Degree Requirements

The Department of Chemistry offers programs of study that lead to Master of Science (M.Sc.) and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees. All programs are research-based.

The requirements for the degree of Master of Science are:
• One Graduate Full-Course Equivalent*
• Chemistry 9658, which is a course based on the presentation of a seminar
• Submission of a thesis
• The duration of the program is two years

The requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy are:
• 2.5 Graduate Full-Course Equivalents*
• Chemistry 9658, which is a course based on the presentation of a seminar
• Submission of a thesis
• The duration of the program is four years

The course requirements are stated in terms of graduate full-course equivalents. A full-course equivalent is equal to a course weight of 1.0. A half-course is equal to a course weight of 0.5 and a quarter-course is equal to a course weight of 0.25. A Graduate Course is defined below.* Students must maintain at least a B standing averaged over all courses of the degree program.

*A Graduate Course is:
(a) Any Chemistry course at the 9000 level.
(b) With the approval of Supervisor, a fourth-year undergraduate course.
(c) With the approval of Supervisor, a third-year or higher level course offered outside the Chemistry Department.

For M.Sc. candidates, at least one half-course equivalent must be from category (a) above, not including Chemistry 9658. For Ph.D. candidates, at least three half-course equivalents must be from category (a) above, not including Chemistry 9658y.

For students proceeding directly from the UWO Chemistry M.Sc. program to the Ph.D. program without completing the requirements for the Masters degree, course credits obtained during M.Sc. registration will normally count towards this total.

After consultation with their supervisor, students directly entering the UWO Chemistry Ph.D. program after completing the requirements for the M.Sc. degree at an accredited university, may apply in writing to the Chair, Graduate Education Committee, for transfer of course credits.