1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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1 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The M.S. Chemistry and M.S. Chemistry Concentration in Biochemistry programs are research oriented and involve rigorous training, similar to that encountered during the first two years of a Ph.D. program. The M.S. program emphasizes basic research and requires a written thesis based on a student's original research efforts, which is supervised by a faculty research advisor. A successful master s student must present her or his research findings in a public presentation. The research projects of our graduate students are frequently published in the highest quality, refereed journals. Hiring new, research active faculty and acquiring modern instruments has strongly enhanced the quality of this program. An important objective of this program is to provide the student with a research experience in a specialized area. The major emphasis of the department faculty is to train students in the methodology of basic research for the solution of chemical problems. Since almost all our faculty members are participating in basic research and most with externally funded projects, graduate students in the department have a good selection of research projects in rapidly advancing frontier areas of modern chemistry, including the interdisciplinary fields of organometallic chemistry, environmental chemistry, chemical physics, computational chemistry, materials chemistry, biophysical chemistry, bio-inorganic chemistry, bio-organic chemistry and pharmaceutical chemistry. This program prepares students for Ph.D. programs in chemistry, biochemistry and related disciplines or for professional positions in chemistry and biochemistry, particularly those that involve laboratory work and chemical research. 1.1 Brief History of the Program The Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry was established in This program was offered by the Department of Physical Science until 1960, when the Department of Chemistry was established by chemistry faculty from the parent Department of Physical Science. The B.A. degree in Chemistry was established in 1963 and originally designed to prepare high school chemistry teachers. The B.S. Biochemistry degree was added in 1973 reflecting the maturation of biochemistry as a separate discipline from chemistry and the rising availability of careers specifically requiring the cellular and molecular biological background found in a biochemistry degree. Today, the B.S. Chemistry and B.S. Biochemistry degrees are designed to prepare students for careers as professional chemists or biochemists in industry or academia, while the B.A. Chemistry degree is designed to prepare students for careers that require a strong background in chemistry, such as science educators or the health care professions. The M.S. degree in Chemistry was initiated in 1964 to provide graduate level, in-depth training in chemistry. The Concentration in Biochemistry within the M.S. degree was established in 1990 in recognition that biochemistry had become a major area of research conducted by faculty and graduate students in the department. The program is offered as a concentration within the chemistry M.S., rather than as a separate degree, to keep graduate training in biochemistry strongly rooted in a chemistry foundation. 1

2 The faculty in the department from Fall 2000 to the present time are listed in Table 1.1 and the FTEF for the department (tenured/tenure-track faculty only) are listed in Table 1.2. In 1996, the department had a goal of hiring nine tenure-track faculty to increase the number of the tenured/ tenure track faculty to 24 by Between 1996 and 2006, the department hired eight tenuretrack faculty, and in Fall 2007, the number of tenured/tenure-track faculty was 23. However, that number soon dropped back to 19. Between Fall 2007 and Fall 2011, six faculty retired, died or resigned, and the prior practice of being able to hire replacements was suspended due to the severe budget crisis in California. The loss of these faculty was a permanent loss to department faculty lines in the budget. The department was able to hire three tenure track faculty during this period, however, one of these hires resigned. We currently have 19 tenured/tenure-track faculty, corresponding to 17.4 FTEF due to faculty participation in early retirement programs and administrative assignments in the university. There has been no net growth in the size of the faculty over the past ten years, despite a desire to increase the size of faculty to 24. Table 1.1 Record of Faculty from 2000 to present year. Faculty as of Fall 2000 William Plachy James Keeffe James Orenberg Daniel Buttlaire Ihsan Erden Mary Luckey Jane Zeile Sergio Aragon Bruce Macher Raymond Trautman Scott Gronert Uschi Simonis Peter Palmer Jane DeWitt Weiming Wu Nancy Gerber Clifford Berkman Bruce Manning Raymond Esquerra George Gassner Chemistry Discipline Year Started at SFSU Year Left SFSU Physical Retired Organic Retired Analytical Retired Biochemistry Retired Organic 1981 current Biochemistry Retired Inorganic Deceased Physical 1985 current Biochemistry 1987 current Inorganic 1987 current Reason for Leaving Organic Moved to another institution Bioinorganic 1993 current Analytical 1994 current Environmental 1995 current Organic 1995 current Biochemistry 1996 current Organic Moved to another institution Environmental 1999 current Biochemistry 2000 current Biochemistry 2000 current 2

3 Joined Faculty after 2000 Andrew Ichimura Teaster Baird Tomoko Komada Anton Guliaev Marc Anderson Taro Amagata Andrew Bolig Alegra Eroy-Reveles Physical 2001 current Biochemistry 2002 current Environmental 2004 current Computational 2007 current Biochemistry Organic 2007 current Organic/Natural 2008 current Products Organic Resigned Chemical Education 2011 current Table 1.2 FTEF for Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Year FTEF Year FTEF Brief Synopsis of the Previous Program Review Recommendations. The recommendations from the fifth cycle review that pertain to the graduate program are listed below, along with a discussion of the status of these recommendations. It should be noted that very few of these recommendations became part of the Fifth Cycle MOU. From the 5th Cycle Review: A. Modifications in our M.S. degree programs, including the possibility of a stand alone M.S. degree in Biochemistry and an M.S. degree in Chemistry with Concentration in Environmental Chemistry should be considered. Status: The MOU suggested that the creation of an M.S. degree in Biochemistry be postponed until enrollment in the M.S. Chemistry Concentration in Biochemistry program reaches 25 or more students. Given the fact that the faculty has not grown, thereby limiting enrollments in the 3

