Approved_CHBC CHEM Degree Requirements

SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS FOR ADVANCED DEGREES IN

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY

2018-2019 Academic Year

Graduate students who are in residence at the University of Delaware are expected to register as a listener for one of the

Divisional seminars and to participate each semester in that seminar and all departmental colloquia.

Requirements for the M.A. in Chemistry and

Biochemistry

The following requirements are for the M.A. in Chemistry

and Biochemistry.

I. Admission by the Office of Graduate Studies.

II. A minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate-level

courses is required with an overall B average

(3.00). A minimum of 18 credit hours must be

course work at the 600 level or above (excluding

pre-candidacy study, research, thesis or dissertation

credits) as specified in Section II of the Ph.D.

requirements. A maximum of 12 credit hours, 500

level or greater, may be taken in other departments

toward the 30 credit hour requirement. No thesis is

required.

The advisor for this program is the Director of Graduate

Studies. All courses must have his/her approval.

Requirements for the M.S. in Chemistry and

Biochemistry

The following requirements are for the M.S. in Chemistry

and Biochemistry.

I. Admission by the Office of Graduate Studies.

II. A minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate-level

courses is required with an overall B average

(3.00). A minimum of 18 credit hours must be

course work at the 600 level or above (excluding

pre-candidacy study, research, and thesis credits) as

specified in Section II of the Ph.D. requirements. A

maximum of nine credit hours, 500 level or greater,

may be taken in other departments toward the 30

credit hour requirement. Appendix A and B

describes course requirements for students in all

divisions regarding the research conducted in the

Department and service as a teaching assistant.

III. Thesis must not represent more than six credit

hours. Thesis and/or research must represent a

minimum of six and a maximum of twelve credit

hours toward the 30 credit hour requirement.

A thesis is required. It must meet the approval of

the Thesis Advisor, Department Chairperson, Dean

of the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Vice

Provost for Graduate and Professional Education.

The requirements for formatting of the M.S. thesis

are detailed in the “Thesis and Dissertation

Manual.” http://grad.udel.edu/

Students who have completed some graduate courses at other institutions may transfer up to nine credit hours of acceptable

work, subject to approval by the Director of Graduate Studies and the Office of Graduate Studies. (Credit hours applied towards

a degree at another institution may not be transferred.)

Summary of Requirements for Advanced Degrees in Chemistry and Biochemistry

Requirements for the Ph.D. in Chemistry and

Biochemistry

The following requirements are for the Ph.D. in Chemistry

and Biochemistry.

I. Admission by the Office of Graduate Studies.

II. A minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate level

courses is required with an overall B average

(3.00). The department course requirements are a

minimum of eighteen credit hours in graduate level

courses (600-level or higher) excluding research

and dissertation (CHEM-868 and CHEM-969). At

least six three-credit courses must be taken.

Appendix A describes specific course requirements

for each division. Scientific courses offered by

other Departments may be counted towards the

course requirements as courses outside the student's

division, if approved by the faculty in the student's

division and the Director of Graduate Studies. The

student must achieve at least a cumulative grade

point average of 3.00 in the courses that fulfill this

requirement. The course requirements, including

the division's requirements, should be satisfied

within four semesters of entering the program. Any

required course may be satisfied by means of a

competency examination administered by the

secretary of the respective division, upon approval

of the division. Appendix B describes course and

additional grade point average requirements for

students in all divisions regarding the research

conducted in the Department and service as a

teaching assistant.

III. Ph.D. Advisory Committee

(a) The Department Chairperson shall inform

the GCC of his/her approval of the

supervision of the student's Ph.D. research

by a faculty member of the Department of

Chemistry and Biochemistry. Students are

not allowed to do senior research, a

master's thesis, and a Ph.D. dissertation (or

senior research and a Ph.D. dissertation if

no master's thesis is written) with the same

research advisor. In addition to attending

the special seminar program for first year

graduate students, each graduate student is

required to meet individually with at least

three faculty members before choosing a

research advisor. The choice of research

advisors normally occurs by December 15

to enable the student to begin his/her

research effort during the Winter Session

of his/her first year.

(b) The research supervisor shall submit

nominations for the student's Ph.D.

Advisory Committee to the GCC for its

approval no later than the beginning of the

student's third semester. Members of the

Ph.D. Advisory Committee should be

consulted with regard to their willingness

to serve by the student and/or the student's

research supervisor prior to their

nomination. The committee consists of at

least four members: a chairperson, a

faculty member in the primary research

area of the dissertation, a faculty member

outside the primary research area of the

dissertation, and an external member. If

appropriate, the committee may include up

to two additional members. If the

chairperson of the committee does not have

a primary appointment in the Department

of Chemistry and Biochemistry, then

another member of the committee having a

primary faculty appointment in the

Department must serve as a co-chair. At

least half of the members shall have a

primary faculty appointment in the

Department of Chemistry and

Biochemistry, and at least half of those

members shall represent the primary area

of study. The external member must be a

faculty member having a primary

appointment in another department in the

University or a scientist from outside the

University. An external member having a

regular faculty appointment in the

University may serve as a co-chairperson.

