College of Arts & Sciences

Doctor of Philosophy

The Department of Chemistry administers a doctoral program designed to endow its graduates with the ability to approach fundamental scientific questions from both a biological and a chemical perspective.   The program awards a Ph.D. in Chemistry with areas of specialization in the following core disciplines:

• Biochemistry
• Organic/Medicinal Chemistry
• Biophysical Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Computational

A Bioinformatics Option is available in each of the core disciplines.

A Ph.D. in Chemistry with a concentration in Geochemistry is also available in collaboration with the Department of Geology.  See the Department of Geology section of the Graduate Catalog for details.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS: 

I.  Coursework

• A minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate coursework within the core curriculum
• A minimum of 40 semester hours of research of which at least 20 semester hours must be Dissertation Research
• An additional 10 hours of graduate course electives or research

II.  Research Skill/Foreign Language

Proficiency in an approved research skill or a foreign language is required.  An international student whose native language is not English may be exempted from the foreign language requirement by passing a language examination. 

Students entering the program with an approved M. S. degree have satisfied this requirement. 

III.  General Examination

Students must pass a General Examination consisting of written and oral portions covering the core area representing the student's major interest.

IV.  Dissertation

A dissertation is required of all candidates for the doctoral degree.  The student must complete a defense (oral) of the dissertation and submit an approved (signed) dissertation, which conforms to the College requirements/guidelines.

For complete degree requirements (including teaching requirements) please refer to the Graduate Student’s Guide to Department Requirements and Policies.