4 M.S. program to the number of students the existing faculty can properly supervise, these program have not been developed. B. Eliminate tuition and fees for GTAs and GAs. Status: The University does not have the resources to support the elimination of tuition or fees for graduate students who are GTAs or GAs. C. Increase GTA salaries to a level equal to those in Ph.D. granting institutions. Status: This has not been done. GTA rates are determined by the University and are a collective bargaining issue. D. Evaluate graduate teaching associate training methods and techniques, especially using feedback from first time GTAs, and support the time and effort needed to allow the training program to evolve into a more effective program Status: The department has not had the resources to pursue this recommendation. It continues to be an item the department wishes to pursue and is discussed in Section 7. E. Make more of an effort to collect graduate student exit information for improvement of our program. Status: An exit survey is completed by each student when they finish their culminating experience. Information gathered from this survey was used to drive the changes to the M.S. Chemistry (Biochemistry) elective courses and led to the current rotation schedule of graduate courses to better assist planning. F. Faculty need to encourage and mentor their students' participation as presenters in professional meetings and similar events. Status: Faculty have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to encouraging student participation in professional meetings. G. Identify more sources of travel support for research students to attend professional meetings. Status: No dedicated sources of travel funding for M.S. students in our programs have been identified, but faculty and students are notified about any college or university sources of 4

5 funding available to students. Faculty and students are also expected to take advantage of any travel funds made available by a given meeting or professional organization. H. Faculty need supervisory (S units) compensation for laboratory research mentoring of undergraduate and graduate researchers that does not threaten the use of some of these units for new faculty assigned time. Status: A limited use of S units is allowed as part of the 9 wtu teaching load of faculty. It is difficult to plan the use of these units because teaching schedules are assigned months in advance of a given semester, but S units are not finalized until the 4th week of that semester. 1.3 Program Standards Summary Table 1.3 Summary of Standards Indicator Standard How standard is met Page in Program Review 3.0 Admissions Requirements 3.1 Evidence of Prior Academic Success 3.2 Evidence of Competent Writing 3.3 English Preparation of Non- Native Speakers 4.0 Program Requirements 4.1 Number of Course Offerings 4.2 Frequency of Course Offerings 4.3 Path to Graduation 4.4 Course Distribution on GAP 4.5 Class Size 4.6 Number of Graduates 5.0 Faculty Requirements 5.1 Number of Faculty in Graduate Program 3.0 GPA and higher 80% of admitted applicants meet this standard on GRE 85% meet this standard TEOFL, 80 IBT 95% meet standard 15 2 graduate courses/ semester At least once/2 years Published map to graduation in 5 years at 1/2-time attendance Less the 30% of courses paired or undergraduate 8-30 in classes; 5-15 in seminars 5 graduates per year average over 5 years 4 per semester (5 year average; range 2-6) 73% of currently active classes meet this standard No published map. Individual maps provided to students during advising. 100% of GAP forms meet this requirement % of classes and 70% 21 of seminars comply Yes (total for both 22 concentrations) 24 Minimum of 2 19 faculty

6 Indicator Standard How standard is met Page in Program Review 5.2 Number of Faculty per concentration Program-Specific Indicators and Standards 6.0 Program Planning Process 7.0 The Student Experience 8.0 The Program and the Community 9.0 The Faculty Experience 10.0 Resource Support for the Program Appendix Minimum of 1 19 faculty Summary of Present Program Review Recommendations Section 3 Admissions Requirements 3.1. Improve the communication of the admission requirements to the M.S. Chemistry program on the department web site into a format that is more meaningful to a prospective student Develop descriptions about the M.S. degree programs to provide more information about the expectations of the program, the time to degree, the costs of the program including living expenses, and potential sources of support including graduate assistant and graduate teaching assistant positions, scholarships and financial aid Set aside one department meeting each semester to review graduate student applications by tenured and tenure-track faculty. Section 4 Program Requirements 4.1 Continue to offer three to four graduate courses (CHEM 880 plus two or three other courses) each semester as much as budget, scheduling and faculty availability permit. Continue using the course rotation schedule to help faculty and student planning. 4.2 Pursue changes to the core courses in the graduate program so that more faculty are involved in teaching them, thereby increasing flexibility in the program. Develop one core spectroscopy course that can be taught in any subdiscipline. 4.3 Add a core course on qualitative methods that focuses on writing within the discipline, presentations, ethics in science, and safe laboratory practices (identified as a program need by the American Chemistry Society) among other topics

