PhD Program

The PhD program is a research intensive degree. A total of 72 credit hours are required. In addition, the student must perform a significant body of research that will be summarized in a dissertation. Students in the PhD program will receive financial support for up to their first 5 years in the program, provided that they continue to make satisfactory progress in the program. For a complete description of the degree requirements, see the Graduate Handbook.

Coursework

1. The PhD Program requires a minimum of 72 credit hours, which is broken down into 48 hours of coursework and 24 hours of Dissertation Research (CH 699). Click here for a sample plan of study for the PhD degree. Students must maintain a grade point average of at least 3.0 (B) to remain in the program.
2. A total of 6 lecture courses (18 hours) are required for the PhD degree. Of these courses, 4 must be in the students major area of study, while the remaining two must be outside the students major area. Normally these courses will be completed during the students first two years in the program. If entrance exams show that the student is deficient in one or more areas, they will be advised to take introductory courses in these areas. These courses will not count toward the 6 course requirement.
3. The remaining 30 hours of coursework will be comprised of seminar courses (CH 585/586), research techniques courses (500-level), and advanced research techniques (600-level) in the students major area. Students will generally take 17 hours of research techniques courses. Advanced research technique courses are taken if students need additional graded credit hours.

Seminars

1. Each semester in residence, students will register for research seminar (CH 585 or CH 586). As part of these courses, attendance is required at the two departmental seminar series. The graduate seminar series is given by students in the program discussing their own results or research from the current literature. The departmental seminar series provides students with the opportunity to hear talks by academic and industrial researchers.
2. During their second academic year, PhD candidates will give a seminar on a literature topic. The topic for the literature seminar will be chosen by the student from topics suggested by the faculty. The chosen topic cannot be related to the students current research.
3. Prior to the final defense of their dissertation, students will present a research seminar to the department. This talk will allow the student to present an overview of the research that will make up their dissertation.

Teaching

1. PhD candidates are normally expected to serve as teaching assistants (TAs) for at least one academic year during their time in the program. Most students will serve as TAs during their first year in the program before becoming research assistants.
2. International students must gain accreditation by the International Teaching Assistants Program (ITAP) within their first year of support to qualify for additional TA support.

Additional Academic Requirements

1. PhD students must present an Initial Research Review (IRR) to their dissertation committee prior to the end of the first month of their second year (January for students starting in the fall semester). The student will outline the initial progress that has been made on their research project. The committee will provide comments about the students progress at this point in their career. If the amount of progress has been insufficient, or the presentation is not acceptable, the student may be asked to repeat the IRR.
2. PhD candidates must pass 4 cumulative exams prior to the end of their second year in residence. Cumulative exams are offered 10 times a year in the 5 disciplines (analytical, biochemistry, inorganic, physical, and organic). Although students normally take exams in their major area, they are free to take any exam. Students begin taking exams during their first semester in the program, thus they have 20 opportunities to obtain 4 passing grades.
3. PhD candidates must prepare and defend and Original Research Proposal (ORP) prior to the end of their fifth semester in the program. The topic of the ORP is chosen by the student, but may not be related to any project in his or her research group. The topic must be approved by the students dissertation committee. The student will write a 7-10 page outline of the proposed research will be defended orally in front of the dissertation committee. In addition, the student may be asked to discuss their research progress during this meeting.

Research and Dissertation

1. The quantity of research required for the dissertation will normally be determined by the research advisor, although the entire dissertation committee will determine whether sufficient work has been done to award the PhD degree. Typically the PhD program will take at least 4 years, the bulk of which will be spent working on a research project. The research for the PhD degree should encompass a significant body of work. It is expected that this work will have resulted in at least one publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
2. The dissertation should be prepared once the student and advisor, with advice from the dissertation committee, have agreed that a sufficient amount of work has been completed. The dissertation should be prepared according to the guidelines of the Graduate School. The dissertation should be distributed to the committee two weeks before the final defense is scheduled.
3. In the oral defense, the student should present a short overview of their dissertation research, unless the defense is held immediately following the student's research seminar. After a period of questions, the committee will meet to determine if the student has passed the oral defense. The committee will also make a recommendation regarding whether the dissertation is acceptable or requires additional corrections. Once the committee members are satisfied, they will sign the dissertation signature page.

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