PhD program

A research-oriented program which leads to a thesis, with courses and a seminar

Students select courses to match their background, interests and research specializations with direction from their program advisory committee.

Course requirements   

• CHEM 6010 Graduate Seminar I
• CHEM 6020 Graduate Seminar II 
• three term courses at the 4000 level or 6000 level (minimum of 3 credit hours each) 

Seminar requirements

Graduate students in the PhD program must complete both seminar courses, CHEM 6010 and 6020. These courses require the presentation of a seminar on a topic taken from the current research literature.

Near the end of their program, every PhD student is required to present a seminar summarizing their thesis research project to the department.

The Department of Chemistry organizes a series of research seminars by internal and external speakers throughout the year. We expect all graduate students to attend these seminars as part of their graduate program.

Qualifying exams

PhD students must pass a qualifying exam within the first 16 months of starting their program. Further details are available in the Chemistry Graduate Studies Handbook.