7 4.4 Encourage all faculty to develop graduate courses to increase the variety of offerings. 4.5 Monitor the graduation rate as a function of culminating experience to determine if the CHEM 895 option increases the number of students who complete the M.S. degree, particulary among the population of students who go to a Ph.D. program after leaving the M.S. program. 4.6 Continue to provide opportunities for students to present their research at local and national meetings, and to involve them in writing manuscripts. Section 5 Faculty Requirements 5.1 The Department needs to continue to hire excellent tenure track faculty with research programs that will provide training opportunities for graduate students. Section 7 The Student Experience 7.1 To decrease the time from admission to productive integration into a research group, all faculty should be involved in the admissions process to become familiar with the qualifications and interests of the applicants. 7.2 Faculty who wish to recruit graduate students should give mini-talks at a graduate student meeting at the start of each semester. 7.3 Faculty need to meet to discuss attitudes and philosophies about the scope of M.S. research projects and to develop criteria that can be used to design projects that are reasonable in scope. 7.4 Faculty should discuss expanding the role of the culminating experience committee to that of a more formal advisory role over several semesters. 7.5 A timeline for the degree that is keyed to graduation in different semesters should be developed to better enable advanced planning for students. 7.6 Should students be required to make a presentation on a culminating experience proposal that the culminating experience committee attends? 7.7 Formal training for graduate assistants who teach laboratories (GTAs) needs to be implemented, preferably for program credit through a course such as CHEM 685 Teaching Projects in Chemistry. 7.8 Graduate student study space needs to be found somewhere in the department. Section 8 The Program and the Community 7

8 8.1 The Department should continue engaging alumni through Department newsletters, s on the Department s seminar program, inviting suitable alumni to speak at Department Seminars, soliciting alumni to serve as judges in the annual COSE Student Project Showcase, and consider implementing a Department Facebook account to keep in touch with alumni. 8.2 The Department faculty and students should continue to do outreach to the professional and scientific communities by presenting seminars at universities and conferences. 8.3 The Department faculty should offer graduate students the opportunity to include projects that involve outreach to the community as part of the M.S. culminating experience. Section 9 The Faculty Experience 9.1 The department needs to continue to hire tenure-track faculty who are committed to providing reserach opportunities to students, who are dedicated to training the next generation of chemists and biochemists, and who actively participate in scholary work through grants, publications, curricula development and service to the department, college and university. 9.2 The department needs to work at increasing the pool of women and minority candidates in tenure-track applicant pools to provide a means of increasing the diversity of faculty in the department. 9.3 The department needs to have a conversation about the distribution of graduate students amongst research groups to determine if there are problems caused by having either too many or too few graduate students, and begin to discuss strategies to resolve any problems that exist. Section 10 Resource Support for the Program 10.1 Some percentage of overhead charged to grants should be available to fund service contracts and repairs of research instrumentation and facilities obtained through external grants such as the NSF-MRI Some percentage of overhead charged to grants should also be used to expand the budget of the college so that technical support staff can be hired to maintain and manage instrumentation, and for managers of research facilities such as the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Mass Spectrometry (MS) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) Facilities Funds for the renovation of research space are needed to create research space that is safer for students to work in and more efficient for the requirements of current research. 8

9 10.4 Funds to upgrade the infrastructure of the buildings used by the College of Science and Engineering (power, HVAC, plumbing, hoods) are needed to better serve current research needs The department needs more office space to be able to provide graduate students with work space that is not located in research labs, and meeting space for graduate students who are teaching to hold office hours. 2.0 PROFILE OF THE PROGRAMS 2.1 Overview of the Programs Two M.S. degrees are offered by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. They are the M.S. Chemistry and M.S. Chemistry Concentration in Biochemistry. This latter degree will be referred to as the M.S. Chemistry (Biochemistry) degree in this document. The M.S. program is highly valued by department faculty. The presence of the M.S. program has been essential in our ability to recruit outstanding young faculty who are dedicated to training the next generation of scientists, who firmly believe in the importance of research as a teaching tool, and who are committed to providing research opportunities to students who may not otherwise have those opportunities. The mission of the graduate program is to train students to be able to work effectively and safely in the research setting using the appropriate methods, instrumentation or computational tools for the research project; and to graduate students who are competent at designing experiments with appropriate controls, analyzing data, critically evaluating results, and reporting their research. The graduate program in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is characterized by student immersion in faculty-guided research that is generally supported through extramural funding awarded to the faculty member. In the course of this work the student learns to engage the scientific method in studies of an original research problem and is given opportunities to engage the professional community by presenting their research at local, regional and national scientific conferences. Students also contribute to publications, and have opportunities to teach undergraduate labs (Graduate Teaching Assistants) or assist in teaching labs by setting up and running instruments (Graduate Assistant). The size of the faculty in the department has not grown significantly over the past ten years thereby capping the size of the graduate program. The time needed to properly mentor students in research projects and writing the culminating experience is significant. Coupled to significant teaching loads, the graduate program is by necessity small to provide faculty time to maintain the high standards in both teaching and research expected of them. The challenges facing the program include adequate research space to accommodate instrumentation and provide safe and appropriate workspace for students, financial support for 9

