university of york phd chemistry

Postgraduate research

Apply to a research degree

Find out how and when to apply to a research degree at York (PhD, MPhil and MA/MSc by research). Discover what happens after you apply.

Top tip - apply early and make sure you check the funding deadlines. If you're an international student, it's best to apply at least three months prior to your intended start date to avoid any delays in applying for your accommodation and/or visa.

1. Identify a research area of interest

Read extensively around your subject and think about how you can best capitalise on your skills.

Find out whether our departments offer an advertised project which fits your interests. If you’re generating your own research project, seek guidance on its suitability and find out about funding opportunities.

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2. Check the entry requirements

Typically you’ll need at least the equivalent to a UK upper second-class (2:1) honours degree and, in some cases, a Masters degree. Actual requirements vary by course.

• See the entry requirements for your course
• International applicants

If you're an international applicant, you may also need to consider some additional factors including:

• E nglish language requirements
• Visa requirements , including how to get your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).

3. Contact a potential supervisor

Decide  which academic  to contact to discuss the research area you are interested in.

4. Check the application deadlines

In most cases, applications can be submitted year-round. However, we recommend that you apply as early as possible as some areas are particularly competitive.

• Check the deadline for your course

5. Complete your application

Submit an online application. You don’t need to complete your application all at once: you can start it, save it and finish it later.

If you're applying to an advertised project make sure you follow the specific instructions.

Apply now for 2023/24 entry

• Supporting documents

We’ll let you know which documents you need to supply at the start of your online application. This will include a research proposal.   You can prepare in advance using our  supporting documents guide .

Paper applications

You’ll receive a quicker response from us if you apply online. However, if you are unable to do so, you can submit a  paper application .

6. After you apply

Find out  what happens after you've applied , including how to:

• Track your application
• Upload additional supporting documents
• Accept your offer

7. Apply for funding

You normally need to have received an offer before you apply for funding, so be sure you check the  funding application deadlines . They usually fall between January and March.

UK Government loans : you may be entitled to a loan to help fund your research degree.

8. Get ready for your arrival

Now is the time to research your accommodation options and start  planning for your arrival .

Admissions policy

We consider all applications in a fair, transparent and consistent way. Find out more about our  admissions policy .

Got a question about applying to York? Email our friendly Admissions Team for advice and support.

If you've already applied to study at York please use You@York to upload any documents. Please do not email documents to us.

[email protected] +44 (0)1904 322142

Related links

• Find a course
• English language requirements 2023/24
• Research proposals
• After you apply
• After you accept your place

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PhD Chemistry

University of york, different course options.

• Key information

Course Summary

Tuition fees, entry requirements, similar courses at different universities, key information data source : idp connect, qualification type.

PhD/DPhil - Doctor of Philosophy

Subject areas

Chemistry (General)

Course type

In the Department of Chemistry we offer a range of programmes that can be taken full or part time. Research projects can be carried out in virtually any area of chemistry as long as a suitable project and supervisor can be allocated, meaning you can specialise in your own specific area of interest. You will work under the guidance of an academic supervisor who is expert in that particular field, and alongside other members of the research group including academics, post-doctoral researchers as well as fellow postgraduate students.

As a research student in the Department of Chemistry, you can expect:

• a dedicated supervisor to help direct your research and training
• a Thesis Advisory Panel (TAP) comprising two members of staff to monitor your progress and offer impartial advice, meeting twice per year
• regular progress meetings with your supervisor, and more informal interactions with your supervisor on a day-to-day basis
• training programmes designed to provide you with research, teaching and transferable skills. This is delivered through our Innovative Doctoral Training in Chemistry Programme
• seminar programmes from leading scientists, and opportunities to present your own research
• A student mentor to support your transition to postgraduate research and provide collaboration and networking opportunities.

