4 units of non-thesis research (CHEM 297 or 298) may be applied.
• CHEM 250 is the only seminar that may be applied. However, students are strongly encourage to enroll in seminars in their field.
• CHEM 251 (group meeting) may not be applied. However, students are strongly encouraged to enroll as well.

2. Achieve a minimum overall grade point average of 3.0

• All courses must be taken for a letter grade unless offered satisfactory/unsatisfactory only.
• Minimum of 8 units letter-graded courses, of which 6 or more must be graduate level.

3. Complete a minimum of 14 units of graduate level chemistry courses that are not seminar (CHEM 250) or research. Usually fulfilled with at least 8 units of lecture courses, CHEM 500, and possibly CHEM 250.

4. Complete a minimum of 18 units of Thesis Research (CHEM 299). A maximum of 24 units of Thesis Research may count toward the 36 unit total.

5. Complete a minimum of 4 units of Teach Assistantship Seminar (CHEM 500). Students must enroll into CHEM 500 every quarter they are assigned a Teaching Assistantship. A maximum of 6 CHEM 500 units may be applied toward their degree.

Conferral

 Your Masters if Science Degree will be conferred upon a successful oral thesis defense and written thesis accepted by the Department and University.

Thesis

Information covering thesis preparation is contained in the publication Instructions for the Preparation and Submission of Doctoral Dissertations and Masters' Theses, provided by the Office of Graduate Studies.

 

A thesis committee is nominated by the Thesis Adviser and approved by the Department and OGS.  It consists of at least three faculty: (1) the Thesis Adviser, (2) a faculty from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry familiar with the student's research area, and (3) a faculty member from either this or another department whose research is in an area different from that of the thesis.  The committee is named at the same time the student files the Advancement to Candidacy for M.S. paperwork (see previous page).  Students present and defend their thesis to this committee.  Students should distribute a draft of their thesis to committee members at least two weeks prior to the defense.  At that time, they should also make an appointment with OGS for a preliminary review of the thesis.  A student graduates after the thesis has been defended, signed off by their committee, Department, and OGS, and filed with the University Archivist.

Filing Deadlines

OGS sets the dates by which a student must turn in a thesis each quarter, including filing between quarters  (e.g., in Summer or during the Fall/Winter or Winter/Spring breaks).  These are posted on the OGS Web site (see above).  See Commencement (below) for degree deadlines and Commencement information.

The quarter you graduate: Registration and Support

Graduating between quarters (Winter break, Spring break, or Summer)

1. You must have filed an “Application to Advance for the MS” form by end of second week of the previous quarter (e.g., by end of 2^nd week of Spring quarter to get a Summer degree).
2. Students who were registered in the previous quarter do not pay any additional fees if they file for the degree by the OGS deadlines.  If the deadline is missed but students file for graduation in the immediate next quarter, the situation is the same as for leave of absence (see below).
3. See below if you were on leave the quarter prior to graduation.

To remain eligible for UCSD support (e.g. TAship, research assistantships, fellowships)

1. Register for at least 12 units
2. Not to turn in the thesis to graduate until fifth week or later
3. Be on support until at least fifth week (minimum support equivalent to 25% for a full quarter)
4. You may not withdraw mid-quarter from any TA assignment!

If you will be on leave of absence the quarter you plan to graduate, remember:

• Contact our office to file the needed paperwork before the first day of classes of the quarter of leave.
• You are eligible to remain in graduate student housing, but contact their main office for details.
• You will not be eligible for any UCSD-affiliated support (e.g., TA, research assistantships, fellowship).
• You will not be allowed to use any campus facilities and do not have Student ID card privileges (e.g. no working in the lab, bus passes, library privileges, rec facilities).
• You will not have Graduate Student Health Insurance coverage.  Contact Student Health Insurance, 534-0903, for assistance with securing health insurance.
• A General Petition to waive registration and pay a filing fee is submitted to OGS at the time you turn in your graduation paperwork and thesis.  You pay the $119 filing fee to the Bursar before going to OGS.

Three Weeks Before Your Defense

Confirm your Thesis Committee Membership

If your official committee is not changing, you need to do nothing for this step!  If your M.S. Committee is changing, contact our office.  A form will need to be filled in, signed by your Thesis Adviser, signed by Dr. Donoghue, and sent to OGS two weeks prior to the exam.

Schedule the Exam

Confirm the date and time of your exam with ALL your Thesis Committee members, and give them a draft of your thesis.

Reserve a Room and Equipment

AFTER you confirm the exam time with your committee, contact Jeff Rances to schedule a room.  He will schedule it a half hour before the exam time, so you have time to make sure all equipment is working and to settle in.

Schedule Appointments with OGS

Please visit https://ogs-calendar.ucsd.edu and schedule a Preliminary Thesis appointment.  The purpose of this appointment is for OGS to review the formatting of your thesis.  The rules on thesis formatting are very strict -- see the Web link above for instructions.  A preliminary appointment can save you lots of work and headaches later! Rules for thesis formatting are available on the OGS Web site.

