MS in Chemistry

2 Years On Campus Masters Program

Georgia State University

Program Overview

The M.S. in Chemistry at Georgia State University is designed for students seeking advanced scientific training through thesis or non-thesis study, with opportunities to work at the interface of chemistry and biology. The program develops expertise in modern chemical techniques and contemporary chemical problems across areas including analytical chemistry, biochemistry, biophysical chemistry, chemical education, and organic/medicinal chemistry, preparing graduates for careers in academia, research, government, and private organizations.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students build a broad graduate foundation across the department's core chemistry areas, with the current non-thesis plan including CHEM 6600 in Biochemistry, CHEM 6400 in Organic Chemistry, CHEM 6000 in Analytical Chemistry, CHEM 6210 in Inorganic Chemistry, and CHEM 6110 in Biophysical Chemistry. Students also complete CHEM 8800: Seminar, begin interdisciplinary electives, and undertake CHEM 8910: Directed Research, developing both advanced subject knowledge and research skills.

Year 2: Students deepen their chosen area through interdisciplinary electives and continue their research or thesis work depending on the pathway selected. In the non-thesis option, CHEM 8888 is used for the non-thesis capstone paper, while the thesis option incorporates thesis research and culminates in a written thesis and oral defense; Georgia State's Chemistry Department provides a typical two-year research-based pathway for students following the thesis route.

Focus areas: Analytical chemistry, biochemistry, biophysical chemistry, chemical education, organic/medicinal chemistry, physical chemistry, computational chemistry, and bioinformatics options within the department's research areas.

Learning outcomes: Advanced proficiency in modern chemical techniques, knowledge of contemporary chemical problems, research experience at the interface of chemistry and biology, and preparation for productive careers in academia, industry, government, research, and private organizations.

Professional alignment (accreditation): Georgia State states that its Department of Chemistry is accredited by the American Chemical Society, but the official source identifies this accreditation in connection with the undergraduate B.S. in Chemistry; a separate ACS accreditation or certification for the M.S. program is not stated.

Reputation (employability rankings): Georgia State's Chemistry Department reports that it is classified by the Carnegie Foundation among U.S. universities with very high research activity, has received millions of dollars in external research funding, and has awarded more than 270 chemistry doctorates since its first Ph.D. in 1986. A program-specific QS, Guardian, or chemistry M.S. employability ranking is not stated on the official university sources reviewed.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The M.S. in Chemistry at Georgia State University gives students opportunities to develop practical research skills through thesis or non-thesis study, with research programs spanning analytical chemistry, biochemistry/biological chemistry, biophysical/computational chemistry, organic/medicinal chemistry and chemistry education. Graduate students work with research faculty at the interface of chemistry and biology and can use specialized laboratories, advanced instrumentation and computational resources supported by externally funded research programs.

Research laboratories: The Department of Chemistry is housed in the Petit Science Center, Science Annex and Natural Science Center, which include teaching laboratories, research laboratories and service facilities for graduate research.
NMR spectroscopy: The GSU NMR Research Facility provides access to Bruker Avance III HD 600 MHz, Bruker Avance III 400 MHz and Bruker Avance 400 MHz spectrometers, supporting macromolecular and small-molecule analysis.
Mass spectrometry: The Mass Spectrometry Facility provides modern LC-MS, MALDI-TOF, triple-quadrupole MS and GC-MS instrumentation for qualitative and quantitative analysis of molecules ranging from small organic compounds to proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, lipids and polymers.
Chemical analysis tools: Students' research environment includes UV/Vis, infrared, fluorescence and circular dichroism spectrophotometers, stopped-flow instrumentation, Biacore instruments, ITC and DSC, together with HPLC, FPLC, capillary electrophoresis and GC/mass spectrometry.
Computational facilities: Chemistry research can draw on high-performance computing resources including PHOTON, ACIDS, TReNDS, CDER and CDERHD, providing substantial CPU, GPU, memory and storage capacity for computational chemistry and related research.
Combinatorial synthesis: The department has a dedicated combinatorial synthesis facility, including an Advanced ChemTech Model 496 multiple organic synthesizer for parallel synthesis.
Bioinformatics & interdisciplinary research: Each of the department's five primary research areas has a bioinformatics option, allowing students to explore research at the chemistry-biology interface under faculty supervision.
Research projects: The thesis pathway includes thesis research, while both thesis and non-thesis students complete research-related requirements including teaching and laboratory safety procedures and a foreign language or research skill.
Scientific software: Georgia State's official graduate chemistry information specifically asks applicants to identify scientific software and specialized techniques they have previously used, while the department's computational facilities support computer-based research; however, a specific software package is not named as a required M.S. Chemistry tool on the official program pages reviewed.
Internships & field trips: A specific internship, field-trip or industry-placement component is not stated as a required feature of the M.S. in Chemistry on the official program sources reviewed.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The M.S. in Chemistry at Georgia State University prepares graduates for professional opportunities across research, private organizations, government and academic settings, with training focused on modern chemical techniques and contemporary chemical problems. The program offers thesis and non-thesis pathways and specializations including biochemistry, organic/medicinal, analytical, physical and computational chemistry, allowing students to align their graduate training with different scientific career directions.

Typical job roles: Chemist, Research Scientist, Analytical Chemist, Laboratory Scientist.

Career services: University Career Services provides career advising, resume and cover-letter support, interview preparation, career fairs and employer events; students can also use Handshake, which connects them with 5,000+ employers offering full-time, part-time, internship and co-op opportunities.
Employment opportunities: The Chemistry Department specifically states that the M.S. prepares graduates for careers in academics, research, government and private organizations. Georgia State's official sources reviewed do not publish a chemistry M.S.-specific employment rate or graduate salary figure, so no program-specific statistic is stated here.
Salary figures: A chemistry M.S.-specific salary figure is not stated in the official Georgia State sources reviewed.
Industry partnerships: Georgia State's Chemistry Internship Program provides graduate students with structured placements in academic research laboratories, industry and biotechnology, government agencies, and nonprofit/community science programs. The program identifies collaborations with organizations including Coca-Cola, L'Oréal, Georgia-Pacific, CDC, Emory University, Georgia Tech, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, with partnerships formalized through MOUs.
Experiential opportunities: Graduate students may also pursue limited Chemistry Department graduate assistantships, including teaching and research assistantships; the department states that these opportunities can include a tuition waiver and stipend.
Accreditation value: Georgia State's official source states that the Department of Chemistry is accredited by the American Chemical Society (ACS) for its B.S. Chemistry program. The official sources reviewed do not state that the M.S. in Chemistry itself carries separate ACS accreditation, so no separate master's accreditation claim is made.
Graduation outcomes: The department reports that its graduate programs prepare students for careers in academia, industry and government, while the M.S. program specifically emphasizes producing well-trained professionals with proficiency in modern chemical techniques and knowledge of modern chemical problems.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the M.S. in Chemistry, students can progress to Georgia State's Ph.D. in Chemistry, which offers doctoral research opportunities at the interface of chemistry and biology and includes areas such as analytical, biochemistry, biophysical, organic/medicinal and other chemistry-related research. The university states that its doctoral graduates pursue positions in academia, industry and state and federal agencies, providing a direct route for students seeking advanced research or academic careers.