Graduate Program Requirements
Basic Examination Requirement
The Department requires students who are admitted as prospective candidates for a higher degree in Chemistry (either the M.S. or the Ph.D.) to pass a series of Basic Examinations in order to ensure that the student is guided into an appropriately challenging program of courses. These examinations are based on the material covered at most accredited universities and four-year colleges by the following courses: one year of general chemistry (including qualitative and quantitative analysis), one year of organic chemistry, one year of inorganic chemistry, and one year of physical chemistry. The student will take these examinations at the time of entry, regardless of when this occurs. Deficiencies evidenced by these examinations must be remedied prior to the end of the third quarter of residence. Students are encouraged to sit in on appropriate undergraduate courses in order to alleviate any deficiencies as evidenced by their performance on the basic exams (e.g., 201, 233, 261).
Basic Examinations are usually administered before the first week of Autumn Quarter. A second opportunity to pass these individual exams will occur during the first week of Winter Quarter. A third opportunity will be scheduled during the first week of Spring Quarter. A student who fails to satisfy this Basic Examination requirement by the end of the third quarter in residence may not continue Ph.D. studies in the Department.
Requirement for Teaching or Equivalent Experience
The Department requires that all Ph.D. candidates acquire experience in teaching a laboratory course. Most entering students satisfy this requirement by serving as Graduate Assistants (Teaching Assistants) during each of their first three quarters of study. Satisfactory performance in teaching is a program requirement.
Advancing to Candidacy in Ph.D. Program
Specific departmental requirements required to advance to candidacy are:
-
Graduate Classwork in Chemistry
- During the first year, each candidate shall register for three courses per quarter, drawing from a combination of lecture courses, research credits, and training courses.
- During the first three quarters in residence (with the exception of Summer Quarter) a candidate shall satisfactorily complete six 300-level lecture courses with grades of C or better from the offerings of the Department of Chemistry or related departments in the Physical and/or Biological Sciences Divisions and maintain at least a “B” average in all courses taken.
- Four of these courses must be taken in Chemistry, and at least two of these four courses must be a Chemistry course designated as foundational. The two courses that may be taken outside the department to satisfy this requirement must be approved in advance. Chemistry 350 may NOT be used as one of these six courses. Prior to the start of Autumn quarter, a faculty advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies will meet with the student regarding course selection. Once a student has chosen a Research Sponsor, the sponsor must sign off on each student’s course selection before the student can be officially registered.
-
Grade Point Average
- Each student's overall record will be reviewed at the end of Spring Quarter. Course performance will be a major part of this review; a "B" average or better in all 300-level courses (excluding Chemistry 350) is expected. At this time a student will be advised whether he/she is qualified to continue studies and to prepare for the Candidacy Examination as defined below.
-
Selecting a Research Sponsor
- A student should select a Research Sponsor after diligent consideration of the opportunities available. Normally this selection will be made early in the Winter Quarter following an Autumn Quarter series of scheduled faculty research seminars. The selection shall be made no later than the Spring Quarter.
- If the Research Sponsor is not from the Department of Chemistry, then a Pro-forma research advisor from within Chemistry must be obtained. The Chemistry Pro-forma advisor must serve on the student’s candidacy exam, and on all committees involving the academic progress of the advisee. The Pro-forma advisor must have an annual meeting with the student to evaluate the student’s progress. Please see the section on “Petitioning for a Research Sponsor Outside of the Department of Chemistry” for detailed information on both the petitioning and review processes.
-
Candidacy Exam
- The Department shall administer an oral Candidacy Examination to all Ph.D. candidates. The examination shall be administered in October - normally the student’s fifth quarter in residence. This examination shall include a written research prospectus. The research prospectus presentation will focus on the student's research, the relevant chemical literature, progress to date, plans for future work, and the relationship of the research to other chemical problems. The committee will use your presentation as a starting point for questioning about the project, your progress, your general chemistry knowledge, and whatever else this leads to. You should expect the discussion to be wide-ranging. The research prospectus should represent a scholarly effort and should be no more than 10 pages (inclusive of figures and schemes but not references). A student’s written materials shall be presented to the Examining Committee at least one week prior to the scheduled examination.
The Master of Science Program
In addition to satisfying the Basic Examination requirement, the following are specific departmental requirements for the Master of Science degree in Chemistry. Please note that this degree is neither a prerequisite for, nor a forerunner of, the Chicago Ph.D. degree, although it may be acquired along the way if a student so desires. The M.S. degree is awarded in the Autumn quarter of the second year.
- Each candidate shall satisfactorily complete nine courses selected from the graduate offerings (300, 400, and 500 level) in the Department of Chemistry and in related departments in the Physical and Biological Sciences Divisions. Six of these shall be 300-level courses with grades of C or better from the offerings of the Department of Chemistry or related departments in the Physical and Biological Sciences Divisions. Four of these courses must be taken in Chemistry, and at least two of these four courses must be a Chemistry course designated as foundational. The two courses that may be taken outside the department to satisfy this requirement must be approved in advance. Absolutely no undergraduate level courses can be used to satisfy the six graduate level course requirement.
- The remaining three courses will consist of the Advanced Training for Teachers and Researchers in Chemistry CHEM 5000X series. Other courses may include Chemistry 350 and or 400 level chemistry research courses.
- No more than a total of three courses of Research (a 400-level research course or Chemistry 350) may be used to satisfy the M.S. degree requirements. A student may not register for either of these courses during the Autumn Quarter.
- Grades of C or better are required for all courses except research courses, where a grade of P is acceptable. A B- or better average in courses must be obtained.
- Candidates may, at the discretion of a faculty member, be required to submit a paper on the work in Chemistry 350 or in a 400-level research course.
Proficiency Examinations
Students should consider satisfying any or all course requirements by taking Proficiency Examinations. Application to take a proficiency examination should be made directly to the faculty member who will be teaching the particular course. Upon agreement of the course instructor, the examinations will be administered during the first week of the quarter in which the course is offered. The faculty member will administer a written exam to the student and shall assign a letter grade to the student based on the student’s performance on the written exam. No stigma is attached to failing a proficiency examination.
Review of First Year Performance
Each student’s overall record will be reviewed at the end of Spring Quarter of the first year of study. Course performance will be a major part of this review. A “B” average or better in all 300-level courses (excluding Chemistry 350 & 500) is expected. At this time a student will be advised whether he/she is qualified to continue studies and to prepare for the Candidacy Examination in October.
A student may be asked to leave the program at this point if they have not met all of the Departmental requirements to advance to candidacy, or are determined not to be in good standing in the program.
If a student begins Spring Quarter of the first year with unsatisfactory performance in any of the four first year milestones (basic exams, course grades, teaching performance, joining a research group), via PhD policy on graduate support, they may be placed on academic probation. This indicates that Spring quarter may be their last quarter of support and program registration unless they meet the required milestones by the end of Spring Quarter and return to good standing. If milestones are not met by the end of Spring Quarter, the student may leave the program with a Master’s degree.
Petitioning the Faculty
Students are reminded that following any faculty decision regarding their graduate status, if the student encountered any extenuating circumstances, then they can petition the faculty. Petitions to the faculty should be submitted in writing to the Director of Graduate Studies, and the petition will be heard in a faculty meeting if allowed by the Chair. There are no guarantees regarding the outcome of the petition request. It is advised that the student discuss the petition with the Director of Graduate Studies prior to submitting a petition.