Two Weeks or More Before Your Defense

Email Jeff Rances (jrances@ucsd.edu ) the title of your thesis.  He will send official email notification of the defense to your committee.

Defense, Paperwork, and Graduation

On the day of your defense, we will have all the needed paperwork (see below) in your file. Instructions on who signs what will be attached to it.  Your adviser will pick up your file before the defense, will give you the forms you need, and then will return your file to us afterwards.

After you have finished your dissertation presentation, your committee will likely ask you to leave the room so that they may have a private conversation.  You will then come back in the room, and the committee will tell you whether you passed the defense and what (if any) additional experimentation or revisions to the written dissertation are required.  After the exam, your adviser will return the file to us.  We will have Dr. Donoghue, as Vice Chair for Graduate Education, sign the Final Report and General Petition (if applicable) forms (see below).  We will then email you that they are ready for pick-up.

Paperwork

1. Alumni Information Form (please fill out online form): Adviser gives you this form at time of defense.  Only your signature is needed.  It tells us your post-graduation plans (we have to know this for reporting purposes to the Dean's Office) and post-graduation address. You give the department this form on the day you pick up the Final Report form.
2. Degree and Diploma Application (to OGS at final appointment): Adviser gives you this form at time of defense. Only your signature is needed. Used by campus to generate and mail your diploma. The address on it must match the address on the Final Report Form (see below).  You give this form to OGS when you turn in your other paperwork and thesis.
3. Final Report Form (to OGS at final appointment): In your file at time of defense. After they approve your thesis, your committee signs off on the Final Report form. The form is returned to our office in your student file after the exam or perhaps by your adviser at a later time. Once we have it, Dr. Donoghue signs it. We will notify you when it is signed.
4. General Petition (to OGS at final appointment): Needed only if you were on leave of absence or withdrawal status the quarter you graduate *OR* if you are graduating between quarters (e.g., Winter break, Spring break, or Summer). Signed by Dr. Doug Magde and you. We will give it to you when you turn in your Alumni Form and pick up the Final Report form. You may need to take it to the Cashier and pay the $119 filing fee in lieu of registration prior to your final appointment at OGS (see “Graduating Between Quarters and Leave of Absence above).
5. The Thesis! This is turned in to the University librarian after your final appointment with OGS.

Defined Contribution Plan and W-2 Form

Be sure to talk with the Graduate Funding Coordinator, Iris Vazquez (ivazquez@ucsd.edu or 858-822-1824). We need the address for mailing your W-2 form. Those who paid into the Defined Contribution Plan should get information about collecting or rolling over that money.

Commencement

This event is optional. OGS organizes this event, which is held once a year, in June.  You may walk in commencement for both the MS and the PhD.  There are deadlines for when you must sign-up for commencement and order your cap and gown. OGS's provides full information.

Congratulations!

Purpose

This program prepares students for doctoral or professional studies and for careers in teaching; the emphasis is on coursework. Students complete 36 units of courses, and may opt to rotate in a research laboratory as well. To graduate, they must pass three of five comprehensive written exams in biochemistry, inorganic, organic, physical, and analytical chemistry.

Advancement to Candidacy

The deadline to file the paperwork to Advance to Candidacy is the end of the second week of the quarter the MS degree will be conferred.  The final units needed to advance may be in-progress the quarter the paperwork is filed.  These are the unit and grade requirements for advancing:

1. Complete a minimum of 36 units.  Note the following stipulations.

• Lower-division courses may not be applied towards the degree.
• A maximum of 12 units upper-division coursework may be applied.

2. Achieve a minimum overall GPA of 3.0.

• All courses must be taken for a letter grade unless offered S/U only.
• Complete a minimum of 16 units of letter-graded (A, B, etc.) courses.

3. Complete a minimum of 24 units of graduate-level coursework.  Note the following stipulations.

• A minimum of 14 units of Chemistry graduate level courses required.  Courses taken outside of the department must be approved by the Graduate Affairs Committee.
• A maximum of 4 units of non-thesis research (CHEM 297 or 298) may be applied.
• CHEM 250 is the ONLY seminar that may be applied. However, students are strongly encouraged to enroll in seminars in their field.
• CHEM 251 and CHEM 299 may not be applied.
• CHEM 500 (see below) may be applied.

4. Complete a minimum of 4 units of Teaching Assistantship Seminar (CHEM 500).  Students may enroll in more units of Chem 500, but a maximum 6 units may be applied toward the degree.

Conferral

Upon completion of three comprehensive chemical knowledge examinations.

Comprehensive Chemical Knowledge Examination

The purpose of this requirement is to confirm that students have achieved an advanced understanding of, and a comprehensive training in, the chemical sciences.  The tests cover a wide range of material, so that students will have a chance to show what they have learned. The department administers the standardized American Chemical Society exams in biochemistry and in inorganic, organic, physical and analytical chemistry.  Students must pass three of the five exams in order to graduate. Students do not have to take all 5 available exams.