10 students, and funds to support student travel to scientific conferences. The opportunities of the program include faculty dedicated to providing one-on-one mentorship and training of students, a committment to provide opportunities to students to present their research at conferences, opportunities to teach undergraduate laboratories, and graduate classes that are small and highly interactive. The department recently submitted a tenure track request for five faculty to provide research opportunitites in areas of bioanalytical chemistry, design of bioactive small molecules, materials for energy and the environment, and the molecular basis of neurodegenerative diseases (see Appendix). These research areas are of high interest to both undergraduate and graduate students and opportunities for external funding in these research areas is promising The Programs in the Context of the Academic Unit In addition to the two M.S. degrees, the department offers three undergraduate degrees (B.A. Chemistry; B.S. Chemistry; B.S. Biochemistry). The undergraduate programs are larger than the graduate programs with 462 undergraduate majors compared to 31 M.S. majors (five year averages from ). As a snapshot of the typical distribution of courses between programs, in Fall 11, the department offered 229 wtus of undergraduate courses and 12 wtus of graduate courses. Of the 229 wtus of undergraduate courses, 140 wtus were lower division courses and 89 wtus were upper division courses. While most of the lower division courses serve other majors in addition to our own, 22 wtus of lower division courses and 3 wtus of upper division courses serve only other majors, and one lower division course is the preparation course for General Chemistry I. There are no paired courses in the program. Undergraduate courses generate the bulk of FTES for the department (Table 2.1). Table 2.1 FTES, FTEF and SFR over the last five years (Fall only) FALL 2006 FALL 2007 FALL 2008 FALL 2009 FALL 2010 FTES FTEF SFR FTES FTEF SFR FTES FTEF SFR FTES FTEF SFR FTES FTEF SFR Lower Div Upper Div Undergrad Grad All Divisions All graduate courses are taught by tenured/tenure-track faculty, as are all lectures required for undergraduate majors and many of the upper division labs. The committment of the tenured/ tenure-track faculty to cover these courses does lead to tension between the teaching demands in the undergraduate and graduate programs. This tension is due in part to the success of faculty to obtain release from teaching to conduct research, reducing their teaching loads by one class per semester. However, the department is dedicated to providing our undergraduate and graduate majors with enough classes to facilitate graduation; this means perserving both upper division 10

11 and graduate courses as much as possible in the face of budget cuts. During the recent budget crises, cuts to our course offerings occured mainly in the lower division courses taught by parttime faculty or graduate students, although the department also spent reserves to maintain these high demand classes. Any fluctuation in FTES, FTEF or SFR is due to variability in budget and scheduling issues. The relative distribution of courses offered in the undergraduate and graduate programs has not changed significantly over the past several years. The coursework portion of the graduate program is relatively inexpensive. While there are enough courses offered frequently enough for graduate students to complete the coursework requirement of the program, the variety of courses may not be what the graduate students desire. Release from teaching coupled to demands in the undergraduate program have meant that some faculty have not been able to develop or teach graduate courses, even though they would like to do so. Most expenses associated with the graduate program are those associated with supplies and equipment for research projects. The majority of these expenses fall to faculty and the grants they obtain to support their research. However, supplies and services money as well indirect costs returned to the department do provide some infrastructure support which benefits research in the department as a whole. Instruments that are used both in laboratory classes and for student research projects have been obtained from the university instructional equipment funds, and indirect cost returns are used to pay for gases used in research groups. Faculty can also apply for $5000 mini-grants from the department research and development fund (generated by indirect cost returns to the department, 11.3% of total indirects charged on grants) and graduate and undergraduate students are supported with summer research fellowships from this same fund. The M.S. programs typically attract 50 to 60 applicants per year with a larger number applying for Fall admission than Spring (Table 2.2). The academic year had fewer than usual applicants due in part to the fact that Fall admissions were uncertain and Spring admissions were closed. Tuition and fees have been increasing annually during the review period, from $1874 per semester for a full time student in the academic year to $2999 for a full time student in (Table 2.2), nearly a 60% increase in five years. Tuition for the academic year is $4137 per semester. The department typically admits 20 to 30 of the applicants (34 to 58%) with the goal of having 15 to 20 students ultimately enroll in the program (52 to 70% of admitted students). Admission decisions are done paying careful attention to the availability of positions in faculty research groups and in an attempt to align student research interests with the available positions. There tend to be more applicants for the M.S. Chemistry (Biochemistry) program than the M.S. Chemistry program, reflecting the strength of the biotech industry in the Bay Area. Given the number of faculty in the department, the teaching loads of faculty and the time required to properly train and supervise research students, the current size of the program is ideal. Faculty are able to accommodate the number of students enrolled and to provide them with the level of supervision and mentoring deemed appropriate to properly prepare our students for careers as chemists and biochemists. 11

