Graduate Programs in Chemistry

The Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology offers five distinct programs for graduate study:

• B.S. - M.S. in Chemistry
• M.S. - Coursework (part-time)
• M.S. - Thesis (full-time)
• Ph.D. - Full-time
• Ph.D. - Co-op
• Special Student

B.S. — M.S. in Chemistry (5 year program)

The Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology has developed a unique program leading to both Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Chemistry following an intensive five-year period of study including significant research and industrial experience. The BS/MS program is entirely compatible with the goals of a pre-med student.

The goal of the dual degree is to foster closer relations between students, faculty and industrial partners.  Students will work on research projects developed jointly by faculty and private sector partners leading to a MS thesis. Students will participate in three six-month co-op and/or internship periods. For students interested in medicine, the internships will involve local medical schools and hospitals.

The BS/MS program is directed toward high-achieving students with an overall QPA of 3.25 or higher.  Students will be considered for admission into the program following completion of 80 semester hours of university credit including a minimum of six chemistry courses.

Students will not jeopardize their BS degree nor affect opportunities to pursue higher degrees by participating in the BS/MS program.

M.S. Coursework Program (Part-time)

This program is designed to allow practicing chemical professionals in the greater Boston area who have an earned bachelor’s degree in chemistry to pursue a masters in chemistry degree part-time by completing a coursework program during the evening weekday hours.  All of our graduate courses meet for 2.5 h one evening each week for a semester (fifteen weeks).  This course of study takes a variable amount of time depending on how many courses students take each semester.  Students normally take one course each semester of study. 

Financial support (teaching assistantships or research assistantships) is not available for students in this program.  Applicants for this degree-granting program are expected to have an earned B.A. or B.S. in chemistry or to have completed the equivalent coursework with an overall GPA of 3.0 or better from an accredited college or university. 

All applicants must have completed 1 year each of general chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and one course in analytical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and biochemistry. All courses must include a laboratory. Students must have achieved passing grades of C or higher in each of the aforementioned courses. 

M.S. Thesis Program (Full-time)

This program is designed for students who have earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and who wish to complete a thesis of original research as part of their course of advanced study.  This is a full-time degree program that normally takes two years to complete.  Financial support (teaching assistantships or research assistantships) is normally provided for students admitted to this program throughout their period of study who are found to be making good progress toward their degree.   Applicants for this degree-granting program are expected to have an earned B.A. or B.S. in chemistry or to have completed the equivalent coursework with an overall GPA of 3.0 or better from an accredited college or university.


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Full-time Ph.D. Program

This program is designed for students who have earned a bachelor’s or a master’s degree in chemistry and who wish to earn a doctorate in chemistry degree.  The program of study includes some course work but the primary emphasis is on the completion of an original research project, its articulation in a well-written thesis and its subsequent defense before a panel of department faculty.  This is a full-time degree program that typically takes 5-6 years to complete.  Financial support (teaching assistantships or research assistantships) is normally provided for students admitted to this program throughout their period of study who are found to be making good progress toward their degree.  Applicants for this degree-granting program are expected to have an earned B.A., B.S., or M.S. in chemistry or to have completed the equivalent coursework with an overall GPA of 3.0 or better from an accredited college or university.

Northeastern University was a highly rewarding experience for me. I enjoyed the close interaction with faculty and fellow graduate students, the metropolitan location of the campus and the opportunities/resources available in Boston. I benefited greatly from being able to walk into other faculty members' offices who were not my official mentors and ask for their advice. The sharing of resources, physical and philosophical, is a great strength of Northeastern Chemistry. Seminars (student and external faculty) were perhaps one of the most exciting parts of the curriculum to me. Organic student seminars, where I had the privilege of talking for an hour (or more) on any topic, once a year, were truly the high points. It gave me the opportunity to learn a topic and to subject faculty and students to hear me out. Couple that to the opportunities available to flood selective analytical faculty member's offices on the third floor…, NU chemistry simply cannot be beat. Dev Arya, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Clemson University

Ph.D. - Co-op

For prospective students who are also full-time employees in companies, the possibility of earning a chemistry Ph.D. degree while maintaining the same employment status is a very unusual and exciting one.  We have designed a graduate program, which we refer to as a “Co-op Ph.D.”, in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology that allows the attainment of a Ph.D. under special circumstances through a cooperative arrangement between a sponsoring company and Northeastern University.

The Co-op Ph.D. program is targeted for students who normally will already have an approved M.S. degree and multiple years of employment in a chemical-related industry.  Employed students who do not yet have the M.S. degree would ordinarily complete first the M.S. degree through our part-time program.  In the Co-op Ph.D. program, the student’s company sponsors the student’s tuition for the duration of study.  The company also provides a thesis committee member from the company as one of the research mentors, and ordinarily would also provide some of the financial support for the thesis research project, as well as making available some of the employee’s time for research either at the company or on campus.  In essence, a collaborative research project is developed that involves joint supervision by a Northeastern professor and an industry-based supervisor.  The arrangement will include execution of legal agreements, including intellectual property rights and intent to disseminate research results.

Students in the Co-op Ph.D. program complete all of the usual requirements for the Ph.D. degree.  These include: completion of two additional courses (normally Research Skills and Ethics, plus one other); passing the cumulative exam series; satisfying seminar requirements, including presentation of seminars and attendance at seminars and colloquia; making regular satisfactory progress on a Ph.D. research project, as judged by the thesis committee; and successful completion and defense of a Ph.D. thesis.  A maximum of five years is allowed for the completion of degree requirements after the establishment of doctoral degree candidacy, according to University regulations.

Special Student Status

This program allows individuals outside the university community to enroll in a limited number of graduate courses offered in the Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology and earn course credits.  A maximum of 12 SH of course credit (most courses are valued at 3 SH each) can be earned as a special student.  This is not a degree granting program.  Since this is not a degree program, a bachelor’s degree is required but not necessarily the complete traditional coursework presented by an B.A./B.S. chemistry applicant.  International students are not normally eligible for special student status.  Interested international students should contact the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences for further information.

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