Polymer Science and Engineering, M.S.

Master of Science in Polymer Science and Engineering

Admission Requirements

Admission to the master’s program is based upon previous academic performance and official scores on the general section of the Graduate Record Examination (all sections). 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, three letters of recommendation from persons qualified to assess the applicant’s readiness for graduate study and submission of official scores on the GRE. International applicants must submit official TOEFL or IELTS scores.

Plan of Study. Students must submit their signed, official Plan of Study Form to the Graduate School by the end of the second semester they are enrolled. The Plan of Study Forms are available at www.usm.edu/graduateschool/planofstudy.php - click on the “Plans of Study” link.

Responsible Conduct of Research Training

All faculty holding Regular or Associate graduate faculty status, must complete RCR training modules required by the Graduate School and their departments. All graduate students must complete the RCR training modules required by the Graduate School and their departments the first semester there are enrolled in graduate school. The RCR policy and training information are found on the Graduate School web page – www.usm.edu/graduateschool. Contact the Dean of the Graduate School if you have any questions regarding the policy of training information.

Program Requirements

Specific details of the admission and program requirements are outlined in a separate handbook provided by the School of Polymers and High Performance Materials.

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 the 600 level or higher);
2. satisfactory development of an original research project and a thesis (6 hours of 698 required);
3. satisfactory completion of the final comprehensive examination
4. continuous enrollment - Students must meet the requirement specified in the front section of this Bulletin.