Admission Requirements and Application Procedures

Enrollment in the graduate program in Chemistry at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville requires admission to both the Graduate School and the Department of Chemistry. Up-to-date information regarding Application Procedures and Admission Policies can be found in the Graduate Catalog. These are summarized below, followed by admission requirements. It should be noted that admission requirements differ for domestic and international students, and the Graduate Catalog should be consulted for these details.

Applying for Graduate Study

For consideration for graduate study at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, a student must submit a formal, online application through the Office of Graduate Admissions (https://gradschool.utk.edu/admissions/). Once the application is complete, decisions related to admission follow a multi-step process:

1. The Graduate School screens the application to ensure the applicant meets minimal standards set by the university.
2. Application materials are reviewed by the Department of Chemistry’s Admissions Committee. Acceptance will depend on a number of factors including the applicant’s credentials and the needs of the program.
3. The Department of Chemistry notifies the Graduate School of the admission decision.
4. The Graduate School notifies the applicant of the admission decision.

Applications may be based on unofficial transcripts; however, official transcripts are required before a student may enroll for their second term. (Details may be obtained from the Office of Graduate Admissions – see After Admission.) Applicants have the ability to check their application status online.

Admission Requirements

The general admission requirements set by the Graduate School for domestic and international students are summarized here: Admission to graduate study requires a bachelor’s degree from a college or university accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting agency, recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEEA). A non-U.S. degree must be equivalent to a bachelor’s degree from the United States and must be granted by a recognized or accredited foreign institution. Admission for students with a degree from the United States requires a minimum grade point average of 2.7 out of a possible 4.0, or a minimum of 3.0 during the senior year of undergraduate study. Applicants with previous graduate work must have a grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Applicants with non-U.S. degrees must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or other equivalent to a ‘B’ average. If applicants with non-U.S. degrees have completed graduate level coursework, a minimum GPA of 3.3 out of 4.0 or other equivalent to a ‘B+’ average is required. An international student graduating from a United States institution must meet the same requirements as those for domestic students.

According to the Graduate School, applicants with U.S. degrees whose undergraduate GPA falls below 2.7 may be admitted by exception. Similarly, applicants with non-U.S. degrees whose undergraduate GPA falls below 3.0 or whose graduate GPA falls below 3.3 also may be admitted by exception. Given the number of applications the Department receives each year, such exceptions are rarely granted.

Enrollment in graduate programs is a privilege which may be withdrawn by the University, or any area of graduate study, if it is deemed necessary by the Dean of the Graduate School to safeguard the University’s standards.

Admission to the Department of Chemistry

Admission to the Department as a graduate student is decided on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration an applicant’s undergraduate record (traditionally including courses in general, analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry), motivation for graduate study, and potential for superior academic achievement and performance in research. These are typically evaluated through supporting information, such as letters of reference from faculty and research mentors familiar with the student, experience in research, scholarly contributions in the form of research-based presentations or papers, and awards.

It should be noted that meeting the minimum standards set by the Graduate School and Department of Chemistry program requirements does not guarantee admission. For example, although Graduate School policy allows exceptions to GPA standards, admission to Chemistry is sufficiently competitive that the Department of Chemistry does not pursue such exceptions with the Graduate School. With that in mind, applicants are strongly advised to have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better (on a 4.0 scale) or a GPA of 3.3 or better (on a 4.0 scale) in an MS program.

Students interested in applying as a non-degree graduate student should apply to the Graduate School only, as admission to non-degree status does not constitute admission to a degree program. Policies regarding non-degree admission as well as other admission classifications can be obtained from the Office of Graduate Admissions (https://gradschool.utk.edu/admissions/).

Application Procedures and Requirements

As noted above, anyone with a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, an institution accredited by another organization recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), or an equivalent degree from a similarly recognized or accredited foreign institution who wishes to take courses for graduate credit, whether or not the person desires to become a candidate for a degree, must submit a formal online application for admission to graduate study or apply for transient status. No action is taken until a file is complete. An applicant will be notified by the Office of Graduate Admissions of the Graduate School once an admission decision is reached. Applicants may check their status online through the Application Status Portal.

To apply for admission to the UTK Graduate School, the following materials must be submitted to Graduate Admissions through the online portal. All documents submitted become the property of the university and will not be returned.

• The completed online Graduate Application for Admission, which can be found here: https://gradschool.utk.edu/admissions/applying-to-graduate-school/
• A non-refundable application fee paid by credit card or electronic check. (This fee may be waived in certain cases at the discretion of the Graduate Admissions Committee.)
• One unofficial transcript from all colleges and universities attended. Applicants should note, however, that if admission is offered and accepted, official transcripts and degree certificates (if separate from transcripts) are required. Furthermore, the Graduate School reserves the right to revoke admission to a student if any official or unofficial documents are found to be fraudulent following review. In addition, registration is prohibited after the first semester of enrollment until students have submitted the official copy of transcripts where a bachelor’s degree was earned and official transcripts from all institutions where graduate coursework was completed.
• Scores from Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) are required unless
  • English is the official language of applicant’s country of citizenship, or
  • English is the primary language of instruction at the institution from which the applicant received an undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree. Evidence that the language of instruction is English must appear on the transcript or the applicant will be asked to provide additional documentation.

The University of Tennessee Graduate School maintains a list of countries with English as the official language: (https://gradschool.utk.edu/admissions/applying-to-graduate-school/admission-requirements/official-english-countries/).

