Earning a master’s degree in chemistry at Ball State has several advantages:
- challenging and relevant courses
- camaraderie and collaboration among students and faculty
- enthusiastic, knowledgeable professors
- small class sizes
- great opportunities for research/thesis experience
- excellent research facilities and instrumentation
- superb reputation with organizations in chemical industry and Ph.D. granting institutions
Ball State offers two types of master’s degrees in chemistry: the master of science (MS) and master of arts (MA) in chemistry. Both are two-year programs, and the core curriculum for both is the same. However, the MS requires a research-based thesis, while the MA requires a research paper.
Achieving Academic Excellence
Patricia Lang
Kicking down walls is Patricia Lang’s specialty—figuratively, at least. She was among the first female scientists at Ball State. Now, her mission is to recruit and retain minority students in STEM programs. Learn more about her work
What You Will Learn
- Content in a broad range of chemistry topics
- Research methods in specific area of faculty interest
- Use of state-of-the-art instruments
- Most students will also gain valuable experience teaching as part of an assistantship program
What It’s Like to Pursue a Master’s Degree in Chemistry (MS or MA) at Ball State
Students in the master’s program in chemistry have the opportunity to research alongside our dedicated, expert faculty. We take great pride in our faculty-student interactions by incorporating faculty supervision in all laboratories, encouraging cooperative learning, and providing numerous opportunities for both formal and informal student-faculty collaboration.
Faculty research areas include:
- analytical chemistry
- biochemistry
- chemistry education
- environmental chemistry
- inorganic/organometallic chemistry
- organic chemistry
- physical chemistry
Read Their Bios
The Department of Chemistry has several newly-remodeled research laboratories and has several instrumentation rooms.
Instrumentation includes:
- Multinuclear FT-NMR (400 and 300 MHz) spectrometers
- FTIR spectrometers
- UV-Visible Absorbance Spectrometers
- Fluorescence spectrometers
- Potentiostats
- Flame AA/AE and graphite furnace AA
- X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer
- Gas chromatography
- High-performance liquid chromatography
- Differential scanning calorimetry
- LC/MS
- GC/MS
The Department of Chemistry has access to and uses the University Imaging Laboratory, which includes electron microscopy facilities.
Students who wish to earn a master of science degree may complete a thesis.
Alternately, students who want to complete their master of arts may choose to complete a research paper.
The Department of Chemistry offers several assistantships each year with tuition remission and competitive stipends averaging $14,000 in exchange for teaching and research duties.
Teaching assistants are typically assigned a teaching load of six to eight contact hours weekly in addition to their coursework and research. Other assistantship perks include special privileges at Bracken Library and discounts at the Ball State Bookstore.
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Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society (SAACS) is open to all students. This vibrant, award-winning group meets monthly to do service for the community and Ball State. SAACS members promote an interest in chemistry, address issues facing chemistry students, and promote an awareness of the responsibilities and challenges of today's chemists.
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Program Requirements
This program consists of 30 credits in either a master of science or master of arts track.
Students who apply for the master's program in chemistry must have earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry or in a field with a substantial chemistry background, such as chemical education, chemical engineering, biochemistry, or biology.
Credits
Total: 30
Courses
A few of the classes you will take include:
- CHEM 500 Chemical Communications
- CHEM 563 Principles of Biochemistry 1
- CHEM 626 Advanced Analytical Chemistry
- CHEM 636 Advanced Organic Chemistry
- CHEM 646 Advanced Physical Chemistry
- CHEM 670 Research in Chemistry
- CHEM 673 Chemistry Seminar
For a complete list of all the courses you will take and their descriptions, please see our Graduate Catalog.
View Catalog
Cutting-Edge Technology
The Chemistry Department received a National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation award to purchase a state-of-the-art laser-based scanning platform Typhoon-5TM.
The Typhoon-5TM is a super high resolution and sensitivity molecular imager that is commonly used in high-quality labs to do a wide variety of biological, biochemical, and chemical analyses. The Typhoon-5TM is expected to make research and training impact to at least seven faculty members from chemistry and biology departments and more than 100 undergraduates each year for chemistry, microbiology, cell biology, and organic chemistry labs. Faculty and students will utilize the Typhoon-5TM to examine protein quantification, RNA molecules, drug molecules, and radioactive molecules, and many more.
Associate professor of chemistry, Dr. Emil Khisamutdinov said, “the new biomolecular imaging platform is a “must-to-have” equipment in any modern biochemical facility, as it allows not only to perform quantitative and qualitative analysis of various types of biomolecules but also serves as an imperative tool to develop light-emitting biomarkers and RNA-based diagnostic probes.”
What Can You Do with a Master’s Degree in Chemistry?
Earning a master’s degree has several advantages. You will strengthen your hand in your career search. Plus, a master’s degree can help you earn a higher salary. Based on information from the American Chemical Society (ACS), the difference in income between a bachelor's and master's is $2,000 to $5,000. Your master’s degree can open doors for a successful chemistry career at companies like:
- AIT Laboratories
- Covance
- Dow AgroSciences
- Element Materials Technology
- Eli Lilly and Company
- Pfizer
- Procter & Gamble
- Roche Diagnostics
Paying for Your Education
A graduate assistantship is an excellent opportunity to gain meaningful professional experience while helping cover the costs of your degree. Learn more.
Ready to Apply?
Are you interested in pursuing this degree? Then you will need to meet our admissions criteria and apply.
More Information
If you would like to learn more about this program or about Ball State Graduate School in general, please complete our online form to request more information. Or, if you’d like to speak with someone in our department directly by phone or email, please contact us.