Polymers and Coatings Technology [M.S.]

Location(s): In-person/hybrid

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This unique Master’s degree program is among very few such programs in the United States. It is designed to prepare students with undergraduate credentials in chemistry, polymers, or engineering in the increasingly essential polymers and coatings technology field. This curriculum builds on undergraduate chemistry expertise to provide candidates with broad experience in polymers and coatings technology. This program offers specialized courses in polymers important to coatings technologies used in commercial, consumer, medical, and advanced materials industries. These courses are designed to provide fundamental, applied, and advanced knowledge of coatings and related materials. Laboratory courses help develop skills in processing and testing such materials and using advanced instrumentation. Optional research courses provide unique research experiences in working on real-world projects mentored by faculty. These experiences provide suitable training to enter Ph.D. programs. Program faculty all have industrial experience and enjoy national recognition. Graduates are sought by industries and institutions throughout the United States and enjoy outstanding employment and career opportunities. Click here to watch a short video about this program.

This is a STEM-designated program (see OPT Extension).

Program Admission

Admit Terms and Deadlines

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; students may start the program in the Fall or Winter. See Application Deadlines.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

For full admission, applicants must have 1) Earned a four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or an equivalent degree from a non-U.S. institution, 2) a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale, or 3.0 in the last half of the undergraduate program. Conditional admission may be available to applicants not meeting minimum admission requirements.

Program Requirements

Applicants must also meet the following program requirements:

Submit a Personal Statement
Possess an ACS-approved Bachelor’s degree in chemistry (minimum 24 hours in chemistry) or equivalent
Completed one year of physical chemistry
Completed one year of organic chemistry
Completed an instrumentation class

Application

Your application will be submitted using GradCAS, a Centralized Application Service (CAS) hosted by Liaison. After reviewing the admission requirements, please review the application instructions and select the appropriate application.

- Go to 2023-2024 GradCAS to apply to a program beginning in Summer 2024, Fall 2024, or Winter 2025.

- Go to 2024-2025 GradCAS to apply to a program beginning in Summer 2025, Fall 2025, or Winter 2026.

Domestic Applicants Within the application, follow the instructions to submit an official transcript from all previously attended institutions.

International Applicants Before applying, applicants must review the international application/process deadlines at emich.edu/international as they may differ from general program requirements.

For additional information regarding the application process, please see Graduate Admissions or International Admissions.

School Information

Engineering 111 Sill Hall, 734.487.2040

Advisor Information

Kasim Korkmaz, Ph.D., 118 Sill Hall, 734.487.2040

Degree Requirements: 33 hours

The MS program in Polymer Technology requires completing 33 hours of coursework to be distributed among required and restricted elective courses.

Required Courses: 9 hours

Restricted Electives: 24 hours

Select 24 credit hours from the following list. Listed courses may require prerequisites. Please contact a program advisor for assistance enrolling in these courses.

Additional Coursework: 18-24 hours

Select a minimum of 12 credit hours from Group I, the remaining 6-12 credit hours may be selected from either group.

Group I
PC 541 UV-Cure Coatings 3 hrs
PC 546 Emulsion Polymerization and Waterborne Coatings 3 hrs
PC 570 Advanced Coating Evaluation and Testing 3 hrs
PC 575 Crosslinking Technology for Coatings 3 hrs
PC 582 Principles of Coating Formulations 3 hrs
PC 618 Surface Functionalization 3 hrs
Group II
CHEM 562 Statistical Mechanics and Chemical Kinetics 2 hrs
CHEM 566 Physical Chemistry of Polymers 2 hrs
CHEM 572 Spectrometric Organic Structure Determination 3 hrs
CHEM 575 Advanced Organic Polymer Chemistry 3 hrs
EM 609 Professional Project Management 3 hrs
PC 502 Polymers and Coatings Technology II 3 hrs
PC 504 Patents and Patenting 3 hrs
PC 545 Advanced Polymer Synthesis for Coatings Technology 3 hrs
PC 592 Special Topics 3 hrs
PC 650 Powder Coatings 2 hrs
PC 652 Durability and Performance of Coatings 3 hrs
QUAL 551 Design of Experiments 3 hrs
QUAL 647 Research Methods 3 hrs
Capstone Project (Optional): 0-6 hours

Select a maximum of six hours from the following.
PC 693 Project I 3 hrs
PC 694 Project II 3 hrs

Critical Graduation Information

Each graduate student is responsible for fulfilling the requirements or equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

Master’s degree requirements must be completed within six (6) years of first enrollment in the master’s degree program.

In the event a student does not complete the master’s degree requirements within six years of the date of their original registration, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their degree in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are minimum requirements for all master’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some programs require more than the minimum in one or more areas below.

A master’s degree must require a minimum of 30 credit hours.
No more than six credits of independent study courses and no more than 12 credit hours of special topics and independent study courses combined may be applied to a graduate degree.
Residency Requirement:
- For students admitted to master’s degree programs of 36 or fewer required hours, at least 24 new graduate hours beginning the semester of acceptance and enrollment into the degree program must be earned at EMU. The remaining program requirement hours may be met through transfer or prior degree credit (EMU or elsewhere).
- For students admitted to master’s degree programs of 37 or more required hours, at least 30 new graduate hours beginning the semester of acceptance and enrollment into the degree program must be earned at EMU. Minimum degree hours must still be met for graduation. The remaining program requirement hours may be met through transfer or prior degree credit (EMU or elsewhere).
- Residency and enrollment in multiple programs: Students enrolled in multiple master’s/specialist degree programs must have 24 unique credit hours in each degree program.
Only credits from one completed graduate certificate may be applied to a master’s or specialist degree in a relevant field of study, as determined by the Graduate School and with the approval of the degree-granting academic department, and be included in the residency hours above.
Students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA in all graduate-level courses taken at EMU and in their program of study to remain in good academic standing and be eligible for graduation. Students do not need to be registered for classes during the semester of graduation.
The Graduate School does not permit the use of undergraduate courses (499 and below) to meet degree requirements on graduate programs of study.
Some master’s programs require a thesis; others require a special project or internship; others require students to pass a final exam. See the Graduate School website for Thesis and Dissertation Manuals, all forms, and information about research and human subject approval. Every completed thesis or dissertation must be submitted to Digital Commons. Any form of graduate student work submitted to Digital Commons must first be approved by a faculty advisor and the Graduate School.