UK fees Course fees for UK students

For this course (per year)

International fees Course fees for EU and international students

PhD applicants should have, or be expecting to achieve, a 2:1 undergraduate degree in Chemistry or a relevant, related discipline. We have research students from a range of backgrounds on a variety of projects. Although 2:1 is the minimum requirement to be considered for a PhD, funded studentships are very competitive and it is likely that you would need to be predicted a high 2:1 / First class degree.

PGCE Secondary Science (Chemistry) with Qualified Teacher Status

Sheffield hallam university, pgce secondary: science (biology with science, chemistry with science, physics with science), university of roehampton, pgce secondary - chemistry (english medium), bangor university, pgce secondary - chemistry (welsh medium), secondary science with chemistry pgce, university of bedfordshire.

Chemistry Faculty Members

We welcome you to explore the fascinating research and faculty experts in Chemistry using the search below. Visit our website for additional information about the Department of Chemistry.

Graduate Admissions

Program focuses on a wide range of study and research in all of the traditional areas of analytical, biological, inorganic, organic, physical and theoretical chemistry with specialization available in atmospheric chemistry, mass spectrometry, biomolecular interactions and materials science.

Your studies will be enhanced by our world-class facilities including three research centres: the Centre for Atmospheric Chemistry , the Centre for Research in Mass Spectrometry and the Centre for Research in Biomolecular Interactions .

Note: Applicants who meet the Fall Entry early deadline will receive full consideration for scholarships and awards and teaching assistant positions. Applications may also be accepted past the final deadline.

Stream and Specializations

• Analytical chemistry
• Atmospheric chemistry
• Biological chemistry
• Inorganic chemistry
• Mass spectrometry
• Organic synthesis
• Physical & theoretical chemistry

Degrees Offered

• Thesis (full time)
• OR Course work only (part time)
• Dissertation
• AND Dissertation oral examination

Additional Admission Requirements

Number of recommendation(s).

• 2 recommendation(s)

Other Requirements

• Chemistry GRE is strongly recommended for international students
• Later applications accepted as space and funding permit

York University respects your privacy and protects personal information in compliance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and Canada Anti-Spam Legislation. For more information, visit futurestudents.yorku.ca/privacy

* Voluntary declaration. Indigenous people are persons who identify themselves as First Nation (status or non-Status), Métis or Inuit.

• Steps to Apply
• Application Checklist (Check it once, check it twice)
• Already applied? Check your application status

University of Rochester

Search Rochester.edu

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Resources for

• Prospective students
• Current students
• Faculty and staff

School of Arts & Sciences

Department of Chemistry

• Graduate Program

PhD Program

The PhD requirements in our department are designed to train students to have broad-based knowledge, as well as experience in independent research and in presenting chemistry to an audience.

For more information about our program see the Department of Chemistry Graduate Studies Handbook (pdf) .

This booklet includes details on the topics outlined below, as well as links to the following resources and more.

• Preparing for a PhD Defense
• Preparing Your Thesis Manual
• UR Academic Honesty Policy
• Graduate Academic Calendar
• Expectations of Chemistry Graduate Students

Course Requirements

PhD students are required to take five courses determined by the student's interests and field of study. Students may choose from a variety of intermediate and advanced chemistry courses in all areas of chemistry with the guidance of their advisor. Meeting the program requirements is the responsibility of each student. Students are expected to complete the Graduate Student Annual Activity Report before June 15 every year and meet with their advisor prior to August 15. This report guides students, their advisors, and the graduate coordinator on student progress and maintains eligibility for department fellowships and travel grants.

Programs of study can be modified to best address a student's research needs and interests. Thus, courses in related fields, such as biochemistry, pharmacology, biophysics, physics, optics, and mathematics are also available. Specially designed programs are also available for MD/PhD students.

The department encourages interdisciplinary research. We've grouped our faculty into the following areas:

• Biological Chemistry
• Chemical Physics
• Materials Chemistry
• Synthesis. Catalysis, & Mechanism

A number of our students have joint advisors. These collaborations between groups often lead to cross-disciplinary learning opportunities. In addition, our proximity to other departments including earth and environmental sciences, biology, biochemistry & biophysics, physics, optics, and biomedical engineering facilitates inter-departmental interactions.