12 Table 2.2 Applicants, Admits, Enrolled Students Academic Program Number of Applicants Number of Students Number of admitted Year Admittedd students who enrolled Tuition Total Fall Spring Total Fall Spring Total Fall Spring $ $ $ $ $2999 AY Total Chemistry Chemistry (Biochemistry) AY Total Chemistry Chemistry (Biochemistry) AY Total Chemistry Chemistry (Biochemistry) AY Total Chemistry Chemistry (Biochemistry) AY Total Chemistry Chemistry (Biochemistry) Growth of the graduate program must be done responsibly in conjunction with an increase in the number of tenured/tenure track faculty positions to provide an increase in the research opportunities in the department. 3.0 ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS Upon meeting the minimum university admission criteria, applicant files are forwarded to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry to be evaluated by the Department Graduate Committee, consisting of four tenured/tenure-track faculty. This committee uses a broad, multicomponent approach to form a composite assessment of student training and evaluate the likelihood for success. Standard academic preparation (degree, major, GPA, specific courses), competence in writing, and evidence of prior research experience in either an academic or industrial setting are all considered during the review of applicants to the program. Successful completion of the M.S. Chemistry degree requires completion of a significant, independent research project that leads to a written thesis as the culminating experience. Therefore the department places strong emphasis on evidence of prior research experience in the applicant review process. 12

13 Table 3.1 lists the application materials required by the university and by the department and indicates how each item impacts the admissions evaluation process. The department review includes a detailed evaluation of all application materials included in Table 3.1. The department website has information about the application process (see Appendix). Table 3.1. Application Materials for the SFSU Chemistry M.S. program. Submitted to SFSU Graduate Studies Item University application generated through CSU Mentor Original transcripts for all undergraduate course work Use in Evaluation Demographic and contact information, Academic preparation Writing competence Academic preparation Submitted to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Item GRE General Test scores Letters of recommendation (3) Department application form, including essay questions (see Appendix) Use in Evaluation Academic preparation Writing competence Academic preparation Professional development Prior success in scientific research Academic preparation Professional development Prior success in scientific research Writing competence 3.1 Evidence of Prior Academic Success Applicants must possess a B.S. or B.A. degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, or a closely related field. The Graduate Committee evaluates both breadth and depth of chemistry or biochemistry training by assessing the specific courses taken, the time frame and trajectory of the applicant s coursework, and the specific letter grade achieved in core chemistry and biochemistry courses. All applicants are expected to have completed the typical sequence of lower division coursework in general chemistry, organic chemistry, calculus and physics. The upper division coursework expected of applicants is listed in Table 3.2 for each program. The Department Graduate Committee also considers relevant course work in interdisciplinary areas that are directly related to chemistry and biochemistry as beneficial training. 13

14 Table 3.2. Recommended undergraduate coursework Program Course Type Semesters (units) M.S. Chemistry Quantitative Analysis Lecture, Lab 1 (5) Physical Chemistry Lecture 2 (6) Inorganic Chemistry Lecture 1 (3) Advanced Laboratory Lab 2 (4) Course 1 M.S. Chemistry (Biochemistry) Quantitative Analysis Lecture 1 (3) Physical Chemistry Lecture 2 (6) Biochemistry Lecture 2 (6) Biochemistry Lab 1 (2) Advanced Laboratory Lab 1 (2) Course 1 1 Undergraduate research experience is included as an advanced laboratory course Grades of B or higher indicate competence in the core subject areas whereas grades of C suggest that an applicant is less well prepared for the rigors of independent work. Students who were not chemistry or biochemistry majors may be admitted conditionally if strength is demonstrated in other key areas such as a high overall GPA, outstanding GRE scores, breadth of training and professional experience, and strong letters of recommendation addressing potential for success in graduate school. Upon entering the program, such students will be required to complete courses in Table 3.2 with grades of B or higher to ensure that they are prepared for graduate work in chemistry and biochemistry. The Graduate Committee adheres to the minimum GPA requirement of 3.0 set by the university (effective Fall 2009), but will waive this requirement for students who (1) are outstanding in other areas as evidenced by strong letters of recommendation and strong research experience, (2) have applied for and are eligible for graduate fellowships, or (3) are currently working in a department research lab and are specifically recommended for admission by a faculty member. Of the pool of students who enrolled in the graduate program since Fall 2006, 80% of admitted applicants met the minimum 3.0 GPA requirement. The trajectory of an applicant s record informs the committee about the development of skills necessary for success in an academic environment. The committee focuses its attention on the core courses and earned grades in the last 60 units (90 units for quarters). Students that earn higher grades in upper division major courses taken later in their university tenure suggest a blossoming maturity that bodes well for graduate work. An excessive amount of time to earn the last 60 units (more than three years) or a declining GPA as the major courses are completed often 14

