You've signed in with a UCLA undergraduate student account.
Sign in features are only available for UCLA graduate students at this time.
Program Requirements for Chemistry and Biochemistry (Master of Applied Chemical Sciences)
Applicable only to students admitted during the 2025-2026 academic year.
Chemistry and Biochemistry
College of Letters and Science
Graduate Degrees
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry offers the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Chemistry, the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology, and Master of Applied Chemical Sciences (M.A.C.S.)
Master of Applied Chemical Sciences
Advising
The MACS Program Director, Faculty Advisors and Research Advisors will support and advise the students in the MACS program. During Year 2, the students will individually meet with the research advisor at least once per month to discuss their research progress. Additionally, the students are required to meet with the assigned MACS faculty advisor and the research advisor at least once per quarter to discuss their research progress.
Areas of Study
Materials chemistry and medicinal chemistry.
Foreign Language Requirement
None.
Course Requirements
The program consists of at least 72 units (18 courses) of graduate (200-series) level coursework. Within this overall requirement, students are required to take the following core courses: APP CHM 201A/B, C202, C204 (1st year), and 208A/B/C (2nd year), 205A/B, 209 (taken the 1st and the 2nd year). The following courses are also required for each track:
Medicinal Track: APP CHM 203, CHEM 241B
Materials Track: APP CHM C207, CHEM C285
In addition, depending on the selected track, students must enroll in 12 units (3-6 courses) of graduate level coursework from seminar or courses offered by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, or Materials Science. The electives to be taken will depend on a particular student’s interest and must be approved by the MACS Program Director.
The list of approved electives includes but is not limited to:
Chemistry & Biochemistry (CHEM) 266, C273, C280, CM205A, C207, 236, 243A, 244B Chemical Engineering (CH ENGR) CM214, C216, 270R
Materials Science and Engineering (MATSCI) 223, 270, 252, CM263, C211, 246D, 248, 251
Alternatively, students may apply up to 4 units of APP CHM 596 toward total degree requirements in lieu of electives. Other elective courses not listed above and the application of APP CHM 596 toward degree requirements must be approved by the MACS Program Director.
Independent Study (1.0 unit): International students that have been offered a summer internship position are required to take a one-unit of APP CHM 596 to meet CPT eligibility.
Sample Degree Program
| Year 1 | Fall Quarter | Winter Quarter | Spring Quarter |
| Both tracks | APP CHM 201A APP CHM 201B APP CHM C204 APP CHM 205A |
APP CHM 209 | APP CHM C202 APP CHM 205B |
| Medicinal track | Elective | APP CHM 203 | APP CHM 206 |
| Materials track | Elective | APP CHM C207 | CHEM 285 |
| Year 2 | Fall Quarter | Winter Quarter | Spring Quarter |
| Both tracks | APP CHM 208A APP CHM 205A |
APP CHM 208B APP CHM 209 |
APP CHM 208C APP CHM 205B |
| Medicinal track | Elective | Elective | Elective |
| Materials track | Elective | Elective | Elective |
Teaching Experience
Not required. Students who serve as teaching assistants must enroll in only one quarter of APP CHM 495 and receive a passing grade. The students can enroll in APP CHM 495 either during the quarter when the teaching appointment begins or prior the start date. The APP CHM 495 course is only offering in the Fall quarter and is not applicable toward degree requirements.
Field Experience
Not required.
Capstone Plan
The requirement is met by the completion of APP CHM 208A/B/C. The course will occur starting in the Fall until the end of Spring of the second year (three quarters, hence the sequence APP CHM 208A/B/C) and consists of hands-on research experience. Students will either perform research in the group of a UCLA professor or in partnership with a MACS-related company. During the last week of spring quarter of the second year or whenever the annual symposium is scheduled, the students will present their research and be examined via an oral examination.
Thesis Plan
None.
Time-to-Degree
From graduate admission to award of the degree, the normal progress is six academic quarters (two academic calendar years). Maximum time allowable from enrollment to graduation is three years (9 quarters).
| DEGREE | NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters) | NORMATIVE TTD |
MAXIMUM TTD |
| M.S. | 6 | 6 | 9 |
Academic Disqualification and Appeal of Disqualification
University Policy
A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for academic disqualification from graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing academic disqualification of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.