The Accelerated Master’s Program offers a mechanism whereby highly motivated students can fulfill the requirements of an ACS-certified B.S. Chemistry degree and a Plan A or Plan B M.S. Chemistry degree as early as five years. Students making satisfactory progress towards the B.S. Chemistry degree should apply to the department for this program in the first semester of their junior year. Students who are accepted in the program should enroll in the program in the second semester of their junior year to receive the full benefit of the program. Students should apply to the Graduate School for the M.S. program in the first semester of their final year as an undergraduate.

For all students, the cumulative undergraduate CSU GPA must be 3.0 or higher at the time of application to the program and must be maintained as 3.0 or higher throughout the completion of the bachelor’s degree.

The minimum requirements for admission to the Accelerated Master’s Program in Chemistry are provided in the table below. Select one group when multiple course sequence options are available. This required coursework must be completed with cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above. Note, the minimum University cumulative GPA is 3.00 and the minimum AUCC cumulative GPA is 2.00. Exceptions to the prerequisite coursework must be approved by the Graduate Admissions Committee.

1. To apply to the program, students will submit an application to Kathy Lucas either by email (kathy.lucas@colostate.edu) or in person, Chemistry building, Room C325B. An admission decision will be made by the Chemistry Department Graduate Admissions Committee in the semester the application was received.
2. Students are asked to submit two letters of recommendation from CSU faculty as well as one research statement where the candidate describes their research experience and ambitions.
3. As part of the application process, students shall arrange to meet with two to three faculty members, after which they will come to an agreement with a faculty member who will serve as their research advisor. Selection of an advisor is a prerequisite for admission into the Accelerated Master’s Program. These discussions and the outcome should be described in the research statement.

Accelerated Master’s Program Application – in PDF

  1. Students will complete all remaining coursework toward the completion of the B.S. degree in Chemistry while they are enrolled in the program (see sample schedule in Section E). During their senior year, students making satisfactory progress may receive advanced placement in one or more graduate level (500+) courses. These courses may be used to fulfill upper division science electives toward the B.S. degree as well as fulfill coursework requirements in the M.S. program.
  1. Students may enroll in up to nine credits of 500-level regular course work of the graduate program as undergraduates, while paying the undergraduate tuition rate. Regular, 500-level courses with grades of B or better will be transferred and double-counted toward the graduate degree, as courses taken prior to final admission to the graduate
  2. Upon completion of all undergraduate degree requirements, students will be awarded their B.S. degree in Chemistry.
  3. Students will apply to graduate admissions during their last semester of the BS degree.  An application fee is paid by the student to graduate admissions. Students must complete and submit the Request to Double Count Courses Form to the Graduate School once admitted into the Graduate School and prior to completing the undergraduate degree.
  4. Students may opt out of the B.S./M.S. program at any time with no penalty.
  5. Upon admission to the MS program, the Graduate Operations Committee will assign the student a graduate committee consisting of their faculty research advisor, one additional Chemistry faculty, and one faculty member from a different department. At least one of the committee members must be a tenured faculty in the Chemistry Department.
  6. Each student must complete a GS6 (Program of Study) form during the first semester of the master’s degree. The advisor will assist in the completion of these forms. At this point, the student will decide whether they plan to work towards an M.S. degree under Plan A (thesis-based) or Plan B (non-thesis/course work-based).
  7. An important element of the B.S./M.S. program is the independent research component. Students will begin working on an independent research project under their advisor’s supervision during their first semester in the program. This research will serve as the basis for the student’s M.S. thesis or other scholarly work in fulfillment of the M.S. degree, depending on whether the student completes the Plan A or Plan B M.S. program. Credit may be received for this research effort by enrolling in CHEM 498 (Research) prior to completing the undergraduate degree requirements. These research credits may be used to fulfill upper division science electives towards the B.S. degree. It is expected that students will complete at least 3-credits of CHEM 498 for each semester they are enrolled in the B.S./M.S. program prior to the completion of their undergraduate degree requirements. After the undergraduate degree requirements have been completed, students will continue pursuing their research as M.S. students. Credit for this research at the M.S. level will be received by enrolling in CHEM 698 (Research) or CHEM 699 (Thesis), depending on whether the student is pursuing a Plan A (thesis) or Plan B (non-thesis/course-work-based) M.S. degree, respectively.
  8. The Plan B M.S. program coursework requirements for students enrolled in the B.S./M.S. program are below. Students may complete some of this coursework (9 graduate level credits) during the senior year of their undergraduate program. The remaining coursework will be completed while the student is enrolled in the graduate program (see sample schedule in Section D).