15 results in the denial of admission. Evidence of Research Experience and Potential for Success The most important metric other than academic preparation is evidence of research experience. Applicants who had a significant undergraduate research experience, or who have worked in their field after graduation have typically gained critical and practical experience with laboratory equipment and techniques, data analysis, scientific presentations and scientific writing. In addition their reasons for applying to graduate school are often more focused than an applicant without this experience. Such students prove to be highly motivated and approach their research with seriousness and maturity that can be lacking in students without such experience. An applicant with a weaker academic background is viewed more favorably if they have a significant research experience, especially when the immediate supervisor writes a letter of recommendation substantiating the applicant s development and potential for independent work. Letters of recommendation inform the graduate committee about the applicant s professional development and potential for success in graduate research. Three letters of recommendation are required of applicants to the M.S. Chemistry degree program. Ideally, the letters specifically address the applicant s research experience, ability to work independently, aptitude for problem solving, and enthusiasm for scientific discovery. Character traits such as responsibility, diligence, persistence, social skills, and adaptability are valued but less so than specific measures of preparedness and potential. 3.2 Evidence of Competent Writing All applicants must meet the University Level I writing requirement at the time of admission. Applicants can do this by passing the GRE Analytical Writing test with a score of 4.5 or higher. Applicants who fail to do this may be admitted conditionally and must take SCI 614, Graduate Writing Skills, a graduate level writing-intensive course. Additionally, the Graduate Committee uses the quality of the student s statement of purpose and the quality of the response to the essay questions required with the department application to assess writing competence. 3.3 English Preparation of Non-Native Speakers Twenty-two international students were admitted and enrolled in the M.S. Program between Fall 2006 and Spring All international students are required to report TOEFL or IELTS scores to the Graduate Division with their application. Students who have a satisfactory score on the TOEFL or IELTS still need to meet the Level 1 writing requirement by scoring a 4.5 or higher on the analytical portion of the GRE, or enrollment and satisfactory performance in the appropriate upper division or graduate level writing intensive course. 15

16 3.4 Overview of Program Admissions Policy Over the past 5 years, an average of 43% of the students who applied to the M.S. Chemistry program were admitted (Table 3.3), and 62% of those admitted enrolled at SF State. The trend in applications, admissions and enrollments has been steady over the past five years, with the exception of the academic year, when the University closed spring admissions. Table 3.3 Student Admission and Enrollment Data (for both M.S. degrees) Year Applications Admitted % Admitted Enrolled % Enrolled % % % % % % % % % % 5 year average % % The pool of students enrolled in the M.S. Chemistry program as of 2011 reflects the diversity of graduate students at the University, but with a higher percentage of Asian students and a lower percentage of White, Non-Latino students than the SF State population (see Table 7.1). Approximately half of the students enrolled in the M.S. Chemistry program are female. Our program attracts students from the CSU and UC systems (38% and 16% respectively), other universities in California (11%), international students (27%) and students from out of state (8%). The largest single pool of students in the M.S. Chemistry Program are undergraduate students from SFSU (29%) who started research as undergraduates and stay to continue their project and obtain an M.S. degree. Between Fall 2006 and Fall 2011, 39 students graduated with an M.S. degree. Thirty-eight left the program without completing their degree during this same period, and one will be graduating in The average time to graduation for this group of students was 3.5 years. About 20% of the students who left the program without completing the degree did so to start a Ph.D. program. Because the research expectations of the graduate program are significant, the students best served by our program are those who have some understanding of the requirements of research. For this reason, prior research experience is an important criterion of admission to our program. Overall, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is satisfied with the admission process for the M.S. Chemistry program, but some areas for improvement have been identified as a result of this review. The following recommendations are directed at improving the quality of information communicated to potential applicants about the admissions process and the expectations of the program, and to better align the group of admitted student to available openings in research groups. 16

17 Recommendations 3.1. Improve the communication of the admission requirements to the M.S. Chemistry program on the department web site. All of the required information is listed on the website, but the information needs to be developed into a format that is more meaningful to a prospective student. This will help potential applicants better prepare for our M.S. program and will provide a clear set of requirements for faculty who advise students with aspirations for graduate school Develop descriptions about the M.S. degree programs to provide more information about the expectations of the program, the time to degree, the costs of the program including living expenses, and potential sources of support including graduate assistant and graduate teaching assistant positions, scholarships and financial aid. This will help potential applicants develop a better understanding of the expectations of the program and the impact the program will have on their lifestyle Set aside one department meeting each semester to review graduate student applications by tenured and tenure-track faculty. This meeting should take place after the Graduate Committee has done an initial review of all applicants to group the applications into several pools based on qualifications. Faculty input will help more closely align the group of incoming students to available openings in research groups, and help faculty identify interested students to recruit to their groups. 4.0 PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS The course requirements for the two M.S. degree programs are listed in Table 4.1. In addition to the program requirements listed there, students are required to take standardized undergraduate chemistry subject exams developed by the American Chemical Society (ACS). These tests are given at the start of the semester, and are used to ensure that students are prepared for graduate level course work, which builds on knowledge from undergraduate course work. Students must pass three of the five available subject exams. Those who immediately pass their ACS exams are typically highly successful in the course work component of the M.S. degree. If a student performs below the national average on the ACS exams, they are given a second opportunity to review materials and repeat the exam or they complete appropriate undergraduate foundation course work in the area of weakness before taking graduate courses. Table 4.1 Summary of Program Requirements 30 units M.S. Chemistry M.S. Chemistry (Biochemistry) Required Core: 9 units CHEM 834 CHEM 834 CHEM 880 CHEM 880 CHEM 850 or CHEM 851 CHEM 850 or CHEM