At Rochester, teaching and research are viewed as central and inseparable. All graduate students participate in the teaching program as teaching assistants in undergraduate and graduate courses, usually during their first three semesters.

Qualifying Examinations

Students must pass a set of written qualifying examinations by April of their second year. By July 31 of that same year, students must pass an oral qualifying examination, which is based on their proposal for further PhD research.

Seminar Presentation

During the third year of study, students present a departmental seminar on a research topic as is customary within the student's sub-discipline.

Fourth-Year Review

By the end of the fourth year of study, students will meet with their PhD examination committee to discuss progress leading to a successful completion of the dissertation and promote timely completion of the PhD degree.

Student Responsibilities (pdf)

Student activity report form template (pdf).

Chemistry PhD

Doctor of philosophy program.

The PhD degree is awarded for original investigation leading to a significant advance of knowledge in a specialized area. Courses and seminars provide necessary background in the knowledge, basic principles, methods and theories of chemistry. Under the guidance of the departmental graduate committee, students complete those courses that best serve their particular needs. In the course of their training, they are expected to demonstrate by appropriate examinations a breadth of knowledge in chemistry, a perspective of the relation of chemistry to other fields of knowledge — particularly the fields of mathematics, physics and biology — and competence in-depth in a specialized area of chemistry. At the earliest date consistent with their general progress, students select a research topic and begin research. 

The most important and rewarding component of the PhD program is thesis research. Each student is expected to complete a significant and original research project, publish peer-reviewed research articles, write a thesis describing the work, and defend the work before a committee of chemistry and non-chemistry faculty members.

• Normally at least six courses (24 to 32 credits), two of which may be from the fields of biology, mathematics or physics. Biological Chemistry emphasis: at least three courses in chemistry, and the remainder from the fields of biological sciences and other sciences (physics, computer science, geology, mathematics or engineering), as approved by the faculty advisor for individual student programs, for a total of six to eight. Materials Chemistry emphasis: at least three courses in chemistry, including CHEM 544, and at least two courses from the fields of materials science and engineering, geology, physics, or engineering, as approved by the faculty advisor for individual student programs, for a total of six to eight.
• Passing of a comprehensive literature review examination in a specialized area, followed by an oral examination in the specialization.
• One semester of CHEM 592 (Graduate Seminar).
• Two semesters of CHEM 593 (Frontiers in Chemistry).
• Completion of original research in a specialized area of chemistry.
• Submission of a written dissertation and an oral defense of the dissertation.

All PhD Students are required to complete all steps in the checklist. Detailed deadlines and standard procedures are provided in subsequent sections.

-  Selection of Faculty Advisor 

-  Comprehensive Literature Review (CLR) Examination

           o   Written Exam (CLR-w)

           o   Oral Exam (CLR-o)

-  Preliminary Oral Examination

-  Dissertation Prospectus

-  oral Progress Report(s)

-  Dissertation Defense and Graduation

          o  Graduate Application for Degree (GAFD) and Recommendation for Award (RFA) forms

          o  Dissertation Defense

          o  Submission of Dissertation

          o  Exit form

Deadline: Selection of a faculty research advisor by the end of the first semester is recommended and is required within the first twelve months after entering the program.

Standard Procedure: The student must fill out and submit the “Selection of Faculty Research Advisor” form ( https://www.binghamton.edu/chemistry/about/resources/advisor-selection.pdf ) to officially complete the selection of research advisor. The students are responsible to acquire the following signatures: 

• Three faculty members who the students have discussed research possibilities with.
• The student’s signature for declaring the choice of research advisor.
• The faculty member’s signature for accepting the student.
• The signature of the Graduate Program Director.

The completed electronic form should be submitted to the Department Secretary.

The comprehensive examination consists of two parts, a comprehensive literature review (CLR) and an oral examination.

