Ph.D. Requirements

Examinations

Qualifying Exams

Students take standardized ACS exams in Analytical Chemistry, Biochemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Physical Chemistry. Students are required to pass 4 of the 5 exams before the end of the second semester following admission.  The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has compiled a guide to help study for the ACS exams.

Qualifying Exams II

A written exam concentrating on the student's area of research.

Preliminary Exam

A written and oral exam. The student generates an original research idea and writes it in the style of a grant proposal.  Instructions are available in pdf format.

Courses

Students must complete a minimum of 5 courses. The courses must be taken from at least three of the four subdivisions: Biochemistry, Inorganic/Organic Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry/Spectroscopy and Physical/Computational Chemistry.

Teaching Experience

All graduate students are required to have at least one year of teaching experience.

Seminars

All graduate students are required to participate in the department's seminar series and periodically present seminars.

Dissertation

An acceptable written dissertation is presented to the department as a seminar and defended orally before the student's committee.