Only the three highest scoring exams are considered.  Therefore, students are free to choose to take three, four or five of the exams. Students may take one of the exams in any quarter prior to their graduating quarter. (Students who choose to do this and do not pass the exam may retake it in their graduating quarter.  However, they should remember that only one exam may be repeated.)  The other two to four exams must be taken the quarter a student intends to graduate.  Each exam is 50-70 multiple-choice questions, and students have approximately two hours to complete each exam.  Exam booklets contain a periodic table, if needed. Students may use a basic calculator.  Scratch paper is provided.  Exams are given during Orientation, the first or second week of Winter quarter, and the end of Spring quarter.  Please contact the M.S. Coordinator at least 2 weeks before the exams are given to give notice as to which exam(s) will be taken.

There is a minimum cut-off score for each exam.  A sum total of points must be earned that is higher than the sum of the three minimum scores.   The number of points needed to hit the minimum varies by test as well as by version of the test.  For this reason, we assign results of “Fail”, “Marginal”, and “Pass” for each exam.   If a student scores below the minimum cut-off for the test taken, the result is a “Fail”.  A score at or within a couple points above the minimum cut-off is considered “Marginal”.  A “Pass” is given for higher scores. To successfully complete the Comprehensive Examination requirement, the minimum result needed is one Marginal and two Passes.  Of course, we hope all students would aim for three Passes. When students do not pass the Comprehensive Examination requirement the first round, they are allowed to re-take one exam in which a “Marginal” or “Fail” was earned.  However, students must wait until the following quarter to re-take an exam, as testing dates are only offered once a quarter.  Students may also take exams not previously taken at this time.

For students who choose to take an exam in a quarter prior to their graduating quarter, the best strategy is to take it in the area that they are most likely to pass (e.g., the area in which they had the most training as an undergraduate). We urge students to include appropriate coursework in their M.S. studies as preparation for the exams. Review what was once known well before trying to learn anything new.  Questions on the exams may seem tricky if one is not exactly sure of how concepts are used. We suggest a review of undergraduate class notes and the following books, or their equivalents:

• Biochemistry by Lehninger or by Stryer
• Inorganic Chemistry by Huheey or by Douglas, McDaniel, & Alexander
• Organic Chemistry by Brown & Foote or by Vollhardt & Schore
• Physical Chemistry by Levine or by Atkins
• Fundamental of Analytical Chemistry by Skoog, West and Holler

Good preparation for parts of the inorganic and physical Chemistry exams may also be found in reviewing a strong general chemistry text.  One example is “Chemistry” by Jones and Atkins.

For students who choose to take an exam in a quarter prior to their graduating quarter, the best strategy is to take it in the area that they are most likely to pass (e.g., the area in which they had the most training as an undergraduate). We urge students to include appropriate coursework in their M.S. studies as preparation for the exams. Review what was once known well before trying to learn anything new.  Questions on the exams may seem tricky if one is not exactly sure of how concepts are used. We suggest a review of undergraduate class notes and the following books, or their equivalents:

• Biochemistry by Lehninger or by Stryer
• Inorganic Chemistry by Huheey or by Douglas, McDaniel, & Alexander
• Organic Chemistry by Brown & Foote or by Vollhardt & Schore
• Physical Chemistry by Levine or by Atkins
• Fundamental of Analytical Chemistry by Skoog, West and Holler

Good preparation for parts of the inorganic and physical Chemistry exams may also be found in reviewing a strong general chemistry text.  One example is “Chemistry” by Jones and Atkins.

Paperwork

1. Alumni Information Form (please fill out online form): Adviser gives you this form at time of defense.  Only your signature is needed.  It tells us your post-graduation plans (we have to know this for reporting purposes to the Dean's Office) and post-graduation address. You give the department this form on the day you pick up the Final Report form.
2. Degree and Diploma Application (to OGS at final appointment): Adviser gives you this form at time of defense. Only your signature is needed. Used by campus to generate and mail your diploma. The address on it must match the address on the Final Report Form (see below).  You give this form to OGS when you turn in your other paperwork and thesis.
3. Final Report Form (to OGS at final appointment): In your file at time of defense. After they approve your thesis, your committee signs off on the Final Report form. The form is returned to our office in your student file after the exam or perhaps by your adviser at a later time. Once we have it, Dr. Donoghue signs it. We will notify you when it is signed.

Congratulations!

Teaching apprenticeships are a vital and integral part of graduate student training. All M.S. students are required to successfully complete one quarter of teaching to fulfill academic requirements. Course loads should be planned keeping in mind the quarter of teaching. Some students teach additional quarters beyond the academic requirement as a means of financial support. Excellence in teaching is stressed, and the department provides a thorough training program covering both fundamentals and special techniques for effective instruction. Further training is provided by the UCSD Center for Teaching Development. Performance is evaluated every quarter, and awards are bestowed annually for outstanding teaching performance.