Registration and Advising

First-Year Students

Once a student has been admitted to the Chemistry graduate program, they can register for classes; however, as detailed in the contract for graduate study offered by the Department, all first-year students are required to participate in an orientation program that takes place prior to the start of the Fall semester (nominally beginning August 1). This program is developed specifically to meet the needs of incoming graduate students. As part of this onboarding program, students will receive information related to degree requirements and course requirements of the various concentrations (such as Analytical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, and Polymer Chemistry). Incoming graduate students will also meet with a faculty member who will advise on course registration and course loads prior to registering.

During their first year, graduate students seeking a PhD degree are advised to fulfill the residence requirement that is set by the Graduate School by enrolling in 9 credits in the fall semester and 9 credits in the immediately following spring semester. In the fall semester of the first year, 9 credit hours can be met through enrollment in two (2) “track” courses (refer to Degree Requirements), as well as Chemistry Seminar (CHEM 501), Use of Facilities (CHEM 502), and Chemical Research Skills and Ethical Conduct (CHEM 503), each of which is a 1 credit course. (Note that two consecutive semesters of enrollment at 9 (or more) credit hours or three consecutive semesters of 6 (or more) credit hours is needed to satisfy the Graduate School’s residence requirement, which is detailed on the Graduate School’s Admission to Candidacy – Doctoral Degree form.)

Beyond the first semester, course selection must be done in consultation with the student’s major advisor, and, if necessary, their committee, to select courses that advance their program of study and provide a suitable foundation for their research. In addition to registering for CHEM 501, it is likely that students will need to register for CHEM 500 Thesis to meet the recommendation of 9 credit hours in the Spring semester, which will allow the student to fulfill the residence requirement in their first year. In all matters of course registration, students need to remain consistent with policies set by the Graduate School, which are described in Course Load and Full Time Status.

International students may have additional enrollment requirements related to maintaining their visa status, and are therefore encouraged to consult their advisor in the Center for Global Engagement.

All Chemistry Graduate Students

As noted above, all graduate students are advised to consult with their advisor on course selection, as they may give advice on courses from other departments that might bear heavily on a particular research area, as well as being aware of the following:

• If you register late, you will be responsible for paying Late Registration Fees.
• All degree-seeking students are required to remain continuously enrolled from the time of their first enrollment until graduation, including during the summer. Continuous enrollment is maintained by registering for a minimum of one graduate credit hour per semester. However, students who have started taking dissertation hours (CHEM 600 Doctoral Research and Dissertation) must maintain a minimum of 3 credit hours per semester during all semesters, including in the summer, to comply with the Continuous Enrollment requirement. (There are certain exceptions, and these are detailed in the Graduate Handbook.)
• The Student Health Insurance Plan carries eligibility requirements in terms of credit hours each semester, including during the summer. Students are urged to review those requirements before registering for classes. Presently, all degree-seeking graduate students enrolled in 3 or more graduate hours are considered eligible for the Student Health Insurance Plan.
• For students pursuing an MS degree, registration in CHEM 500 Thesis while conducting research and preparing the final thesis is required. In addition, students must register for a minimum of 3 credit hours in the semester in which the thesis is accepted by the Graduate School. If a student obtains an MS degree and continues to the PhD program, registration in CHEM 500 is no longer permitted.
• Chemistry graduate students may begin enrolling in CHEM 600 in the semester following successful completion of CHEM 603 – Candidacy Proposal.
• Whenever a student is registered for CHEM 500 or CHEM 600, there are expectations of progress toward the degree through research activities, as conveyed by the requirement that a grade be assigned.

Special Note for International Students: The minimum enrollment for international students may be different, and international students always need to check with the Center for Global Engagement (CGE) in order to determine the minimum enrollment needed to satisfy all enrollment requirements attached to their specific visa.

Course Loads & Full Time Status – Graduate School Policies

The maximum load for a graduate student is 15 credit hours during fall and spring semesters. While 9 credit hours are considered full time, the typical full academic load varies by discipline. For the summer semester, graduate students may register for a maximum of 12 credit hours in an entire summer semester or for a maximum of 6 credit hours in a five-week summer session.

Students may enroll in only one course during a mini-term session. Registration for more than 15 credit hours during any semester, or for more than 12 credit hours in the summer semester, is not permissible without prior approval, and information related to Graduate Course Overload can be found in the Graduate Handbook.

Students holding a one-half (50 percent FTE) time assistantship normally should enroll in at least 6 credit hours during the semesters of the assistantship. A one-fourth (25 percent FTE) time graduate assistant normally should take at least 9 credit hours during the semesters of the assistantship. Departments may make exceptions to the credit-hour enrollment requirements; however, graduate assistants must be enrolled in order to be eligible to receive the assistantship. A student must be enrolled in at least 9 credit hours to be considered full-time for federal financial aid purposes, even if the student has an assistantship.

Advisor Selection Process

In the Department of Chemistry, the process of advisor selection is multi-faceted and built around lab rotations that take place under the auspices of CHEM 502 (Use of Facilities). The overall process of advisor selection provides ample opportunity for students to learn about current research activities and new projects, and to interact with faculty and their groups prior to making a selection.

This process begins during the orientation period prior to the start of the fall semester, when faculty present research projects to new graduate students and then are given time to meet with faculty to discuss projects that seem particularly interesting and are aligned with their desired area(s) of study. Following this, students select a set of faculty (typically 3) with whom they desire to complete a short laboratory rotation, which gives them first-hand insights and experiences. After rotations are completed, all students have time to consider their experience and interests. Many choose to again meet with potential faculty mentors and their groups prior to making a rank-ordered choice of research groups. After that input is received from all new graduate students, the department begins the process of matching students with faculty.

While it cannot be guaranteed, in almost all cases, students receive their first choice of advisor. With each step in the process, there are deadlines for submitting required forms (that are made available to students at various stages of the process), which ensure equity for all students. As long as forms are turned in by stated deadlines, there is no advantage to being first, early, or last.

No appointment is official until formal notice from the Department is given to the graduate student and the faculty advisor.

Initiating Research & Establishing a Dissertation Committee

Once advisor selection is finalized by the Department, graduate students should meet with their advisor to create a plan for initiating research activities and determine a suitable location (desk assignment) in the group.

After being assigned a research advisor and before the end of the Spring semester of their first year, all graduate students in the Department of Chemistry are required to establish their dissertation committee by completing the PhD Committee form. This selection of members for the committee should be done in close consultation with their advisor.

Officially, every PhD committee is a nomination from the Department, and it must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. The Graduate School requires that PhD committees be comprised of at least four members, with one being an external member, defined as being outside of the Department of Chemistry. In addition to the student’s advisor (and, if relevant, co-advisors), the Department of Chemistry further specifies that a doctoral committee must include one tenured or tenure track chemistry faculty member who is “in division” and one who is “out of division”.

Once a student obtains signatures from committee members on the Doctoral Committee form, it should be submitted to the Administrative Associate for Graduate Programs in the Main Office for signature of the Associate Department Head for Graduate Programs. The Department will submit the form to the Graduate School on behalf of the student.