The CLR exam itself consists of an oral (CLR-o) and a written (CLR-w) part and is administered at the end of the spring semester, no later than four weeks from the completion of the Graduate Seminar Course (CHEM 592). The second and third CLR exams are offered, as needed, at the beginning and the end of the fall semester respectively.

Only PhD students who have met all placement requirements are eligible to take the CLR exam. Students who have not successfully completed all placement requirements by the time of the spring CLR exam have the option to take it for the first time at the end of the fall semester.

PhD students who join the Chemistry Program in the spring semester should enroll in the Graduate Seminar course (CHEM 592) in the spring semester, and take the CLR exam typically in the following fall semester, or at a later time after having successfully completed all placement requirements.

All Ph.D. students who have successfully completed all placement requirements upon entering the program are required to pass the CLR exam by the end of the third semester in the program. All Ph.D. students who have placement deficiencies and score below the “marginal” threshold determined by sub-disciplines upon entering the program are required to pass the CLR exam by the end of the fourth semester in the program.

The topic of the exam is identified and decided upon by the advisor and the student.

Committees administering the exam in a relevant topic are appointed by the GPC and consist of at least three tenured or tenure-track faculty members.

The exam consists of a 20-minute presentation followed by a discussion of up to 40 minutes. The total allotted time for the oral examination is one hour. Students must submit their slides for the oral presentation 24 hours before the CLR-o exam…

The student must submit a written report (CLR-w) on the comprehensive literature review to the Graduate Seminar instructor no later than a week before the CLR-o exam. The length of the CLR-w should be of the order of five pages (excluding references and figures).

Students who take the CLR exam offered at the end of the fall semester (when no Graduate Seminar course is taught) must submit the written report on their CLR to the GPC chair no later than a week before the CLR-o exam.

The student performance is assessed by the committee members based on an evaluation form that incorporates both the CLR-w and the CLR-o components of the exam.

Students who have registered for the CLR exam in a particular semester must complete both the written (CLR-w) and oral (CLR-o) parts of the exam. Exceptions (e.g., due to a medical emergency) need to be approved by the Graduate Program Director. Students who do not complete a registered CLR exam without a pre-approval will receive one “fail” for that exam. In the case of an exception, the student must reschedule the CLR within a month.

Students who fail their first CLR exam will have the opportunity to retake it by the end of the following semester. Failing the CLR examination a second time will be grounds for dismissing the student from the PhD program.

• Oral Examination: After the passing the Comprehensive Literature Review Examination, the Preliminary Oral Examination must be completed before the beginning of the fifth semester. For all students except those in the Biological Chemistry emphasis program, the Examination Committee will consist of at least four tenured or tenure track faculty members, including at least three chemistry tenured or tenure track faculty members, one of which must be tenured and not the student’s dissertation research advisor. The committee will be chaired by a tenured chemistry faculty member other than the dissertation research advisor. For students in the Biological Chemistry emphasis program, the Examination Committee will be the same as the Committee that administered the written examination. For students in the Materials Chemistry emphasis program, one member of the examination committee will be a tenured or tenure-track faculty member outside the Chemistry Department but in the Materials field. The student should confirm the membership of the committee with the dissertation advisor and Graduate Program Director; arrange for a date and time acceptable to committee members; reserve a room for the examination with the department secretary, deliver an abstract (of approximate one page) to the Department Secretary by email at least one week before the scheduled examination date. The secretary will prepare a notice of the examination, send copies to all department faculty members, and post notices in public places in the department. Following the preliminary oral examination, the Examination Committee will provide the student with a written evaluation of the student's performance. If the student fails the examination, the Examination Committee will advise the student to receive a terminal Master's degree and the student will not be eligible for further financial support.
• Alternative Comprehensive Examination and Area of Curricular Specialization: A student may, together with the student’s faculty advisor, prepare a proposal, with justification, for an alternative comprehensive examination and area of curricular specialization and submit the proposal to the GPC for its approval. If approved, the research advisor and the student nominate a guidance committee of at least five faculty members, including at least three chemistry faculty members. The committee will be chaired by a tenured chemistry faculty member other than the dissertation research advisor. After approval by the GPC, the guidance committee becomes responsible for administering a comprehensive examination of the approved format, and for monitoring the student’s progress toward the degree.

