PhD Chemistry

The Ph.D. degree emphasizes independent research in an area of chemistry of your choosing. It also includes advanced coursework that equips you with a solid understanding of the fundamentals of chemistry while preparing you to apply your knowledge to problems at the forefront of science. Collaborations and interdisciplinary research projects are an important and growing feature of our program. Ph.D. degrees are available with primary concentrations in Inorganic, Organic, Physical, or Analytical Chemistry, or in Chemistry Education.

The Ph.D. program is grounded in the four traditional fields of analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry, but also encompasses emerging interdisciplinary areas such as computational chemistry, materials chemistry, chemical biology, and chemistry education research.

From designing new optoelectronic or pharmaceutical materials to reducing toxic emissions and the invention of new clean fuels, our combination of internationally recognized faculty members and state-of-the-art facilities has provided alumni with the tools needed to thrive and succeed in the job market.

Our faculty members are committed to excellence and your success. They’ve been recognized with awards in their fields from the National Science Foundation, the W.M. Keck Foundation, the American Vacuum Society, and the American Chemical Society, among others. They also serve as editors or on editorial boards of major scientific journals and receive national and international recognition for their research expertise.

Doctoral student research culminates in a written dissertation of demonstrable scientific merit. The department requires that at least one paper from your Ph.D. work be accepted or submitted to a refereed journal by the time of the oral dissertation defense.