18 30 units M.S. Chemistry M.S. Chemistry (Biochemistry) Elective Courses: 9-12 units 9-12 units upper division or graduate courses in Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Biology 3-6 units upper division or graduate courses in Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Biology 2 6 units from the following list: 2 CHEM 841 CHEM 843 CHEM 844 CHEM 845 CHEM 846 Research: 6-9 units CHEM 897 CHEM 897 Culminating Experience: 3 units CHEM 898 Thesis 1 CHEM 898 Thesis 1 Additional requirement Oral defense of Thesis Oral defense of Thesis 1 Effective Spring 2012, CHEM 895 has been added as an option for the culminating experience. 2 Effective Fall 2012, these requirements have been replaced with 9-12 units upper division or graduate courses in biochemistry, chemistry, physics, mathematics or biology. 4.1 Number of course offerings The record of graduate course offerings since Fall 2006 is summarized in Table 4.2. During the period of review, the department has offered between two and six graduate level courses each semester. The precipitous decline in the budget beginning in the academic year is reflected by a decrease in graduate course offerings to 2 courses in Spring 09 and three courses in Fall 09. It should be noted, however, that a third course scheduled for Spring 09 was cancelled due to under enrollment. Table 4.2 Record of Graduate Courses; Sections of course (census enrollment) Core ( 9 unit) Title 880 Grad Seminar 834 Org Spec Meth Fall 06 and one of the following classes: 850 Valency Spec 851 Biochem Spec Elective (9-12 units) 741 Electron Micros 800 Natural Products Spr 07 Fall 07 Spr 08 Fall 08 Spr 09 Fall 09 Spr 10 Fall 10 Spr 11 1 (7) 1 (9) 1 (5) 1 (2) 1 (9) 1 (4) 1 (6) 1 (10) 1 (7) 1 (4) 1 (23) 1 (19) 1 (30) 1 (11) 1 (5) 1 (5) 1 (20) 1 (8) 1 (10) 1 1 (3) 2 1 (16) 18

19 800 Title Proteins and Enzymes 800 X-Ray Tech Methods in 800 Proteomics 3 Trans Metals 800 Organic Syn NMR Applicat 821 Mass Spectrom 831 Theoret Organic 832 Organic Syn 841 Enzymology Bioorganic and 842 Medicinal Chem Membrane Struc 843 Biology 3 Bioinorganic 844 Chemistry Fall 06 Spr 07 Fall 07 1 (9) 1 (10) Spr 08 Fall 08 Spr 09 Fall 09 1 (9) 1 (6) Spr 10 1 (9) 1 (10) 1 (8) Fall 10 1 (7) 1 (7) Spr 11 1 (16) 1 (19) 1 (12) 1 (9) 1 (11) 1 (10) cnx 1 (10) 1 (11) 1 (18) 1 (17) 852 Stat Mechanics 1 (3) 877 Transcrip Reg 3 1 (5) Total courses Total Students First offering taught by Chemistry Faculty. In schedule as BIOL CHEM 741 cross listed with BIOL 741 and GEOG 741. Total enrollment of 10 in Spr Taught by faculty who are no longer at SFSU or who no longer teach in program. 4.2 Frequency of Course Offerings Required Courses: CHEM 880 is offered every semester, while CHEM 834 is offered every three semesters. Offerings of CHEM 851 lapsed for four semesters due to a sabbatical leave of the instructing faculty. CHEM 850 is offered only when there are sufficient students in the program whose research mentors require 850 instead of 851; otherwise, students take CHEM 851 to satisfy the core requirement. While Chem 880 can be taught by any faculty in the program, there are smaller pools of faculty who teach CHEM 834, 850 and 851, thereby making it more difficult to make sure these classes are offered if those faculty are unavailable. Elective Courses: Several courses offered during the review period were not offered once every two years due in part to the lack of a cohesive plan for our graduate course offerings, and also 19