Total Credits: 30

    • Graduate Courses in Chemistry (500+): 15 credits
    • CHEM 6981 (Research): 10 credits
    • CHEM 793 (Seminar): 2 credits
    • Electives2: 2-3 credits
    • Integrity and ethics are critically important in research. Students must take and pass an approved responsible conduct in research course (see https://vprnet.research.colostate.edu/RICRO/rcr/courses-and-education/ for approved courses). The chemistry focused course, CHEM 601, is typically offered in the spring.

 

Additional Requirements for MS degree: Students must complete a faculty refereed scientific work. The thesis or other scholarly work requirement will be completed during the student’s final semester in the M.S. program. This requirement should be based on the independent research project the students have worked on throughout the program.

Students may fulfill this requirement in one of two ways:

    • Students may give a public seminar based on the scientific literature in the field of their M.S. degree research.
    • Students may give a public seminar based on their M.S. degree research.

 

For the Plan A (thesis-based) program, students must write and defend a thesis based on their B.S./M.S. research conducted at CSU; this thesis must be judged to be properly formatted by the Graduate School. The course requirements for the Plan A program are identical to Plan B, with the exception that CHEM 698 is typically replaced by CHEM 699.

 

Notes for both Plan A and Plan B students:

    1. 1  Up to 10 credits of CHEM 698 may be satisfied by CHEM 699.
    2. 2  Electives may include additional coursework from other departments; CHEM 698 (Research); additional credits of CHEM 699; up to 2 additional CHEM 793 (Seminar) credits; CHEM 751 (Methods of Chemistry Laboratory Instruction; or CHEM 784 (Supervised College Teaching).

10. To remain in the B.S./M.S. program, students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above.

FAQs

Who can I contact if I have more questions?

Kathy Lucas – Graduate Operations Coordinator (kathy.lucas@colostate.edu

Justin Sambur – Graduate Operations Committee (justin.sambur@colostate.edu)

What are the admission criteria?

  • Completion of at least 75 credits hours, of which at least 15 credits must be from upper division (300+) courses
  •  A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above
  • Completion of the following courses (or equivalent transfer courses) with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above: CHEM 111 (or 117 and 192), 112, 113, 114; MATH 160, 161 (or 271); PH 141, 142; CHEM 334 and 335; CHEM 345 and 346 (or 341, 343, and 344); and CHEM 474 (or CHEM 473) and 475.

What are the expectations for the program?

  • Upon admission to the program, the student will be assigned a graduate committee consisting of their faculty research advisor, one additional Chemistry faculty, and one faculty member from a different department.
  • Students will complete all remaining coursework toward the completion of the B.S. degree in Chemistry while they are enrolled in the B.S./M.S. program. During their senior year, students making satisfactory progress may receive advanced placement in one or more graduate level (500+) courses. These courses may be used to fulfill upper division science electives toward the B.S. degree and/or may be used to fulfill coursework requirements in the M.S. Program.
  • Upon completion of all undergraduate degree requirements, students will be awarded their B.S. degree in Chemistry. Students may opt out of the BS/MS program at any time with no penalty.
  • During your last semester of your BS, please apply to the MS degree through graduate admissions.

Can students go from the BS/MS into the PhD program? If so, what is the mechanism for this?

  • Yes.
  • The application process is the same as for any incoming graduate student.
    • Please visit here for more information.

How is a thesis incorporated into the degree plan?

  • Students can choose if they wish to pursue a thesis-based MS degree or a non-thesis MS degree.
  • Ideally, students have begun working on an independent research project under their advisor’s supervision prior to applying for the BS/MS program; however, once students are admitted, they will have a short time to find an advisor.
  • Credit may be received for this research effort by enrolling in CHEM 498 (Research) prior to completing the undergraduate degree requirements. These research credits may be used to fulfill upper division science electives towards the B.S. degree. It is expected that students will complete at least 3-credits of CHEM 498 for each semester they are enrolled in the B.S./M.S. program prior to the completion of their undergraduate degree requirements.
  • After the undergraduate degree requirements have been completed, students will continue pursuing their research as M.S. students. Credit for this research at the M.S. level will be received by enrolling in CHEM 698 (Research) or CHEM 699 (Thesis), depending on whether the student is pursuing a Plan A or Plan B M.S. degree. Honors students may use the research component of this program to fulfill the Honors Thesis requirements.

When do students start to take grad classes?

Students will begin taking graduate classes during their senior year.

Do BS/MS students earn the BS degree after 4 years (and go through graduation) or do they have to wait to complete the MS before graduating?

  • Students earn their B.S. degree then they complete their M.S. degree.
  • This means that they can go through graduation after they complete their BS degree requirements.