CHEM-MS - Chemistry (MS)

Chemistry is about the nature of matter, how to make it, how to measure it, how to model it. In that sense chemistry really matters; it is essential to explaining all the real world. It holds the key to making new drugs, creating new materials, and understanding and controlling material properties of all sorts.  It is no wonder then that chemistry is called the "Central Science." Traditionally, it is divided into subdisciplines, such as organic, inorganic, physical, biological, theoretical, and analytical, but these distinctions blur as it is increasingly appreciated how all of science, let alone chemistry, is interconnected. 

A deeper understanding of chemistry enables students to participate in research and studies involving biotechnology, nanotechnology, catalysis, human health, materials, earth and environmental sciences, and more. Together, faculty, postdoctoral scholars, graduate and undergraduate students actively work side by side developing new probes of biological molecules, modeling protein folding and reactivity, manipulating carbon nanotubes, developing new oxidation and polymerization catalysts, and synthesizing organic molecules to probe ion-channels. The overarching theme of these pursuits is a focus at the atomic and molecular levels, whether this concerns probing the electronic structure and reactivity of molecules as small as dihydrogen or synthesizing large polymer assemblies. The ability to synthesize new molecules and materials and to modify existing biological structures allows the properties of complex systems to be analyzed and harnessed with huge benefit to both the scientific community and society at large.

The Master of Science is available only to current Ph.D. students or as part of a coterminal program. Applicants for the M.S. degree in Chemistry are required to complete, in addition to the requirements for the bachelor's degree, a minimum of 45 graduate-level units and a M.S. thesis. Of the 45 units, approximately two-thirds must be in the department and must include at least 12 units of graduate level lecture courses exclusive of the thesis.

The Department of Chemistry is committed to providing academic advising in support of graduate student scholarly and professional development. This advising relationship entails collaborative and sustained engagement with mutual respect by both the advisor and advisee.

1. The advisor is expected to meet at least monthly with the graduate student to discuss on-going research.

2. There should be a yearly independent development plan (IDP) meeting between the graduate student and advisor. Topics include research progress, areas for both the student and advisor to improve in their joint research effort.

3. A research advisor should provide timely feedback on manuscripts and thesis chapters.

4. Graduate students are active contributors to the advising relationship, proactively seeking academic and professional guidance and taking responsibility for informing themselves of policies and degree requirements for their graduate program.

5. If there is a significant issue concerning the graduate student’s progress in research, the advisor must communicate this to the student and to the Graduate Studies Committee in writing. This feedback should include the issues, what needs to be done to overcome these issues, and by when.

For a statement of University policy on graduate advising, see the Graduate Advising section of this bulletin. Academic advising by Stanford faculty is a critical component of all graduate students' education and additional resources can be found in the Policies and Best Practices for Advising Relationships at Stanford and the Guidelines for Faculty-Student Advising at Stanford.

The purpose of the master's program is to further develop knowledge and skills in Chemistry and to prepare students for a professional career or doctoral studies. This is achieved through completion of courses, in the primary field as well as related areas, and experience with independent work and specialization.

The Ph.D. is conferred upon candidates who have demonstrated substantial scholarship and the ability to conduct independent research and analysis in the field of chemistry. Through completion of advanced course work and rigorous skills training, the doctoral program prepares students to make original contributions to the knowledge of chemistry and to interpret and present the results of such research.