The M.S. program in chemistry is important for professional and personal success in several ways. Chemistry is among the most marketable of all degrees in higher education, but while some of the reasons for this may seem obvious, not all of them may be immediately obvious. The obvious marketability comes from the sheer usefulness of chemistry. Many manufacturers utilize chemists to make things. The not so obvious comes from the fact that along with perceived marketability within a particular discipline comes what can be termed learning skills .
Most people view college as preparation for a particular job, much like technical school.
This is simply not a true statement. A degree in chemistry, especially an advanced degree, gives a person much more than technical training. It gives one a wide range of problem solving skills and, most important of all, the ability and discipline to learn anything effectively. Many of the demands of the workplace are focused not on knowing a particular piece of body of information, but on knowing how to obtain that particular information and then synthesize new knowledge with that information. We give those skills with our degree.