School of Polymer and High Performance Materials--Graduate Studies

Department of Polymer Science

The Department of Polymer Science offers programs at the master's and doctoral levels.Curricula are designed to provide both a fundamental understanding of polymer chemistry and engineering and advanced courses dealing with special topics and state-of-the-art subjects.Both the M.S. and Ph.D.degrees require extensive research in areas involving basic investigations and developments applied to current and future problems of our society and world.

Master of Science Program

Admission Requirements Admission to the master's program is based upon previous academic performance and scores on the General section of the Graduate Record Examinations. Requirements include the following: a minimum grade point average of 2.75 or better on the last 60 hours of undergraduate work, a 3.0 GPA in major, two letters of recommendation from persons qualified to assess the applicant's readiness for graduate study (letters should be sent to the Department of Polymer Science), and submission of scores on the GRE.

Program Requirements Specific details of the admission and program requirements are outlined in a separate Handbook provided by the Department of Polymer Science.

Graduation is based upon:

1. Completion of 54 hours of graduate work including the 21 hours of PSC core courses with a GPA of 3.0 or better. (18 hours must be at 600 level or higher)

2. Satisfactory development of an original research project and a thesis

3. Satisfactory completion of the final comprehensive examination.

4. Continuous Enrollment Requirement.

Required Coursework
PSC 701, 702, 710, 711, 720, 730, and 703 or 712 .…………………………….. 21 hrs
PSC 691, 698: Research in Polymer Science and Thesis…………..................10-45 hrs
PSC 789: Polymer Science Seminar ……………………………………….......… 2-6 hrs

Doctor of Philosophy Program

Admission Requirements The Department of Polymer Science (in accordance with policies of the Graduate School) admits students only to the master's program because of the diversity of entering students' backgrounds. Demonstrated excellence is required in coursework and examinations before a student is allowed to enter the doctoral program. Admission of students with previous graduate coursework or master's degrees from other institutions will be considered on an individual basis.

Regular admission to advanced standing requires (1) obtaining a minimum GPA of 3.0 on the 26 hours of core course; (2) obtaining a minimum GPA of 3.5 in at least 30 hours of graduate courses taken at USM including the core courses and research; and (3) passing all three sections of the written comprehensive examination. In addition, a student's transcript must show no more than two grades lower than a "B" in the first 26 hours of core courses. There is no option for conditional admission for advanced study.

Program Requirements Specific details of the admission and program requirements are outlined in a separate Handbook provided by the Department of Polymer Science. Additional requirements for the Ph.D. degree dealing with residency, the research tools, the committee, the dissertation, the dissertation defense, application for candidacy and graduation are described in this handbook and/or the Graduate Bulletin.

Minimum course requirements for the doctorate are seventy-eight (78) semester hours not including research tools and dissertation. Fifty-four (54) semester hours are required beyond a master's degree in Polymer Science or a related area. Doctoral students must take all core courses (PSC 701, 702, 703, 710, 711, 712, 720, 721, 730, 740) as well as two 800-level courses that are offered. Graduate students must register for one hour of polymer science seminar (PSC 789) each semester that they are in residence. A 3.0 GPA is required for graduation.

Research Tool(s) See departmental Graduate Advisor for specific requirements.

Residency Students must meet the residency requirements specified in the Graduate Bulletin.

Comprehensive Examination The written comprehensive examination is given once a year at the beginning of the summer term. This three-part examination covers the areas of organic, physical, and practical polymer science.

A student who fails any part of the examination must retake and pass that part at the end of summer term. Only one additional attempt is allowed.

Dissertation Prospectus Within 9 months of completing the written comprehensive examination, a written dissertation prospectus which includes an annotated bibliography must be approved by the student's committee. The prospectus summarizes the student's work accomplished to date and gives and outline of research objectives for the dissertation project.

Proposition Presentation and Oral Defense Within 18 months of completing the comprehensive examination, the student must submit an independently conceived and developed written proposal dealing with an original proposition unrelated to his or her dissertation research. This proposal is then presented orally and defended before the faculty. Oral evaluation of the student's general knowledge of polymer science is carried out concomitant with his or her defense of the proposal.