Course Requirements
Graduate School Requirements
The Graduate School requires all Ph.D. students to complete 34 semester hours of graded (A-F) coursework beyond the Bachelor's degree. Up to 9 semester hours of the requirement may be selected from non-graduate (300 or 400 level) courses not previously taken by the student. Graded seminar courses numbered 500 or above also meet the requirement. The Graduate School further requires students to complete 38 additional credit hours of non-graded (Pass/Fail) coursework. Non-graded coursework includes the credit granted for doctoral research.
Chemistry Department Requirements
The Chemistry Department graduate course breadth requirement requires all Ph.D. students to complete one three credit graduate (500 level or above) core course in each of two divisional areas outside of their divisional area of specialization. The currently approved department core courses are listed below. Note that two courses in a single outside divisional area do not satisfy this requirement.
The Chemistry Department also requires that all students enroll for one credit of Chem 590 (Introduction to Research Topics) in their first semester.
In order to serve as Teaching Assistants, Graduate students are also required to complete 1 credit of Chern 555 - Teaching Workshop.
Department of Chemistry Approved Core Courses
Analytical/EnvironmentallRadiochemistry
Chem 520 - Advanced Analytical Chemistry
Inorganic/Bioinorganic
Chem 501 - Inorganic/Bioinorganic Principles Organic/Bioorganic
Chem 503 - Advanced Inorganic
Organic
Chem 540 - Organic Mechanisms
Chem 542 - Synthesis/Advanced Synthesis
Physical/Materials
Chem 531 - Advanced Physical Chemistry I
Chem 430 - Applied Spectroscopy
Chem 480 - Solid State Chemistry
Physical Chemistry Division Requirements
The Physical Chemistry division requires students to complete:
Chem 509 - Chemical Group Theory
Chem 531 - Advanced Physical Chemistry I (Thermodynamics)
Chem 532 - Advanced Physical Chemistry II (Quantum Mechanics)
Chem 534 - Statistical Mechanics
Chem 564 - Molecular Phenomena (Spectroscopy)
These courses constitute the core knowledge in physical chemistry that will be tested on the written cumulative exams. The Physical Chemistry division also requires that students complete one semester of Chem 537 - Current Topics in Physical Chemistry.
Chem 593, Seminar in Physical Chemistry, is a graded student seminar course designed to provide students the opportunity to develop speaking and presentation skills in research areas of interest to them. After their first year, students should register for credit each semester (for a maximum of 6 times) and will deliver one 20 minute and one 45 minute seminar each year. Attendance is mandatory for all Physical Chemistry students.