Chemistry

M.Sc, M.A.Sc, Ph.D

A degree from Queen’s Department of Chemistry is highly regarded and an important consideration in today's competitive science and technology job market.

Our new $56 million state of the art building is home to The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance facility and its eight high-field instruments, an on-site Mass spec facility with four mass spectrometers an X-ray diffractometer, a CFI-funded facility for materials characterization and more unique equipment in faculty labs.

You can conduct front-line, industrially-relevant research in analytical, inorganic, organic, physical, polymer, and theoretical chemistry and take part in interdisciplinary research in such areas as environmental, molecular modeling for drug design and various forms of spectroscopy. Our Chemistry Innovation Council, made up of industry and government leaders, will advise you about career opportunities and help you establish contact with potential employers.

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"My years at Queen’s have left me with nothing but good memories. It was a great experience, a great city and a great education. It was a solid foundation to launch a career. I wouldn’t be where I am today had I not chosen Queen’s."

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Degrees Offered / Length of Program

• M.Sc.: 2 years
• M.A.Sc.: 2 years
• Ph.D.: 4 years

Our academic year begins in September, but we also grant admission in January or May by request.

Method of Completion

• M.Sc.: course work & thesis
• Ph.D.: course work, research thesis, comprehensive oral exam, research seminar

Degree Level Expectations & Learning Outcomes

  M.Sc - view this information as a PDF (261KB)

PhD - view this information as a PDF (101KB)

Cross Disciplinary Aspects

Our students collaborate frequently with Environmental Studies, Engineering, Physics and other departments.

Supervisors and Fields of Study

To be considered for admission, submit a letter of intent and/or contact potential supervisors directly. Accepted domestic students must have a potential faculty supervisor in place before registering. International students must have a potential faculty supervisor  interested in their Letter of Intent before applying.

• Biological/Medicinal Chemistry: Michael C. Baird (Emeritus), R. Stan Brown, Cathleen M. Crudden, Andrew Evans, Anne Petitjean, Victor A. Snieckus (Emeritus), Gang Wu, David L. Zechel
• Computational/Theoretical Chemistry: Natalie M. Cann, Tucker Carrington, Jr., Nicholas Mosey, Gang Wu
• Environmental/Analytical Chemistry: Diane Beauchemin, R. Stephen Brown, Erwin Buncel (Emeritus), Gregory Jerkiewicz, Philip G. Jessop, Hans-Peter Loock, Richard Oleschuk
• Materials Chemistry: Michael C. Baird (Emeritus), R. Stan Brown, Erwin Buncel (Emeritus), Natalie M. Cann, Cathleen M. Crudden, Simon A.M. Hesp, J. Hugh Horton, Gregory Jerkiewicz, Philip G.Jessop, Robert P. Lemieux, Guojun Liu, Donal H. Macartney, Nicholas Mosey, Jean Michel Nunzi, Anne Petitjean, Suning Wang,Gang Wu

Employment Opportunities

Graduates from our programs have found work in universities and such leading companies as GlaxoSmithKline, IMSE, Maxxam, Apotex, Ingenia and others, in positions such as: Research chemist, Research engineer, Scientist,  Technical Leader, ICP Analyst, Professor, Post-doctoral fellow.

Funding Information

M.Sc. & Ph.D.: minimum $22,000 per year from internal awards, research assistantships and teaching assistantships. Students holding NSERC scholarships will receive an additional $8,000, over their scholarship amount, in the first year and $6,000 in subsequent years.

Additional funding is available through NSERC and OGS, as well as internal and provincial sources.

Academic Prerequisites

We consider grades from all four years; however we pay special emphasis on your final years. We also look for evidence of improvement.

• M.Sc.: 4-year honours Bachelor degree (or equivalent) in chemistry or a related science e.g. biochemistry, chemical physics, materials science or chemical engineering) with a minimum second-class
  standing (B+, 75-79%, 3.3 GPA)
  Previous research and teaching potential, as evidenced by publications, conference presentations and/or undergraduate teaching experience will also be taken into consideration.

• Ph.D.: M.Sc. or equivalent in chemistry
  Direct entry to Ph.D. is available to students with exceptional grades and significant research experience.

Other Requirements

We encourage you to send a Letter of Intent to the Chemistry Department before applying.

Test Requirements

For international students, if required, a TOEFL score of at least 580 (paper-based) or TOEFL iBT minimum scores of: writing (24/30); speaking (22/30); reading (22/30); listening (20/30), for a total of 88/120. Applicants must have the minimum score in each test as well as the minimum overall score.

 

Program Profiles

• Yaoting Zhang - balancing complex research with the simple pleasure of a home-cooked meal...
• Julia van Drunen - water treatment research sparks fuel cell innovation (from Queen's News)
• Will Rogers (alumnist) - a family affair for this alumnist