Curriculum 

Distribution Requirement

Each student must take at least one course from four of the following five groups:

Analytical:	CHEM 6201, 6203, 6204, 6205, 6206
Organic:	CHEM 6301, 6303
Physical:	CHEM 6401, 6402, 6403, 6404
Biochemistry:	CHEM 6501
Inorganic:	CHEM 6601
	The distribution requirement will normally be completed by the end of the third semester of full-time study or its equivalent.

Evaluations

After the course distribution requirements (one approved course in four of the five distribution areas) are completed, each student’s performance in courses and seminar is evaluated by the faculty.
The student is then:

• advised to take the matriculation examination for Ph.D. candidacy; or
  
• advised to continue studies toward the master’s degree (Plan A) with the possibility of reevaluation for Ph.D. candidacy after the attainment of the degree; or
  
• advised to continue studies toward the master’s degree as a terminal degree; or
  
• required to discontinue study in the graduate degree programs in chemistry. Students may be evaluated earlier if their records so warrant.
  

Seminar Requirement
A departmental seminar is held each week of the academic year. All full-time and part-time students are required to register for and attend this seminar series each year prior to completion of the degree requirements. During the second or third year of study, all students are required to present a formal seminar in this series, which will be graded by faculty members. In addition, those students who have initiated a research program (M.S. Plans A and B, or Ph.D. program) and who have not otherwise presented a formal seminar during the current year, are required to present a poster on their research activities at the Petersheim Academic Exposition, usually held in April. 

The Master of Science Degree
In addition to the general University and College of Arts and Sciences requirements for the degree, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry requires the candidate to fulfill the seminar requirements as well as one of the following: 

Plan A — With Thesis
1. Complete the following:

18 credits (minimum) in approved courses, including the distribution requirement.
1 credit in CHEM 6711
11 credits (maximum) in CHEM 8831-8840
(30 credits total)

Plan B — Without Thesis (for Ph.D. Candidates)
1. Complete the following:

29 credits (minimum) in approved courses, including the distribution requirement and other courses for the doctorate approved by the research mentor and the Graduate Advisory Committee. Any number of courses in the CHEM 8831-8840 sequence may be included in these approved courses, provided that an acceptable written research report is filed with the research mentor at the conclusion of this work. 1 credit in CHEM 6711. 30 credits total.

2. Pass the matriculation examination for the Ph.D. 

Plan C — Without Thesis
Complete the following:

12 credits in the distribution requirement.
 21 credits (minimum) in additional approved graduate-level chemistry courses; up to 6 credits in the CHEM 8831-8840 sequence may be included in these approved courses provided that the Graduate Advisory Committee is notified of this intention before this research is initiated and that an acceptable written research report is filed with the research supervisor at the conclusion of this work. 1 credit in CHEM 6711.
34 credits total

Plan D — Without Thesis (Minor in Business Administration)
Complete the following:

12 credits in the distribution requirement
 6 credits (minimum) in additional approved graduate-level chemistry courses .
1 credit in CHEM 671.
15 credits in business administration*:

BMIS 6701	Management Information Systems
BLAW 6301	Legal and Social Environment of Business
BACC 6101	Financial Accounting
BMKT 6603	Marketing Strategies
BMGT 6503	Management and Organizational Behavior

34 credits total

*Substitutions may be made if the student presents evidence of recent satisfactory coursework. Business course descriptions appear in the School of Business section of this catalogue.

Examine the full list of course offerings and their descriptions through the Seton Hall University Graduate Catalogue 2005-2007 online. 

Research Support and Facilities
All faculty members lead research programs in cutting-edge areas such as gas and liquid chromatography, chemical modification of surfaces, atomistic simulation of thin films, interfaces and biomolecules, properties of polymetallic complexes, biophysics of nucleic acids, lipid and membrane protein dynamics, synthetic routes for dendritic polymers, carbohydrate synthesis, and advanced catalytic materials.

The department maintains a comprehensive array of state-of-the-art instrumentation, including 500 MHz NMR, 200 MHz NMR, GC/MS, LC/MS, FT-IR, UV-Vis, DSC, ITC, GC, HPLC, STM/AFM, and two computer servers (SGI Origin and a 32-processor Beowulf cluster). It also houses the Center for Applied Catalysis and the Center for Computational Research.