The Master of Science (M.S.) in Biochemistry requires completion of at least 30 semester hours of graduate level courses. Coursework includes a core of introductory and advance biochemistry courses, as well as courses in chemistry and other areas. Students must write a Master’s thesis based on original research carried our under the direction of a faculty advisor. In addition, students gain experience in professional speaking by preparing and presenting two public seminars.

The Graduate Bulletin describes the M.S. Biochemistry program and graduate courses offered by the Department.

Coursework
Four core courses in the major areas of biochemistry are required for the Master of Science degree:

In addition, students must select one elective from the chemistry core courses (CHE 553, CHE 632, CHE 641, and CHE 661) and one elective in biochemistry or from a list of approved biochemistry-related courses, including many offered by other departments. Additional electives may be chosen from the chemistry and biochemistry courses or from the list of biochemistry-related courses.

Seminars
Students attend the Department's weekly seminar series and present two seminars during the course of their Master's degree studies. One seminar is based on a topic from the recent literature. The other is based on the student’s thesis research and is given shortly before completion of the degree. These seminar experiences provide strong preparation for future professional presentations. The seminars are presented in the context of courses:

Research and Thesis
Each graduate student in the M.S. Biochemistry program must carry out a research project and write a Master's thesis based on the research. Course credit for research is accumulated through two courses, which may be taken for up to 6 credits each:

Students choose a research advisor and begin research under the course number CHE 680. Before registering for CHE 699, students must write a research proposal and present it to his or her thesis committee. The research project and thesis are an important part of the M.S. program, accounting for at least a third of the credit hours earned. Actual effort invested in the research project may be much greater, since students must work toward completion of a project with meaningful results. During the summer, students supported by assistantships should devote full-time effort to making major progress on the research project.