Degree Requirements

This section of the Chemistry Handbook discusses some aspects of these requirements in more detail. Students are encouraged to first consult with their advisor when questions arise regarding these requirements. If the matter is not clarified or resolved, they should consult with the Associate Head for Graduate Programs.

Requirements for Degrees

The requirements for the PhD and MS degrees in Chemistry are contained within the Graduate Catalog and they are summarized below with text adapted from the Graduate Catalog. Within both the MS and PhD programs of study, there are “concentrations”, which are areas of focused coursework tailored to a particular sub-discipline of chemistry. Each concentration contains a sequence of either three or four courses that must be completed – these are sometimes referred to as a “track” or track requirement. The courses associated with each concentration are detailed following the general outline of the PhD and MS degree requirements:

Chemistry Major, PhD
Credit Hour Requirement

52 graduate credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree
31 graduate credit hours beyond the master’s degree

Required Courses

Research and a dissertation to give at least 24 credit hours of graduate credit in CHEM 600. Registration must be continuous from the beginning of research
Required participation in seminar (CHEM 501) at the beginning of the period of graduate study until 6 credit hours of satisfactory credit has been obtained
Preparation of a written candidacy proposal (CP) based on current and proposed research and oral defense of the CP to give 2 credit hours in CHEM 603
Preparation and defense of an original research proposal (ORP) to give 1 credit hour in CHEM 604
18 additional credit hours in courses at the 500-level or above including
- at least one course above 604
- the sequence of courses designated by the concentration
CHEM 503 (1 credit hour)

Non-Course Requirements

A final oral examination is conducted in which the dissertation is defended.
Graduation with a PhD in Chemistry requires the publication of a minimum of two articles in peer-reviewed journals describing research performed during graduate studies. One of the articles must list the graduating student as the first author (or an equally contributing first author).
Each student must present their research at one regional, national, or international conference.

In addition, and as described in Publication Requirement, the Department of Chemistry requires doctoral students to present their research progress in a Third Year Seminar. It should also be noted that the Department of Chemistry does not accept “journal club” courses as contributing to the 18 credit hour requirement.

Chemistry Major, MS
Credit Hour Requirement

Minimum of 30 graduate credit hours

Required Courses

Research and a thesis to give 6 to 12 credit hours of graduate credit in CHEM 500
Required participation in seminar (CHEM 501) at the beginning of the period of graduate study until 3 credit hours of satisfactory credit has been obtained
Sufficient graduate coursework in chemistry (at the 400-level or above) and/or a related field to make an overall total of 30 credit hours, including
- the sequence of courses designated by the concentration
- At least 14 credit hours of this graduate coursework must be at the 500-level or above
CHEM 503 (1 credit hour)

Non-Course Requirements

A final oral examination is conducted in which the thesis is defended.

Concentrations (Tracks) and Courses

Each Chemistry sub-discipline offers three or four courses that explore the fundamental concepts of the field. All PhD students must complete one of these sequences, and the courses associated with the various concentration areas are listed immediately below.

Analytical Chemistry – CHEM 510, CHEM 511, CHEM 513
Inorganic Chemistry – CHEM 530, CHEM 531, CHEM 532, CHEM 533
Organic Chemistry – CHEM 550, CHEM 551, CHEM 552
Physical Chemistry – CHEM 570, CHEM 571, CHEM 572, CHEM 573
Polymer Chemistry – CHEM 590, CHEM 594, CHEM 595, CHEM 596

Although there is no formal breadth requirement, in addition to completing a sequence, all PhD students are encouraged to complete coursework in three different divisions (track areas) of chemistry to broaden their knowledge of chemistry.

For students pursuing an MS degree in Chemistry with a concentration in Inorganic Chemistry or Physical Chemistry, only three of the four track courses are required. For students pursuing an MS degree in Chemistry with a concentration of Polymer Chemistry, only the first three courses in the track are required.

In addition, the Department of Chemistry offers a PhD in concentration areas of Chemical Physics, Environmental Chemistry and Theoretical Chemistry. Each of those tracks requires a student to select and complete one of the above-listed course sequences. The Environmental Chemistry concentration is also offered at the MS level, and in a manner consistent with concentrations for the MS degree, a sequence of three courses from any concentration is required. The requirements for each of these are published in the Graduate Handbook.

Rules for Graduate Coursework

The required 18 hours of graduate course work must be completed with a GPA of 3.0 or greater for the PhD degree. As noted in Requirements for Degree, the Department of Chemistry does not accept “journal club” courses in fulfillment of these coursework requirements.

In addition, the Graduate School has a variety of important policies related to coursework. Here are a few important points:

A graduate student must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA on all graduate coursework taken at UT to be in good academic standing with the Graduate School
A student cannot receive a graduate degree (MS or PhD) if their GPA is less than 3.0
No graduate course with less than a “C” grade (a “D” or “F”) can be used to satisfy a degree requirement
A graduate student may repeat up to two courses in which they earned a grade of D or F, subject to the following conditions:
- The decision to repeat a course is made between the student and their advisor.
- Each course may only be repeated once.
- The original and repeat grades will be included in the calculation of the cumulative grade point average.
- Credit hours will only be counted once toward meeting degree requirements.
- To re-enroll in a class the graduate student must complete a petition for consideration by the Dean of the Graduate School. This is accomplished using the “Permission to Repeat a Graduate Course” form, which is available from Forms Central at the Graduate School.

In addition to these policies related to grades set by the Graduate School, there are several other policies of the Graduate School and the Department of Chemistry that relate to Academic Standing. These matters are covered in Academic Standing section of this Handbook.

Publication Requirement

The publication of research results in the literature is an important milestone for developing scientists and a critical component for the success of graduate students in finding employment as well as in their future careers. For this reason, students are encouraged to maximize the publication of high-quality research during their graduate careers. To emphasize the importance of these efforts, the department requires the publication of a minimum of two articles in peer-reviewed journals describing research performed during graduate studies. One of the articles must list the graduating student as the first author (or an equally contributing first author). Accepted articles will be counted toward this requirement.

A copy of the qualifying publications must be presented to the doctoral committee along with the final dissertation to receive final signatures from faculty members indicating completion of the dissertation requirement. If an accepted publication is not yet in print, a copy of the submitted manuscript along with proof of acceptance from journal editorial staff will fulfill this requirement.

In addition, each student must present their research at one regional, national, or international conference, either as a poster presentation or an oral presentation.