The Graduate School sets minimum TOEFL and IELTS score requirements for admission, and scores are considered valid if submitted with the application within two (2) years of the test date. Additional information regarding English Language Requirements, registering for the TOEFL or IELTS, and sending scores is available from the Graduate School at https://gradschool.utk.edu/admissions/applying-to-graduate-school/admission-requirements/.

The Department of Chemistry recommends that students take and submit their TOEFL score. The Chemistry Department strongly prefers students to have a minimum total TOEFL iBT score of 98 with a speak section score of 22.

In addition, the Department of Chemistry requires that applicants submit the documents listed below through the online portal. The documents are to be uploaded after the application has been submitted.

• 3 Letters of Recommendation
• The applicant’s résumé or curriculum vita
• Personal Statement or Statement of Purpose

The Department of Chemistry does not require that applicants take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Students are encouraged to submit their GRE scores if they believe they would strengthen their application. The scores must be less than three (3) years from the date of admission to be considered. The chemistry subject test is similarly optional. The University Code for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville is 1843. 

Questions from applicants related to admission policies established by the Graduate School should be addressed to the Office of Graduate Admission through their online portal (Contact-graduate-admissions).

Questions related to application and admission policies of the Department of Chemistry should be addressed to chemgradprog@utk.edu, and additional information for Prospective Graduate students is available through the Department’s website, https://chem.utk.edu/graduate-students/.

Application Review, Deadlines, and Initial Enrollment

The Department of Chemistry reviews and makes decisions on applications on a rolling basis, typically beginning in December. Thus, applicants are strongly encouraged to complete and submit their applications early. Students may apply for admission in any semester, but the Department of Chemistry’s current practice is for all graduate students to enter the program beginning in the Fall semester. In exceptional situations, the Department will consider and review, on a case-by-case basis, requests for entry in Spring or Summer terms.

The Office of Graduate Admissions sets deadlines for applications from non-domestic applicants, and these are shown below:

Semester of Initial Enrollment	Application Deadline
Fall	February 1
Spring	June 15
Summer	October 15

The Office of Graduate Admissions must be notified of any change in entering date after admission has been granted. If a student does not enroll within one year after the requested admission, the application process must be repeated.

In addition, because any offer of a graduate assistantship issued by the Department of Chemistry is a contract with a specific start date, students admitted to the Chemistry graduate program are required to request and obtain approval from the Chemistry Department if they wish to change the date of initial appointment after admission has been granted. International students are especially advised to begin their visa application process in a timely manner so that they can arrive in the department on the date of initial appointment. International students who are unable to attain a visa in time to arrive on campus by the date specified in the contract for graduate study furnished by the Department of Chemistry may request that their admission be deferred for one year.

Transfer Credit

Policies related to credits earned through transfer are detailed in the Graduate Catalog. At the doctoral level, courses are not officially transferred, but they may be used to meet course requirements for a PhD in Chemistry. In cases where a student believes a requirement has been met through coursework in another program, the student may petition for a waiver of the requirement. (See Petitions and Appeals for information on petitions.) Because this results in a modification of a student’s degree program, the petition should outline how degree requirements will be fulfilled. The process should begin with the involvement of the student’s advisor and dissertation committee, as the dissertation committee approves all coursework. In addition to approval(s) at the department level, a waiver ultimately requires approval of the Dean of the Graduate School. Coursework taken outside of the US is typically not accepted due to the difficulty in establishing equivalence to courses at UT.

According to Graduate School policy, graduate course credit hours that may not be applied towards meeting degree requirements include:

• Graduate credits transferred from universities outside the University of Tennessee system cannot be used to meet the thesis or dissertation requirements or 600-level coursework requirements.
• Graduate credit for extension courses taken from other institutions is not transferable, nor is credit for any course taken at an unaccredited institution.
• Graduate credit previously earned as audits or by correspondence study at any university.

Students should also be aware that courses transferred to any graduate program will not affect the minimum residence requirements for the program, nor will they be included in calculating the student’s UT grade point average.

The Graduate School places additional restrictions on the application of course credit hours for MS and PhD programs. Particularly relevant for students seeking a PhD in Chemistry is the following restriction: “A candidate for a doctoral degree who earned a graduate (typically a master’s) degree prior to beginning the doctoral degree must complete a minimum of 24 credit hours of graduate courses at UT (exclusive of course 600 Dissertation).” Thus, even if a waiver of a requirement is approved, students still must meet that minimum threshold of 24 credit hours of graduate courses at UT.

In terms of departmental policy, the Department of Chemistry will not consider a waiver of more than two graduate courses.

Change of Program

Although we encourage prepared students to work toward the PhD degree, if you chose to enter the MS program when you completed your application for graduate admission, this choice can be changed. This choice also affects what research classes you are allowed to register for, specifically CHEM 500 and CHEM 600. CHEM 500 is strictly speaking, thesis (MS) research and CHEM 600 is dissertation (PhD) research.

If you were admitted into the Master of Science degree program in Chemistry, you will be permitted to register for CHEM 500 after you begin your research activities in a particular research group. However, if your ultimate intention is to earn the PhD degree, you will have to file a “Change of Program” form prior to entering candidacy for the PhD and register for CHEM 600.  Thus, proper planning between a student and their advisor is essential, as enrollment in CHEM 600 begins in the semester following completion of the candidacy exam (successfully completing the CRP, described in Candidacy Research Proposal and Exam). (As also noted in All Chemistry Graduate Students, there is a requirement of continuous enrollment in CHEM 600.)

In cases where a student is making a change from the PhD program to the MS program or is a non-degree seeking student wishing to change to a degree program, a “Change of Program” form is also required. Prior to completing and submitting this form to the Graduate School, the student should seek additional instructions from the Associate Head for Graduate Programs.