A Catalyst for Your Career
With individualized attention and UNC’s collegial atmosphere, you'll benefit from robust collaboration between graduate students and faculty. You’ll enjoy exceptional one-on-one guidance and mentorship, while gaining superior training for a career in academia, industry, public policy or a related field.
Depending on your interests and career goals, you can choose either a thesis or non-thesis option for your master’s degree in chemistry or chemical education. Both degrees provide you with a rigorous foundation in research, lab and classroom skills and academic writing. You’ll have opportunities to publish, present at conferences, conduct independent research and collaborate with faculty and fellow students.
Degree Options
M.S. in Chemistry: Research Emphasis
The chemistry master’s with a research emphasis gives you the opportunity to develop advanced laboratory skills. You’ll collaborate with Ph.D. faculty one-on-one and in small teams, gaining direct experience in research design, execution and analysis. UNC’s labs are well-equipped with state-of-the-art technology, and the program offers excellent opportunities for publication and conference presentations. Upon completing the master’s in chemistry, you’ll be highly qualified for admission to a doctoral program. Planning to enter the workforce directly? You’ll have a strong résumé for jobs in industry, government and two-year colleges.
Take the next step! Explore courses, contact information and admission requirements.
M.S. in Chemical Education
In UNC’s chemical education master’s degree program, you’ll learn to conduct research in the teaching and learning of chemistry. Given the national focus on STEM education, this is an important field with strong implications at the elementary, secondary and postsecondary levels. You’ll develop and apply skills related to education, psychology and statistics, while taking advanced chemistry courses. Graduates of this master’s degree program are highly qualified for employment at two-year colleges, policy institutes, government agencies and similar private-sector organizations.
Take the next step! Explore courses, contact information and admission requirements.
Your Future in Chemistry
A master’s degree in chemistry qualifies you for high-level employment in a wide range of industries. You’ll possess specialized expertise that’s highly sought in numerous major industries, including analytical testing, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, environmental technology and manufacturing. And you'll be well-qualified to fill the national demand for STEM educators, researchers and policy makers. Both the research and education emphases provide you with a strong pathway for continuing your education in doctoral graduate programs.
Consider UNC's M.S. in Chemistry if you are:
- Interested in advanced research and learning more about chemistry
- Seeking a collegial environment, with one-on-one mentorship from experienced faculty
- Working toward a career as an educator, researcher, policy maker, or industrial scientist
You’ll learn:
- Advanced laboratory techniques
- Laboratory and/or educational research
- Academic writing
- Advanced topics in chemistry
- Hands-on work with modern instrumentation
Sample courses:
- Spectroscopy
- Environmental chemistry
- Toxicology
- Science education research
- Theory of mechanisms and organic reactions
- Organometallics
Beyond the Classroom
UNC has modern, fully equipped chemistry labs that include state-of-the-art instrumentation. Develop high-level skills in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, x-ray crystallography, mass spectometry, chromatography, atomic absorption, and other advanced techniques.
Where can your degree take you?
- Doctoral program in Chemistry or Biochemistry
- Teaching position at a two-year college
- Industrial research and development
- Government or nonprofit education agency
- Environmental regulation and research
Current Research in Chemistry
Michael Mosher, Ph.D.
Professor and Chemistry Department Chair
Dr. Mosher’s research projects focus on synthetic organic chemistry, particularly on medicinal chemistry. His current work involves the development of new methods for preparing drugs to treat cancer and type 1 diabetes. Dr. Mosher’s recent investigations have examined the potential for eliminating disadvantages within the 9 aminoacridine class of antitumor agents.
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