1.  Dissertation Prospectus 

      Deadline: Within one month after the completion of the Preliminary Oral        Examination, or no later than one week before the beginning of the next semester, whichever comes first.

     Standard Procedure: The students are responsible to acquire signatures from all examination committee members. Electronic version of the dissertation prospectus should be submitted to the Department Secretary.

2.  Admission to PhD Candidacy 

     Deadline: The student is required to complete all comprehensive examinations and obtain ABD (All But Dissertation) status before the beginning of the fifth semester. 

     Standard Procedure: Once the completed and signed dissertation prospectus is received (see the procedure above), the Department Secretary will fill out the Recommendation for Admission to Candidacy (ABD form) and send to Graduate Program Director for final approval. The final form will be sent to the Graduate School. 

The dissertation committee is normally the same as the comprehensive oral examination committee.

Satisfactory progress toward the degree will require the student to present an oral progress report to the Dissertation Committee at a time to be determined by the Dissertation Committee. A normal timeline would require one progress report per year following the oral examination.

Following presentation of the oral progress report, the Dissertation Committee will provide the student with a written evaluation of the student's performance with the aim of advising the student how to progress. The Committee will also determine the date of the next required oral progress report.

Failure to present a progress report at the scheduled time or an unsatisfactory evaluation of any oral progress report will reflect unsatisfactory progress toward the degree and may result in termination of financial support. The Examination Committee may also advise the student to receive a terminal master's degree.

Dissertation Defense Committee: The dissertation defense committee will normally include the Dissertation Committee plus an outside examiner. There will be at least one tenured chemistry faculty member who is not the dissertation advisor. The committee will be chaired by a tenured chemistry faculty member who is not the dissertation advisor.

2. Outside Examiner: The Dean of the Graduate School, acting upon a recommendation from the Department, adds an outside examiner to the examination committee as the representative of the faculty of the Graduate School. The outside examiner is either a Binghamton faculty member from a related area outside the student's major program, department or division or someone from a related discipline outside the University. Normally, the outside examiner will have no involvement in the supervision of the student's dissertation. The outside examiner reads the dissertation and participates fully as a dissertation-examining committee member during the dissertation defense. The outside examiner's function on the examination committee is to render an independent judgment and to assure that the dissertation satisfies Graduate School standards.

Deadline: The students are responsible to discuss with their dissertation advisors, establish that the proposed outside examiner is willing to serve on the committee and inform the Graduate Program Director the proposed outside examiner at least one month prior to the defense.

Standard Procedure: 

 If the proposed outside examiner is on the pre-approved outside examiner list (https://www.binghamton.edu/grad-school/policies-and-procedures/manual/policies-doctoral.html#205), the student should inform the Graduate Program Director the proposed outside examiner by email. A request will be sent by the Graduate Program Director to the Graduate School for approval.

If the proposed outside examiner is not on the pre-approved outside examiner list. The students are responsible to submit the following documents to the Graduate Program Director:

-          The Outside Examiner Request Form ( https://www.binghamton.edu/grad-school/policies-and-procedures/manual/policies-doctoral.html#205 )

-          The current CV from the proposed outside examiner

The Graduate Program Director will submit the above documents with a statement that explains the relevance of the nominee to the student’s dissertation research topic and the nominee’s experience in evaluating doctoral research to the Graduate School for approval.

3.      Prior to the Dissertation Defense 

The students are responsible to submit copies of their dissertation to all the dissertation defense committee members at least two weeks before the defense.

The students are responsible to arrange for a date and time acceptable to committee members for the defense and deliver an abstract (of approximate one page) to the Department Secretary by email at least one week before the scheduled defense date.

