Candidates must fulfill the requirements of the College of Graduate Studies and the Department of Chemistry.
General M.S. requirements apply. At least one credit must be earned in Chem 501 (Seminar).
A minimum of 30 credits in coursework is required, distributed as follows:
A written and/or oral examination covering graduate coursework must be taken during the final semester in residence.
The student will enroll for at least 33 credit hours in courses. Requirements include:
Students are encouraged to take courses in related fields, such as mathematics, physics, chemical engineering, geochemistry, computer science, electronics, or biochemistry. This work can be designated as the minor or supporting field on the study program.
All Ph.D. candidates are required to participate in seminar (Chem 511) while in residence, even if not formally registered for credit. Registration may be for zero credit.
Comprehensive exams (“comps”) consist of four examinations in a candidate’s field of specialization, designed to evaluate their breadth of knowledge from courses, lectures, and literature. Ph.D. candidates must take the comps at the end of their third semester, administered over two weeks. Students select exam subjects in consultation with their major professor and must achieve an average grade of 50% across the four exams to continue in the Ph.D. program.
Shortly after completing the comps, Ph.D. students must submit a written proposal (limited to 5,000 words, excluding bibliography) on their doctoral research project and defend it at an oral examination (Chem 590) by their graduate committee. The proposal includes: