Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry

The Department of Chemistry offers courses of study leading to a Ph.D. degree with opportunities for research in seven fields: analytical, environmental, radiochemistry, materials chemistry, inorganic, organic and bioorganic, and physical chemistry. The low student-to-faculty ratio assures students of individual guidance, yet the total size of the department provides excellent facilities for research, including the latest instrumentation.

The program of study for graduate students in the chemistry department provides a good balance between formal course work and research experience. In addition to the normal core classes, first-year graduate students also take a seminar course which provides a forum for the presentation and discussion of current research in chemistry within the department. With this exposure, students are typically comfortable selecting a research advisor by the end of their first semester. Individual divisions also have a weekly seminar program in which graduate students participate, gaining experience in presenting and discussing their own research.

The written PhD thesis is the capstone of your graduate career and will describe a significant body of original scientific research. The adequacy of this work will be judged by your research advisor and committee members as well as the entire graduate faculty. Most successful PhD candidates are already the first author on several papers by the time they reach this stage of their career. Though there is no set number of publications required for completion of the PhD, a typical thesis will be the equivalent of at least two journal articles, with additional introductory material and experimental detail.