1.  Graduate Application for Degree (GAFD) and Recommendation for Award Form (RFA)

The GAFD and RFA are required to notify the University of a student’s intent to fulfill their degree requirements at the end of the current semester.

Deadline: The deadlines for submitting GAFD and RFA are posted and updated on the Graduate School website: https://www.binghamton.edu/registrar/student/grad_degree_completion.html

Note that if a GAFD is submitted for a particular semester and the student does not defend by the end of the semester. A new GAFD must be submitted for a later semester.

Standard Procedure: Students must complete and submit the GAFD and RFA forms on BU Brain. Please follow the procedure specified on the Graduate School website: https://www.binghamton.edu/registrar/student/grad_degree_completion.html

2.  Submission of the Dissertation to the Graduate School

Deadline: The deadline for dissertation submission are posted and updated on the Graduate School website: https://www.binghamton.edu/registrar/student/grad_degree_completion.html

Dissertation Formatting Guide: Use the dissertation formatting guide and samples provided on the Graduate School website to prepare the dissertation: https://www.binghamton.edu/grad-school/resources/graduation/submitting-thesis-dissertation.html#step1 Additional information can be found in the Graduate School Manual: https://www.binghamton.edu/grad-school/policies-and-procedures/manual/index.html#thesis-or-dissertation

Submission of the dissertation electronically: Follow the procedure on the Graduate School website to submit the dissertation electronically: https://www.binghamton.edu/grad-school/resources/graduation/submitting-thesis-dissertation.html#step2

Note that all students are required to also submit Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) and processing fees after the submission of dissertations. Students will receive Email notifications from the Graduate School for the acceptance or the requests of revisions of their dissertation.

3.  Exit Form: Exit Form ( https://www.binghamton.edu/chemistry/about/resources.html ) must be submitted by the students before leaving the program. 

Once You’re Admitted

Placement exams.

Placement Examinations will be given to entering students to evaluate their background in undergraduate level chemistry. Examinations will be offered in the following six sub-discipline areas: Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Biochemistry and Materials Chemistry. Entering PhD/MS students take a minimum of three/two placement exams. The placement examinations will provide the Chemistry Department with information that helps to assess the entering class as a group. The Graduate Program Director will review the results with each graduate student and advise them individually on their course selections.

Jennifer Hirschi

Assistant professor.

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Last Updated: 8/16/23

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry

Get your phd in chemistry.

Thank you for your interest in the graduate program at the University of Iowa Department of Chemistry. The Department has had a chemistry PhD program for over 75 years and consists of over 25 research faculty, approximately 130 graduate students, and over 20 postdoctoral associates, research scientists and visiting scholars. Our graduates and postdocs have accepted positions at leading academic and industrial institutions, national laboratories and government facilities, as well as some non-traditional Ph.D. careers.

The Chemistry Building and adjacent Iowa Advanced Technology Laboratory house state-of-the-art laboratories, research support facilities, classrooms, and conference rooms spaces. Extensive resources are readily accessible such as NMR , mass spectrometry , and MatFab facility for fabrication and analysis which houses our X-ray facility and numerous other instruments . The department also supports advanced computational resources, and complete machine, electronics, and glass shops . In addition to strong programs in the core areas of analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry, we offer cross-discipline research opportunities in emerging areas such as (bio)catalysis, natural product synthesis, materials, surface science, bioinorganic chemistry, chemical sensors, chemical education research, and environmental and atmospheric chemistry.

All Ph.D. students with an accepted offer and good standing with the Department of chemistry are guaranteed financial support, including an annual stipend, tuition remission, and employee benefits such as health insurance. Additional funding to support student research is available from a variety of internal and external sources . 

For more information, contact the graduate program by e-mail at [email protected] .

Student resources

• First year student guide
• Annual review resources
• Teaching assistant resources
• Postdoctoral scholar resources
• Thesis and dissertation
• General catalog
• Current courses

Degree requirements

Proficiency requirement.

