Chemistry at Michigan State University

Programme overview

Chemistry majors study the properties, composition and reactions of substances across analytical, inorganic, organic and physical chemistry. The B.A. is less specialized and commonly chosen by future high school chemistry teachers; the B.S. suits industry, government lab or graduate study and meets American Chemical Society requirements for professional recognition.

Faculty: College of Natural Science | Department: Chemistry | Study mode: full-time | Location: East Lansing, MI, United States

Career pathways

Graduates work as biochemical engineers, chemical patent lawyers, food scientists, forensic scientists, educators and technical editors, at colleges, consulting firms, forensic laboratories and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies; the major is also popular with students pursuing dentistry, medicine or optometry.

Official programme page

Application information

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Most first-year students enter in the fall semester. Admission to other semesters may be limited or not available at all.

Transfer applicants can apply for fall (August start), spring (January start) and summer (May start) semesters. International transfer students are not eligible for summer admission.

First-year early action deadline is Nov. 1 (non-binding), with an admission decision by Jan. 15 and the acceptance fee due by May 1. Regular admission has a Feb. 1 priority deadline (decision by Mar. 31) and a final application deadline of Apr. 1, with rolling decisions after Feb. 1. MSU is test optional: applicants may apply without an ACT or SAT score.

The first-year application fee is $75 (or an application fee waiver if eligible). First-year applicants can apply through the MSU application or the Coalition application with Scoir. The application for fall 2027 opens in August.

International first-year applicants have the same deadlines: early action Nov. 1, priority Feb. 1, final Apr. 1, acceptance fee by May 1.

Transfer application deadlines: fall April 1, spring open until capacity is reached, summer March 1. International transfer applicants for fall have a March 1 deadline and must pay the acceptance fee by April 1.

Apply through the official page: https://admissions.msu.edu/apply/first-year

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