Course and Examination Requirements
The goals of our graduate course and examination scheme are to emphasize research and research accomplishment at an early stage and to incorporate appropriate training devices in a flexible manner so that individual needs and goals of both the student and research advisor can be met. The concept of a major is not formally recognized. A student's Ph. D. supervisory committee, coursework, and his/her path through the examination scheme are individually designed by the student in conjunction with his/her advisor and planned according to the particular research area and topic involved. Initial application for the M.S. degree is not encouraged nor is the M.S. Degree required for admission to the doctoral program. Students generally remain in residence during the summer. Since graduate courses are not offered during the summer session, this time is exclusively used for research.
Students are required to complete 22 units of graded course work (the equivalent of 5 and 1/2 chemistry graduate courses) by the end of the third semester (i.e. the fall term of the second year); normally students will complete a minimum of 12 units during their first semester, 8 to 10 units in the second semester, and any remaining units in the third semester. Courses from outside the Department may be suitable alternates for students and may be substituted for chemistry graduate courses with the permission of the Director of Graduate Studies. Students also normally take 12 units of graded research in the second year, 6 units per semester.
All Ph.D. candidates will take a preliminary examination, one propositional examination, the final Ph.D. examination, and present three seminars (one each prior to the preliminary and final examinations and one as part of the third year seminar requirement). During the fall semester of the second year a detailed written research progress report is submitted to the student's committee for critical comment. The preliminary examination, the examination that determines candidacy for the Ph.D. degree, is normally taken during the fourth semester. The examination begins with a public presentation of the student's research project, after which the student meets privately with the Ph.D. committee in an oral examination aimed at probing the student's understanding of the research project and general knowledge in the area of specialization. During the fourth year students are also required to participate in an oral propositional examination at which they propose an original research idea and defend it a committee selected by the DGS, which is separate from thier PhD dissertaion committee. On completion of the experimental work and preparation of the Ph. D. dissertation, the student presents a departmental seminar on the doctoral work as a prelude to an oral examination by the Ph. D. committee - the final Ph.D. defense.