MS Chemistry

2 Years On Campus Masters Program

Stony Brook University SUNY

Program Overview

The MS in Chemistry at Stony Brook University is a 30-credit graduate program designed for students who want to strengthen their advanced chemistry knowledge through graduate coursework, with the standard option emphasizing interdisciplinary study and a final critical-review term paper. Students can build expertise across areas such as organic, inorganic, physical, biological, materials and computational chemistry while also accessing the department’s broader research and seminar environment.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students begin advanced graduate study with 500-level CHE courses covering areas such as CHE 501: Instrumental Methods, CHE 504: Structure and Reactivity in Organic Chemistry, CHE 511: Structural Inorganic Chemistry, CHE 521: Quantum Chemistry 1, and CHE 523: Chemical Thermodynamics. The curriculum also includes GRD 500, the CHE 582 seminar, and approved scientific electives, allowing students to develop a foundation across different areas of chemistry.

Year 2: Students complete the remaining graduate coursework and develop a more focused area of study through advanced options such as CHE 534: Computing in Chemistry, CHE 535: Introduction to Computational Structural Biology, CHE 541: Biomolecular Structure and Analysis, CHE 542: Chemical Biology, CHE 543: Chemical Approaches to Biology, or other approved 500-level chemistry courses. The standard MS concludes with CHE 590: Term Paper, in which students prepare a critical review of a current topic in chemistry.

Focus areas: Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Bioorganic Chemistry, Computational Chemistry, Materials Chemistry, Biological Chemistry, Chemical Biology, Synthetic Chemistry, Chemical Physics.

Learning outcomes: Advanced understanding of chemistry; critical evaluation of current chemical literature; interdisciplinary scientific knowledge; graduate-level analytical and problem-solving skills; scientific communication through seminars and the final term paper.

Professional alignment (accreditation): A specific professional accreditation for the MS in Chemistry is not stated on Stony Brook University's official program pages. The department states that its graduate programs prepare students for careers in modern chemistry and provides connections across chemistry, biochemistry, materials science, physics, pharmacology, applied mathematics and the medical school.

Reputation (employability rankings): Stony Brook University's Department of Chemistry states that it “ranks among the best in the world,” but the official program page does not provide a specific QS, Guardian or other external employability ranking for the MS Chemistry program.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Stony Brook University’s MS in Chemistry gives students opportunities to develop advanced practical skills through specialized coursework, research, seminars and, depending on the selected track, laboratory or professional internship experiences. The Chemistry Department provides access to sophisticated analytical instrumentation and research environments spanning organic, inorganic, physical, computational, materials and bioorganic chemistry, with additional research connections to the School of Medicine and Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Program-specific experiential opportunities include:

Research concentration: Students choosing the MS in Chemistry with Research Concentration can participate in research across organic, inorganic, physical, bioorganic, computational and materials chemistry, working with faculty and interdisciplinary collaborators.
Professional internships: The Professional Science concentration connects students with internships through the National Center for BioEnergy Research and Development (CBERG), Northeastern Chemical Energy Storage Center (NECCES), Long Island High Technology Incubator, and local industrial and governmental laboratories.
NMR Facility: Students involved in research can access advanced NMR capabilities, including 850, 700, 500, 400 and 300 MHz instruments supporting liquid- and solid-state experiments across chemistry, structural biology and materials science.
Mass spectrometry: Departmental facilities include instruments such as Agilent LC-MS systems, Bruker MALDI-TOF and other mass spectrometry platforms used for product identification, accurate-mass determination, formula verification and purity analysis.
X-ray crystallography: The Chemistry Department operates single-crystal X-ray diffraction facilities supporting small-molecule and protein crystallography, including variable-temperature measurements.
Materials characterization: Students can encounter advanced characterization techniques including diffraction, scattering, spectroscopy and microscopy, with access to equipment such as SEM, TEM and AFM through Stony Brook’s research environment.
Computational chemistry: Stony Brook supports computational research through the Seawulf high-performance computing cluster, the Institute for Advanced Computational Science, and the Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, supporting computational chemistry and interdisciplinary quantitative research.
Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery: The Institute of Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery (ICB&DD) provides specialized laboratories including Discovery Chemistry and Analytical Instrumentation laboratories, with equipment for chemical synthesis, HPLC, mass spectrometry, fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism and related analyses.
Brookhaven National Laboratory: Chemistry students benefit from the department’s research connections with Brookhaven National Laboratory, including the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) and National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II).
Chemistry Library: The Chemistry Library provides access to print and electronic chemistry resources, including SciFinder, Web of Science, Reaxys and electronic journals, along with dedicated spaces for individual and group study.
Research institutes and centers: Students can engage with interdisciplinary research environments including the Institute of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Center for Advanced Study of Drug Action, Institute for Energy Sustainability and Equity, Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, and other chemistry-related research centers.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduates of the MS in Chemistry at Stony Brook University can strengthen their expertise for careers in scientific research, laboratory work, scientific communication, teaching and business. The program offers different pathways, including a standard MS focused on advanced chemistry coursework and a Research Concentration that adds research opportunities and collaborations with major scientific institutions.

Career opportunities: Research Scientist, Scientific Laboratory Professional, Scientific Writer, Chemistry Teacher.

Career development and graduate outcomes:

Career services: Stony Brook's Career Center provides graduate students with career coaching, résumé and cover-letter support, workshops, job fairs, networking opportunities and access to employers. Graduate students can also use Handshake to search for jobs and internships and connect with recruiters.
Research and professional experience: Students choosing the Chemistry Research Concentration can participate in research across a broad range of disciplines, with collaborations involving the School of Medicine, Stony Brook University Medical Center and Brookhaven National Laboratory. The department also offers specialized internships as part of its master's pathways.
Employment statistics: Stony Brook does not publish a Chemistry MS-specific employment rate or salary figure on the official master's program page. The university's undergraduate Chemistry page reports that nearly 95% of SBU graduates are employed or continue to professional or graduate school, but this figure is not specific to the MS in Chemistry and therefore should not be treated as a program-specific outcome.
Salary information: A Chemistry MS-specific graduate salary figure is not stated on Stony Brook's official program pages. The university does publish individual salary ranges for some chemistry-related university positions, but these should not be interpreted as graduate salary outcomes.
University–research partnerships: The Research Concentration specifically highlights extensive collaborations with Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), as well as the Stony Brook University School of Medicine and Stony Brook University Medical Center, giving students access to an interdisciplinary research environment.
Industry connections: Stony Brook's Chemistry Department reports alumni employment across organizations including Pfizer, Merck, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Genentech, Roche Pharmaceuticals, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Waters Corporation, demonstrating the range of scientific and pharmaceutical organizations represented among department alumni.
Accreditation value: Stony Brook University is institutionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), with its most recent reaffirmation granted in 2024 and the next self-study evaluation scheduled for 2031–2032. A separate professional accreditation specific to the MS in Chemistry is not stated by the university.
Graduation outcomes: The MS provides routes into scientific careers while also supporting students who want to progress toward doctoral study. The standard MS is particularly suited to students seeking stronger chemical foundations for scientific writing, teaching or business, while the Research Concentration provides additional preparation through research experience.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the MS in Chemistry, students can continue into doctoral-level study in chemistry or related scientific disciplines, particularly if they choose the Research Concentration and develop substantial research experience. Stony Brook's Chemistry Department also has a PhD program, while the university's broader research environment provides pathways into interdisciplinary areas connected with medicine, materials science, chemical engineering and molecular research.