Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry

Normally pursued by full-time students enrolled in a minimum of 9 semester credit hours of approved graduate-level courses per semester.

Other Course Requirements

For a PhD student, the three core courses and CHEM 6389 must be completed successfully within the first two semesters of enrollment. In addition to these 12-semester credit hour course requirements, students seeking the PhD degree must take two upper-level elective courses, at least one of which must be offered by the Chemistry/Biochemistry Department, that are approved by the student's faculty research advisor and the Chemistry graduate advisor. PhD students are expected to complete these six required courses within the first two years of their enrollment. CHEM 8V99 is also required as part of the preparation of the dissertation. Additional elective courses may be taken with the approval of the student's faculty research advisor and the Chemistry graduate advisor.

Well-prepared students may request substitution of portions of the course requirements from the Committee on Graduate Studies in Chemistry. At least three organized courses must be taken at The University of Texas at Dallas.

Qualifying Examination: Original Research Proposal

All PhD students must take the qualifying examination in the fall of their second year in the graduate program after the successful completion of their three core courses and CHEM 6389. Students seeking a PhD degree are required to write, present, and defend an original research proposal (Qualifying Examination). A one-page outline (double-spaced) abstract presenting an overview of the proposal will be provided to members of the student's committee for approval. A written report (15 pages) should be submitted to each member of the committee at least one month before the public presentation. In addition to providing valuable experience to the student, this exam is used to assess the student's originality and skills in organizing an effective approach to solving a novel problem. The results of this examination will be one criterion upon which admission to doctoral candidacy will be judged.

Research

Students have the option of completing a thesis master's degree as part of their doctoral candidacy preparation unless this requirement has been satisfied at the time of admission. The doctoral research project may be conducted in the same laboratory as the master's degree research or, in order to gain a broader research experience, in another laboratory. A manuscript embodying a substantial portion of the PhD dissertation research accomplished by the student must be submitted to a suitable professional refereed journal prior to the public seminar and dissertation defense. A public seminar, successful defense of the dissertation, and its acceptance by the Supervising Committee and the Graduate Dean conclude the requirements for the PhD.

Representative Research Areas

Within the Chemistry program, opportunities exist for coursework and/or research in nanotechnology, biochemistry/biotechnology, organic, inorganic, materials, analytical, polymer chemistry, and physical chemistry. The opportunity to take coursework in several of the other University programs allows the student to prepare for interdisciplinary work. Electives from other departments should be approved by the student's research advisor and by the graduate advisor. Specific topics within these broad research areas include nanoscience (carbon nanotubes, sensors, actuators, nanoscale devices, synthesis of nanoporous materials); organic solid-state and polymer chemistry (energy storage, electrochromism, light-emitting polymers, solar cells, membrane separations); inorganic solid-state (zeolites, membranes, laser ablation, sensors, fuel cells, electrospinning); biological NMR (structural biology, using NMR active tracers to follow metabolism in cells, isolated tissues and in vivo); supramolecular chemistry (design of novel host-guest systems; biologically responsive MRI agents, design, synthesis and study of macrocyclic receptors with applications in catalysis, materials science, and medicine); scanning probe microscopy (instrument development, image contrast, application to polymer microstructure); bioanalytical and bio-nano chemistry, synthetic chemistry (macrocycles, metalloprotein function); biochemistry/enzymology (study of oxidative stress; oxidative metabolism of signaling molecules; molecular modeling; and catalysis).

Graduates of the program seek positions such as research scientist in the public and private sectors, academic and industrial scientist, and professor.