Program Structure and Requirements
Overall Program Structure
The PhD in Chemistry consists of a minimum 60 credit hours, distributed as follows: 24 credit hours of coursework, 36 credit hours of PhD Dissertation, two zero credit PhD Seminar courses, as well as PhD Written Qualifying and PhD Research Proposal Examinations. The components of the program are summarized in the table below.
| Program Component |
Credit Hours |
| Program Core (2 courses) |
6 |
| Research Seminar I |
0 |
| Research Seminar II |
0 |
| PhD Written Qualifying Examination |
0 |
| PhD Research Proposal Examination |
0 |
| Program Electives |
18 |
| PhD Research Dissertation |
36 |
| Total |
60 |
Program Requirements
Students seeking the degree of PhD in Chemistry must successfully complete a minimum 60 credit hours as specified in the program requirements detailed below, with a minimum CGPA of 3.0. Course selection should be made in consultation with the student’s Main Advisor. All courses listed below have a credit rating of three credits each, except for PhD Research Seminar, Written Qualifying Exam, Research Proposal Exam, and the PhD Research Dissertation.
Program Core (6 credit hours)
Students must complete the core courses listed below.
Core Courses
Program Electives (18 credit hours)
Students must complete a total of six elective courses. Program electives are listed below.
Program Elective Courses
| CHEM 711 | Recent Developments in Inorganic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 712 | Recent Developments in Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 713 | Recent Advances in Physical Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 714 | Recent Developments in Analytical Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 715 | Recent Developments in Nanochemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 716 | Recent Developments in Environmental Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 717 | Advanced topics in Biochemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 719 | Adv in Energy Storage Material | 3 |
| CHEM 720 | Adv Topics in Theoretical Chem | 3 |
| CHEM 721 | Green Analytical & Bioanalytic | 3 |
| CHEM 722 | Adv Topics in Organic Chem | 3 |
| CHEM 723 | Advanced Polymer Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 799 | Entrepreneurship in Chemistry-Science | 3 |
Subject to approval of the Main Advisor and the Program Coordinator, up to two electives (6 credits) may be taken from outside the student’s department and ONLY chosen from the list below, if these courses support the student’s dissertation topic.
Elective Courses from Other Departments
Mathematics
| MATH 705 | Mechanics of interacting particles | 3 |
| MATH 707 | Nonlinear Optimization | 3 |
| MATH 708 | Partial Differential Equations | 3 |
| MATH 777 | Mathematical Models for Biology and Epidemiology | 3 |
Earth Sciences
| ERTH 720 | Organic Geochemistry | 3 |
| ERTH 723 | Isotope Geochemistry of Sedimentary Systems | 3 |
Physics
Biomedical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Civil Engineering
| CIVE 720 | Nanotechnology in Water Purification | 3 |
Electrical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
| MSEN 712 | Imaging of Materials: Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-ray Microanalysis | 3 |
| MSEN 715 | Advanced Imaging of Materials: Transmission Electron Microscopy | 3 |
| MSEN 750 | HighEfficiency Silicon Solar Cells: Designs and Technologies | 3 |
| MEEN 782 | Materials Characterization Techniques | 3 |
| MEEN 792 | Advanced Nanomaterials and Their Mechanical Applications | 3 |
PhD Research Dissertation (36 credit hours)
Students must complete a Dissertation that involves creative, research-oriented work within the field of chemistry, under direct supervision of a full-time faculty advisor from the Chemistry Department, and at least one other full-time faculty who acts as a co-advisor. The outcome of research should demonstrate the synthesis of information into knowledge in a form that may be used by others. The research findings must be documented in a formal dissertation and defended successfully in a viva voce examination.
Dissertation