Master of Science (M.S.) in Chemistry

Among graduate programs in the U.S., 15 UW-Madison departments, including chemistry, rank in the top 10 within their disciplines. Seventeen Nobel Prizes have been awarded to current or former UW-Madison faculty and alumni. Elected members of the National Academy of Science, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine include more than 120 UW-Madison faculty members; six Department of Chemistry professors are members of the National Academy of Science. For decades, chemistry at Wisconsin has attracted outstanding students, faculty, and staff. In addition to having a broad choice of high-quality courses, seminars, and research projects, students at all levels benefit from informal interactions with exceptional research scientists. The department’s reputation for excellence is nationally recognized by funding agencies such as the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy, as well as corporate and nonprofit research sponsors. The research atmosphere at Wisconsin, and especially in chemistry, is a distinctive feature. Collegiality and collaboration are the rule. Multiple research groups regularly come together for various supergroup research and literature seminars, broadening students’ exposures to a variety of viewpoints and techniques. This free intellectual and technical exchange, together with talent and enthusiasm for science, creates a very stimulating environment. Typically only 3-4 students per year are admitted directly into the M.S. program. These students are either employed by a local Madison company or are students who received an undergraduate degree at UW-Madison and want to increase their chemistry knowledge and skills. There are also students with a military background who want to extend their expertise in chemistry. Students with other backgrounds are considered on a case-by-case basis.