Chemistry, MS
Engage in cutting-edge research with real-world impacts and receive mentorship from nationally and internationally renowned faculty members. Our Master of Science in Chemistry gives you the tools and knowledge required to address challenges in a number of areas, from food production to energy storage and more.
Program Overview
The Chemistry MS program builds research and experimental design skills in core chemistry areas, preparing students for careers in academia or as chemists.
Our chemistry program boasts strong research areas, allowing students to choose from six concentrations—analytical, environmental, inorganic, organic, physical, and polymer chemistry. Whatever your passions, our program’s flexibility and versatility empower you to specialize in the areas of chemistry that fit your career aspirations. You’ll learn to design, conduct, and analyze the results of experiments, all while gaining foundational knowledge in scientific communication and professional ethics.
This program is ideal for students with backgrounds in chemistry or related fields where knowledge of chemistry can be beneficial, such as chemical engineering and computer science.
Concentrations
Whether you’re interested in using data to analyze chemical substances, want to study environmental chemistry, seek to learn about carbon-based or non-carbon-based atoms and molecules, or even just study chemical reactions and behaviors, our concentrations offer the flexibility to help you hit the ground running.
Our current selection of concentrations includes:
- Analytical Chemistry concentration
- Environmental Chemistry concentration
- Inorganic Chemistry concentration
- Organic Chemistry concentration
- Physical Chemistry concentration
- Polymer Chemistry concentration
What Sets Us Apart
Ranked #1
in Best Universities for Polymer Science
UT has been ranked the top global university for polymer science in U.S. News and World Report’s Best Global Universities.
57%
of 2025 PhD graduates work in chemical industry
57% of students from the 2025 graduating PhD class are now working in the chemical industry.
17,881 +
chemistry hours taught
In the Fall of 2025, over 17,881 chemistry hours were taught at UT, demonstrating our university’s exceptional commitment to building our chemistry workforce.
Why Study Chemistry?
At the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, our Master of Science in Chemistry offers no shortage of opportunities to gain hands-on research skills and excel in your field. In our program, admitted students receive either a graduate teaching assistantship (GTA) or a research assistantship (GRA), meaning you’ll have excellent opportunities to gain practical teaching and research skills, no matter what your career interests are.
Plus, our program also includes state-of-the-art research facilities like the Biological and Small Molecule Mass Spectrometry Core (BSMMSC), the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Facilities, the Polymer Characterization Lab (PCL), and so many more.
UT is also in the process of building a new chemistry building that will offer unparalleled opportunities to help your scholarship make a difference.
New Chemistry Building
On September 5, 2025, UT began construction of what will become the Charles & Julie Wharton Chemistry Building, featuring 162,000 sq. ft. of exceptional spaces for research and teaching. This includes research lab spaces, study rooms, and more, demonstrating UT’s commitment to next-level student experiences.
What Can You Do with an MS in Chemistry After Graduation?
The chemistry program at UT is a resourceful, innovative, hands-on program that prepares students with the experience and knowledge they need to be successful in chemistry careers and beyond. Chemistry is a great foundation for scientific or non-scientific careers because of skills you learn such as complex problem-solving, technical communication, research skills, and data analysis. With classes, lectures and labs in many core foundations of chemistry, this program will prepare you for careers in the multitudes of chemistry fields, education, healthcare and more.
In any chemistry discipline, you could work in product or process development, testing, biotechnology, or environmental analyses. In specific disciplines like agricultural chemistry, you could work in agricultural testing, production, or regulation; in another discipline like analytical chemistry, you could go into quantitative analysis, instrumentation design, or chemometrics and statistics. Other possible career paths include biochemistry, inorganic chemistry, chemical engineering, and materials science. Many chemistry graduates also go on to be chemical technicians, data scientists, environmental science and protection technicians, natural sciences managers, and quality control chemists. With higher education, like a MS or PhD at UT, you could go into even more specialized fields.
Whichever path you choose, the chemistry program at UT will give you the mentorship, research opportunities, and hands-on experience you need to make a real-world impact after graduation.
Featured Courses
CHEM 530 Chemical Bonding
This course covers wave mechanical atom, group theory, quantum approach to molecular orbital theory, covalent, ionic, and metallic bonding and ligand field theories and solid state.
CHEM 531 Materials Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis
This course involves a survey of the structure properties of contemporary inorganic materials. Topics include structure and bonding, methods of synthesis and characterization, and introduction to heterogeneous catalysis.
CHEM 551 Organic Reactions
Students will learn organic transformations of use in synthesis; carbonyl chemistry and carbon-carbon bond formation; stereochemistry and regiochemistry of synthetic processes is also covered.
CHEM 573 Chemical Kinetics and Transport
This course covers time-dependent phenomena in chemistry: chemical kinetics, chemical dynamics, transport theory.
Complementary Majors, Minors, and Certificates
Looking to enhance your degree? Consider these programs as a complement to your primary major.
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