Chemistry (M.S.)

Program Coordinator/Contact

Douglas Raynie, Department Head
Jihong Cole-Dai, Graduate Program Coordinator
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Avera Health and Science Center 131, Box 2202
605-688-5151

Program Information

The Department’s chemistry faculty research programs fall into the thematic focus areas of environmental chemistry and green chemistry, chemical sensor development, organic synthesis, materials chemistry, natural products chemistry, and chemical education. Within these multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary focus areas, students can select research projects that involve the traditional subdisciplines of chemistry – analytical, biochemistry, inorganic, organic and physical. Currently active research projects in the Department focus on various aspects of analytical chemistry, drug discover and delivery, synthesis or photoactive materials including polymers, materials chemistry and self assembly, chromatography, the chemistry of cell membranes, environmental and green chemistry, chemistry of climate change, photo-physical chemistry, natural products synthesis, biophysical chemistry, computational chemistry, and solid-state NMR. For additional information about these options review the descriptions of current faculty research interests on the Department website.

In addition to a traditional thesis-based (Option A) M.S. degree, the Department also offers a predominantly on-line M.S. in chemistry in chemical education. This is a non-thesis (Option B) degree that focuses on the content necessary for practicing high school teachers to achieve highly qualified status. Admission in this program is limited to practicing high school science teachers, students interested in the thesis-based M.S. degree in chemical education should specify this on the application for admission.

Research Instrumentation

The Department is equipped with modern instrumentation core facilities to support its research program. These facilities are readily available to graduate students for “hands-on” experience after successfully completing a short training course.

NMR core facility includes 600, 400, and 200 MHz solution FT-NMR spectrometers and 400, 300, 100 MHz wide-bore solid-state NMR spectrometers.
Core campus mass spectrometry facility consists of a 7T ESI FTMS; a high-resolution magnetic sector mass spectrometer with EI and CI sources and GC, HPLC, pyrolysis and fast-atom bombardment capabilities; a MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer; a Eksigent/Thermo LTQ ESI LC-MS/SM dedicated to “bottom-up” proteomics studies; an Applied Biosystems SCIEX QTRAP ESI LC-MS/MS dedicated to small molecule and metablomics characterizations; and a Varian GCMS.
Core campus proteomics facility has all the necessary equipment to prepare samples for mass-spectrometry-based proteomics characterizations.
Optical Spectroscopy lab containing 2 FT-IR spectrometer with far-IR capabilities; time-resolved spectrofluorometer; atomic absorption; and diode-array UV-Vis spectrophotometers.
The Department is home to multiple state of the art fluorescence microscopes for the analysis of biochemical reactions involving purified molecules and within living cells. These instruments including spinning disk confocal microscopy, total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy, targeted photo-bleaching, instrumentation of for ensemble and single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) experiments and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, and optogenetics capabilities. The department also houses cell/tissue culture facilities, large- and small-scale protein purification equipment and biophysical characterization capabilities including an isothermal titration calorimetry. Campus computer facilities (including a Beowulf supercomputer cluster) are readily available. Individual groups maintain their own system for molecular modeling, word processing or data manipulation. Direct, on-line computer access to chemical and biochemical literature databases such as Chemical Abstracts and Web of Science are provided by the Department.
In addition to these departmental resources, individual research groups also maintained instrumentation including supercritical fluid chromatography and extraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and laser light scattering. Campus super-computer facilities and on-line computer access to Web of Science, Chemical Abstracts Services and other on-line information sources are readily available.

Course Delivery Format

Courses offered in the M.S. Chemistry curriculum are taught in a variety of formats which address student learning outcomes. Didactic (lecture) methods ensure the development of advanced knowledge of chemistry. Practical (laboratory) methods ensure the development and maturation of laboratory skills and training and these opportunities are developed in the research laboratory. A combination of didactic and practical methods ensures the successful completion of the graduate thesis research project.

Facilities and Services

The Department is housed in the newly constructed Avera Health and Science Center, which provides 100,000 sq. ft. of research and instructional space.

Available Options for Graduate Degrees

Master of Science

Option A - Thesis

30 Credit Hours

Core Requirements

Select any four of the following:
CHEM 701 - Advanced Organic Chemistry I Credits: 3
or CHEM 703 - Advanced Physical Chemistry Credits: 3
or CHEM 704 - Advanced Inorganic Chemistry Credits: 3
or CHEM 705 - Principles of Biochemistry Credits: 2-5  (3 credits required)
or CHEM 706 - Advanced Analytical Chemistry Credits: 3
CHEM 790 - Seminar (COM) Credits: 1 (2 credits required)
CHEM 798 - Thesis (COM) Credits: 1-7 (9 credits required)
CHEM Electives Credits: 7

Total Required Credits: 30 (Option A)

Additional Admission Requirements

GRE: General and subject score are recommended but not required
TOEFL: Score of 580 paper-based, 92-93 Internet-based
IELTS: 5.5

Applications are accepted for admission to the M.S. program in fall only. Students are strongly encouraged to submit their applications for admission no later than January 15. Initial offers of admission will be made no later than the first week of February.

In addition to the materials required by the Graduate School, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry requires the following application materials:

A one- to two-page personal statement which includes a description of undergraduate research, work experience, or other factors demonstrating a propensity toward graduate studies. The personal statement should also include a statement of the applicant’s career goals. The applicant may upload this statement while completing the Graduate School’s online application.
Three letters of recommendation, preferably at least one from faculty at the applicant’s undergraduate institution. Letters should come from faculty who are directly familiar with the applicant’s academic work. They must address the applicant’s scholarly potential and may also speak to the applicant’s potential for graduate studies in the discipline. Letters should come directly from the recommenders, who may submit their letters electronically along with the personal recommendation form provided by the Graduate School. The Graduate School will email recommenders detailed instructions for submitting their recommendations using the contact information provided by the applicant.

General Requirements

Graduate students should consult with their advisor before registering for graduate work.

For additional information refer to the Master’s Degree Requirements .