Students must demonstrate basic proficiency in three chosen sub-disciplines of chemistry (analytical, biochemistry, inorganic, organic, physical). Proficiency is established in one of the following ways: Scoring at the 50th percentile level (national norm) on the proficiency exam, completing a one-semester review course with a grade of C or better (courses specified below), or completing a one-semester graduate-level/advanced course in that sub-discipline of chemistry with a grade of B or better. The proficiency requirement must be fulfilled before the beginning of the student's third semester in the graduate program.

Review courses

Courses currently designated as review courses are:

• CHEM:4171 (formerly 4:171): Advanced Analytical Chemistry
• BIOC:3120 (formerly 99:120): Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I
• CHEM:4270 (formerly 4:170): Advanced Inorganic Chemistry
• CHEM:4372 (formerly 4:172): Advanced Organic Chemistry
• CHEM:4431 (formerly 4:131): Physical Chemistry I

Advanced course requirement

Beyond the proficiency requirements, students must complete a minimum of four additional advanced courses, totaling at least eleven semester hours of graduate credit, by the end of their fourth semester in residence. Research, seminar, and pedagogy credits; courses that are listed with lower division undergraduate level numbers; and courses taken with the S/U grade option cannot be used to fulfill this requirement. Transfer credits may be applied to a portion of this requirement. Students are encouraged to develop a detailed plan with their research advisor and discuss with the graduate education committee as needed.

Courses that meet the Advanced Course criteria

Graduate Advisory Committee

Before the beginning of the third semester, after a permanent advisor has been appointed, a Graduate Academic Committee (GAC) of four faculty, at least three from Chemistry, will be formed for each student with a PhD degree objective. GACs will be composed of at least four faculty, at least three from Chemistry, who agree to support and advise the student during the course of the Ph.D. and beyond. GAC members will meet the student to discuss research progress and provide feedback and guidance as appropriate.

The committee will consist of the research advisor and three additional members who are nominated by the student, subject to the advisor’s approval, and assigned by the Graduate Education Committee (GEC). 

Comprehensive examination

The comprehensive examination is designed to assess the student's overall progress, knowledge of fundamental chemical principles and chosen area of specialization, and general competency for PhD research. To be eligible to take the Comprehensive Examination, the student must have completed the advanced coursework requirement and maintain a cumulative average of 3.00 or greater on appropriate graduate coursework at The University of Iowa. The comprehensive examination must be completed by the end of the fourth semester in residence, unless written consent for an extension is received from the GAC and is approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.

The comprehensive examination is a two-part process consisting of a written research report and an oral defense of the report.  The written document and oral defense are evaluated by the student’s GAC. Each member of the GAC will use a departmentally prescribed rubric to score the oral exam .  The exam typically occurs in a student’s fourth semester in residence.

Seminar requirements

Each student is expected to give a minimum of two acceptable seminars. One seminar must cover the student's research. The other may also deal with the student's research, or can be an extensive literature report. The student may register for the appropriate divisional seminar course and receive letter grade credit during those semesters in which the seminars are presented. The final PhD defense cannot be used to meet this requirement.

The research conference/three-month seminar

At least three months before the anticipated final defense, the PhD candidate must meet with their graduate academic committee. If scheduling permits, the research work can be reported as a research seminar during a regularly scheduled divisional seminar, with a subsequent committee meeting for questions and advice.

Final defense of the PhD dissertation

The Dean of the Graduate College will make a public announcement of a candidate’s final defense three weeks prior to the exam date. This final oral examination is open to the public. Dissertation copies must be made available to all members of the examining committee not later than two weeks before the examination date.

Milestones toward the PhD

The milestones on the path toward earning your PhD in chemistry at the University of Iowa are described below. These are illustrative of a typical student; most students follow this path, but some variations are possible.

Typical timelines for PhD completion

Create your academic path.

You'll find degree overviews, requirements, course lists, academic plans, and more to help you plan your education and explore your possibilities.

Current course list

The MyUI Schedule displays registered courses for a particular session and is available to enrolled students. The list view includes course instructors, time and location, and features to drop courses or change sections.