M.S. in Chemistry South Dakota State University

The Department’s chemistry faculty research programs fall into the thematic focus areas of environmental chemistry and green chemistry, chemical sensor development, organic synthesis, materials chemistry, natural products chemistry, and chemical education. Within these multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary focus areas, students can select research projects that involve the traditional sub disciplines of chemistry; analytical, biochemistry, inorganic, organic and physical. Currently active research projects in the Department focus on various aspects of analytical chemistry, drug discovery and delivery, synthesis or photoactive materials including polymers, materials chemistry and self assembly, chromatography, the chemistry of cell membranes, environmental and green chemistry, chemistry of climate change, photo-physical chemistry, natural products synthesis, biophysical chemistry, computational chemistry, and solid-state NMR.

In addition to a traditional thesis-based (Option A) M.S. degree, the Department also offers a predominantly on-line M.S. in chemistry in chemical education. This is a non-thesis (Option B) degree that focuses on the content necessary for practicing high school teachers to achieve highly qualified status. Admission in this program is limited to practicing high school science teachers, students interested in the thesis-based M.S. degree in chemical education should specify this on the application for admission.

Course Delivery Format

Courses offered in the M.S. Chemistry curriculum are taught in a variety of formats which address student learning outcomes: Didactic (lecture) methods ensure the development of advanced knowledge of chemistry; Practical (laboratory) methods ensure the development and maturation of laboratory skills and training and these opportunities are developed in the research laboratory. A combination of didactic and practical methods ensures the successful completion of the graduate thesis research project.