Courses

Each student must complete a distribution requirement. The requirement may be satisfied in one of the following ways:

1. Complete (with a B or better) a 700 level course selected from the following in three of the five major areas of study: CHEM 731, CHEM 737, CHEM 740, CHEM 750, BIOL 636.

2. Demonstrate outstanding performance on the optional placement exams given in August.

3. Upon petition to and approval by the Graduate Affairs Committee, one of the above course requirements may be replaced by another natural science, math, or computer science course. The petition must state clearly the importance of the substitution to the student's program. If the student has chosen a research director, his/her written support of the petition will be required.

Students who enter with graduate level course work may petition the Graduate Affairs Committee to omit one or more of these required distribution courses that are equivalent to courses already taken.

In addition, the Department recommends the following specific courses for Ph.D. aspirants in each of the designated areas.

Bioanalytical

CHEM 731 Fundamentals and Methods of Analytical Chemistry
CHEM 904 Analytical Separations
CHEM 908 Spectrochemical Methods of Analysis
CHEM 920 Mass Spectrometry
CHEM 925 Bioanalysis
CHEM 801/901 Analytical Chemistry Colloquium (each semester)

Students are encouraged to select additional elective courses to tailor their graduate program to their own needs n consultation with their research advisor.

Chemical Education

Two CHEM courses (700-900's) in the student’s designated traditional area (analytical, inorganic, organic, or physical) and beyond those needed to fulfill the distribution requirement.

CHEM 716 Teaching/Learning in Chemistry for GTAs (1)
CHEM 803 Chemical Education Colloquium (1)
CHEM 980 Advanced Topics in Chemical Education (2-3)
CHEM 981 Research in Chemical Education
CHEM 996 College Teaching Experience in Chemistry

And the following courses:

PRE 710/711 Introduction to Statistical Analysis (3)/Lab for Introduction to...(1)
PRE 715 Understanding Research in Education(3)
PRE 725 Educational Measurement(3)
PRE 807 Theories and Research in Human Learning(3)
PRE 811 Analysis of Variance(3)

Inorganic

CHEM 737 Coordination and Organometallic Chemistry
CHEM 766 Spectroscopic Identification of Organic Compounds
CHEM 982 Inorganic Structures and Mechanisms
CHEM 984 Physical Methods in Inorganic Chemistry

and one of the following two courses

CHEM 906 Advanced Topics in Inorganic Chemistry
CHEM 986 Bioinorganic and Catalytic Chemistry

Organic

CHEM 740 Principles of Organic Reactions
CHEM 742 Physical Organic Chemistry I
CHEM 763 Organic Synthesis I
CHEM 766 Spectroscopic Identification of Organic Compounds
CHEM 811 Organic Chemistry Colloquium
CHEM 963 Organic Synthesis II
CHEM 966 Physical Organic Chemistry II
CHEM 971 Advanced Topics in Organic Chemistry

Physical

CHEM 750 Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy
CHEM 752 Statistical Thermdynamics
CHEM 754 Chemical Kinetics and Dynamics
CHEM 915 Intermediate Quantum Mechanics

and two of the following courses

CHEM 916 Molecular Spectroscopy
CHEM 917 Statistical Mechanics
CHEM 918 Advanced Quantum Mechanics
CHEM 919 Advanced Topics in Physical Chemistry

Any student, however, may be advised to take additional or different courses which, in the judgment of his or her advisor are desirable for advanced training.

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