Graduate Admissions

Graduate Application

Applications are submitted online through the Graduate School website. Admission to the Graduate School is limited to a single graduate program unless two disciplines have an approved joint offering (see University Graduation Requirements section of the course catalog for further discussion). The application with all supporting materials must be received in the Graduate School Office by March 15 for matriculation in the following fall quarter, October 1 for the following winter quarter, and February 1 for the following spring quarter. The GRE is not required for acceptance into the graduate program in Chemistry.

Admission is granted by the Graduate School of Western Washington University with the concurrence of the Department of Chemistry. Prior to submission, applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Chemistry faculty of interest to discuss the potential for a position in their research labs.

Graduate Admission Requirements

Full Admission

  • A baccalaureate degree from an accredited U.S. college or university, or an equivalent degree from a foreign university in chemistry, biochemistry, or a related field.
  • Two unofficial transcripts from each college or university attended (no exceptions) prepared by the Registrar of each institution must accompany the application. Official transcripts will be required upon acceptance of admission.
  • A 3.0 undergraduate grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) in the last 90 quarter-hours or 60 semester-hours of study. In order for post-baccalaureate credit to be included in the GPA computation, the course work must be upper division. Post-baccalaureate course work at community colleges will not be included in the GPA used for admission. Applicants with advanced degrees from accredited institutions are considered to have met GPA requirements.
  • Three current letters of reference from professors in the applicant's undergraduate major field, or from others able to make an appropriate assessment of the applicant's academic or professional competence. (References can be confidential and are to be uploaded via the portal as described by the Graduate School.) The letters must accompany the application.
  • A one-page statement of research interests and future goals, including identification of up to three potential research advisors. This statement must accompany the application.
  • Applicants are expected to have completed the following courses (or their equivalent). For MS Chemistry applicants, these include: Analytical Chemistry (Chem 333), Instrumental Analysis (Chem 434), Organic Chemistry (Chem 351-3), Physical Chemistry (Chem 461-3), and Advanced Inorganic Chemistry (Chem 441). For MS Biochemistry applicants, these include: equivalent of two quarters of Biochemistry (e.g., Chem 471-2). A student who has not earned a grade of B or better in any of these courses may be required to take/repeat that course as determined under advisement with the graduate program advisor.

Favorable review and recommendation of applications by the Department of Chemistry Graduate Advisor is required for admission.

Provisional Admission

In special cases, students who do not meet all the requirements for full admission may be granted provisional admission.

International Applicants

International students should refer to the International Applicants section of the WWU Graduate School webpage.

Students who are not native speakers of English must demonstrate competence in written and spoken English. This can be done by submitting a satisfactory score on the international TOEFL or IELTS taken within one year of the date of application. The passing scores information can be found through the WWU Graduate Program Admissions-Related Testing page. Applicants who have received a bachelor's or an advanced degree from an accredited institution in the U.S. or in an English-speaking country do not need to submit scores from the TOEFL.

Current tuition and fees information is available from the Student Business Office.  Graduate financial aid options are available through the Chemistry department, for more information visit: Chemistry Graduate Financial Aid.