20 due to changes in the availability of the instructors of these courses. Elective courses are advanced topics in faculty research areas. If those faculty are not available, the courses do not get offered. Changes in the faculty during the time of the review greatly impacted the ability of the Department to maintain the Biochemistry elective course offerings at a sufficient frequency. Of the five courses listed as elective courses for the M.S. Chemistry (Biochemistry) program (see Table 4.1), only CHEM 841 has been taught with any regularity during the review period. As a result, students who completed the M.S. Chemistry (Biochemistry) program during the review period did so with substitute courses for these elective courses. In recognition that the change in faculty availability has permanently hindered our ability to offer these five courses, the 6 units of electives selected from this list of courses was removed, and replaced by a more flexible requirement of 9-12 units of upper division or graduate courses in biochemistry, chemistry, physics, mathematics or biology (effective Fall 2012). To improve the frequency of courses, the Department Chair divided the graduate courses into three topic groups and put the courses on a rotation schedule (Table 4.3) in the academic year. Table 4.3 Rotation of Graduate Course Offerings; CHEM 880 is offered every semester Rotation Spectroscopic Methods or Theory Advanced Topics in Chemistry Advanced Topics in Biochemistry Odd Falls 850 Biochemical Spectroscopy 832 Organic Synthesis 842 Bioorganic and Medicinal Chem Even Springs 741 Electron Microscopy 800 X-Ray Methods 800 Proteins and Enzymes Even Falls 834 Organic Spec Method 820 NMR Applications 841 Enzymology Odd Springs 741 Electron Microscopy 821 Mass Spectroscopy 831 Theoretical Organic 800 Natural Prod Selecting the right combination of courses to offer in a semester is important to student satisfaction with the program. The rotation schedule will ensure that graduate courses are offered every two years and enable better advanced planning of graduate course offerings for both faculty and students. This will be a benefit to graduate student advising, as course offerings can be anticipated to some degree over the time a graduate student expects to be here. The organization of existing courses into the three topic areas and placing them in a rotation has shown a need to develop more courses for the Advanced Topics in Chemistry area. 20

21 4.3 Path to graduation The department website organizes information to assist student graduation. The program requirements and specific information about each requirement is provided. There are links to the Graduate Division website for further information. However, the presentation of this information could be developed to provide a timeline for students to help them anticipate the many deadlines that need to be met in order to graduate. An effective advising system is in place, described in Section 7.2, to further aid students in planning their work. The Department offers enough courses each semester to allow a student to take nine to twelve units of elective courses in the five year period specified. The recently implemented course rotation schedule should allow students to anticipate when a particular course will be offered and to better plan what course(s) they will take each semester. In general, students face no difficulty in satisfying the course work requirement for the degree, but our M.S. degree is not a coursework degree. Students have a research project to complete, and must write a thesis or manuscript and present their research project in an oral presentation to complete their degree. Students enrolled during the review period were active in the program on average for 2.6 years, but the average time to degree was 3.5 years. This extra year reflects the challenge faced by students to complete their research project and write the thesis. Ensuring that students have a clearly defined research project with a scope that is suitable for a two year M.S. degree program is critical for students to be able to complete their research and degree in a timely fashion. 4.4 Course Distribution on GAP We offer no paired courses in the Department and graduate students only rarely use upper division courses on the GAP. When used, upper division courses are less than 30% of the units on the GAP. 4.5 Class Size The seminar course, CHEM 880, has been offered ten times during the review period and has had fewer than five students enrolled in three out of ten semesters. This is an intensive writing class that prepares students for the writing requirements of the culminating experience. To provide an opportunity for in-depth and meaningful feedback from the instructor of the course, we prefer enrollments of fewer than ten students per semester, and would exceed that in some years if the course were offered only once per year. Thirty-one other graduate classes have been offered over the past five years, and 81% of those classes had enrollments between 8 and 30 students. Two of the six classes with low enrollments (CHEM 850 and CHEM 852) are offered only when required for a particular group of students; otherwise students take CHEM 851. Planning is needed to be sure that we maintain a variety of 21

22 courses each semester to attract students, but not so many that we dilute enrollment. Our current pattern of offering three graduate courses plus seminar each semester seems to allow us to strike a balance between these two interests. 4.6 Number of Graduates The five year average of all M.S. students in both programs who graduate is 7.4 students (Table 4.5). The average in the M.S. Chemistry program is 3.4 students, and the average in the M.S. Chemistry concentration in Biochemistry program is slightly higher at 4.0 students. Table 4.5 Number of Graduates Degree Earned in Year Average Number of Graduates Total M.S. Chemistry M.S. Chemistry (Biochemistry) When we include the numbers of students who left the M.S. program without graduating to attend a doctoral program during this period, the five year average increases to 8.6 students. 4.7 Overview of Program Quality and Sustainability Indicators The five year average of students admitted in a given year is 22.8 students (42% of applicants) with 14.2 of the admitted students enrolling in the program (62% of admitted students, Table 3.3). This high enrollment rate suggests the program is favored by students who are admitted to the program. By far the greatest single pool of applicants are students from SFSU who started research as undergraduates. Of the 19 faculty in the department, 13 are currently supervising M.S. students. Given the 3 class teaching load each semester, coupled to the commitment of faculty in providing one-on-one training and mentoring of their M.S. students, enrollments in the M.S. Programs of less than nineteen students per year is sustainable. Higher enrollments would mean either that students are unable to find a research group quickly or that faculty would not be able to provide the kind of training that benefits students the most. The students in the M.S. programs are actively encouraged and given opportunities to present their research at local, regional and national meetings. During the period of review, there were 35 graduate student research presentations at national scientific meetings and 58 graduate research presentations at local CSU meetings (data presented in Table 7.3). Graduate students were co- 22