2008–2009 - Florida Institute of Technology

Minor Program
A minor in chemistry is offered through the chemistry department.
A complete policy statement regarding minors can
be found in the Academic Overview section of this catalog.
Information about current minor offerings is available through
the individual colleges/departments.
Chemistry (20 credit hours)
CHM 1101 General Chemistry 1
CHM 1102 General Chemistry 2
CHM 2001 Organic Chemistry 1
CHM 2002 Organic Chemistry 2
Restricted electives*
*Six credit hours of CHM 2000-level or above courses; Computer
Applications in Chemistry (CHM 2100) cannot be used to satisfy the
requirements for this minor.
Note: Biology and Chemistry minors are not available to Biochemistry
majors. At least nine (9) credit hours of the minor must be taken at
Florida Tech.
GraDuate DeGree ProGrams
Master of Science
Chemistry ________________________________
An applicant for admission to the master’s program should
have an undergraduate degree in chemistry or in a related area.
Typically, a minimum of eight semester courses should have
been taken in four of the five major fields of chemistry: organic,
analytical, physical, inorganic and biochemistry; as well as appropriate
courses in mathematics and physics. Applicants may be
admitted on a provisional basis with the requirement that undergraduate
deficiencies be corrected during the first year of study.
Proficiency examinations are administered to all new students
the week before the beginning of classes as an aid in planning
each program of study.
General admission requirements and the process for applying are
presented in the Academic Overview section of this catalog.
Degree Requirements
The Master of Science in Chemistry is based on successful
completion of a minimum of 34 graduate credit hours following
an approved program plan. A research proposal, thesis and oral
examination in defense of the thesis are required.
Thesis Research
A thesis based on research conducted in residence at Florida
Tech under the direction of a member of the chemistry department
graduate faculty is required. During the first academic
semester, the student selects a faculty member to serve as
research adviser. During the same semester and with the assistance
of the adviser, the student selects an advisory committee,
prepares a program plan, and defines a research topic. The student
then progressively continues through the stages of research
proposal, research, thesis and oral examination. Throughout this
period, the advisory committee provides assistance and direction
to the student and serves as the review board for the research
proposal, thesis and oral examination.
Curriculum
Each student follows an individual program plan. The program
plan must have a minimum of 34 credit hours and include four
core chemistry courses, three additional chemistry courses, one
technical elective, nine credit hours of thesis and one credit of
seminar. The student must register for Graduate Seminar (CHM
5900) each semester offered, concluding with Thesis Seminar
(CHM 5901) during the last semester of thesis research. All
courses selected for inclusion on the program plan are subject to
approval by the department head.
Core Courses
CHM 5002 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry
CHM 5111 Advanced Physical Chemistry
CHM 5304 Advanced Analytical Chemistry
CHM 5500 Advanced Organic Chemistry
Chemistry Electives
Three courses, chosen from different areas of specialization,
must be taken from the following list:
CHM 5017 Physical Methods in Inorganic Chemistry
CHM 5018 Special Topics in Inorganic Chemistry
CHM 5095 Chemical Research Projects
CHM 5112 Special Topics in Physical Chemistry
CHM 5114 Applied Optical Spectroscopy
CHM 5119 Chemical Dynamics
CHM 5501 Interpretation of Chemical Spectra
CHM 5503 Organic Synthesis
CHM 5504 Theoretical Organic Chemistry
CHM 5507 Natural Products
CHM 5550 Polymer Chemistry
Technical Elective
The technical elective may be selected from other courses offered
within the chemistry department or other departments of the
university.
Doctor of Philosophy
Chemistry ________________________________
A candidate for the doctoral program will typically have a
bachelor’s or master’s degree in chemistry with outstanding performance.
Students enrolled in the master’s program can apply
to change their status to work directly toward the doctorate after
completing 14 credit hours of graduate course work at Florida
Tech with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.3.
General admission requirements and the process for applying are
presented in the Academic Overview section of this catalog.
Degree Requirements
The doctoral degree is primarily a research degree and is conferred
in part in recognition of research accomplishments. Each
student must complete an approved program of course work, pass
the cumulative written examinations, pass the comprehensive
oral examination, write an acceptable research proposal and file a
petition for admission to candidacy, complete a significant original
research study, prepare and defend a dissertation concerning
the research, and present a seminar on the dissertation research.
The dissertation research is expected to be of publishable quality,
according to the standards of peer-reviewed national or international
journals.
Each new doctoral student is required to pass six cumulative
examinations. At least four must be in the chosen area of concentration
and up to two can be in an additional area. Students must
begin these examinations in their second semester in residence.
Four examinations are offered each semester. A maximum of 11
attempts is allowed.
Degree Programs—College of Science 129