All committee members from outside the

University must have outstanding

credentials as judged by the GCC. A

faculty member having a secondary

appointment in the Department of

Chemistry and Biochemistry may serve as

either an internal or external member of the

committee. In order to convene a meeting

of the Ph.D. Advisory Committee, at least

75% of the committee members must be

present. A temporary and/or permanent

substitute for a regular committee member

must be approved by the GCC.

the sections below, the student has the right

Summary of Requirements for Advanced Degrees in Chemistry and Biochemistry

to convene a meeting of the Ph.D. Advisory

Committee at any time they deem

appropriate.

IV. Candidacy Examination

(a) Prior to the end of the fourth semester, the

student must request a meeting of the Ph.D.

Advisory Committee and convene a

candidacy examination, consisting of a

written dissertation proposal and an oral

examination, each being independently

evaluated. The candidacy examination will

determine the student’s fitness for Ph.D.

studies and advancement into Ph.D.

candidacy. Both the written and oral

examinations must be satisfactorily

completed to pass the candidacy

examination.

(b) The written dissertation proposal should

clearly and effectively outline the proposed

dissertation research of the student seeking

Ph.D. candidacy, and MUST be submitted

to the Ph.D. Advisory Committee no less

than two weeks prior to the scheduled oral

examination. The proposal will, at

minimum, define 2-3 research aims, at least

one of which must be independently

conceived by the candidate without input

from the research advisor. It should

describe the background, significance, and

feasibility of the proposed research plan,

and should review the pertinent literature.

It should also describe preliminary results

that have been obtained towards the

research plan.

The written dissertation proposal should be

ten pages of single-spaced text (not

including references), with one-inch

margins, an 11-point standard font (such as

Arial, Times, or Helvetica), inclusive of

embedded figures.

At the discretion of the Ph.D. Advisory

Committee, an appendix including

experimental or computational details of

research completed at the time of

submission may also be required. This

appendix will be formatted using the

appropriate American Chemical Society

format and does not have a page limitation.

Students should check with their Ph.D.

advisory committee before they begin

preparing their dissertation proposal to

determine whether they should prepare an

appendix, and if so, what specific materials

should be included in that supplemental

document.

The Ph.D. Advisory Committee shall

evaluate the dissertation proposal for

quality and clarity of writing, the proposed

research plan (including the independently

conceived aim), and the student’s research

progress to date.

Where the written dissertation proposal

does not meet the expectations for

advancement to candidacy, the Ph.D.

Advisory Committee may recommend

discontinuation of Ph.D. studies, or may

request that part or all of the proposal be

rewritten for re-evaluation by the

committee. Students who fail to submit the

dissertation proposal to the Ph.D. Advisory

Committee at least two weeks before the

oral examination will not be allowed to re-

write the document.

Only a single opportunity to re-write the

dissertation proposal is allowed.

the Ph.D. Advisory Committee to assess

the candidate’s qualifications. The student

should present a brief (approximately 45

minute) talk about the proposed Ph.D.

research project(s). As part of the

presentation, the student should clearly

describe the research aims, and the

background, significance, and feasibility of

the proposed research plan. This should

include a review of the pertinent literature.

The student should also present a detailed

description of any research progress.

Finally, the student should be prepared to

demonstrate and articulate a general

knowledge and understanding of chemical

principles appropriate to a Ph.D. candidate

in the field.

The Ph.D. Advisory Committee will

evaluate the oral examination for

appropriate quality and clarity of

presentation, knowledge and understanding

of the proposed research, knowledge and

Summary of Requirements for Advanced Degrees in Chemistry and Biochemistry

understanding of chemistry in general, and

research progress.

Where the results of the oral examination

do not meet the expectations for

advancement to candidacy, the Ph.D.

Advisory Committee may recommend

discontinuation of Ph.D. studies, or may

request re-examination at a later date. Only

a single opportunity for students to repeat

the oral examination is allowed.

(d) The Ph.D. Advisory Committee shall

provide written feedback to the student

regarding both the written dissertation

proposal and the oral examination no later

than two weeks after the completion of the

exam.

(e) The Ph.D. Advisory Committee shall

inform the GCC of the suitability of the

student and the proposed research program

for a Ph.D. in Chemistry and Biochemistry,

by means of the "Approval of Ph.D.

Research Program" form. This form may

be obtained in the office of the Chair’s

Administrative Assistant in Chemistry &

Biochemistry or online:

https://www.chem.udel.edu/graduate/gradu

ate-student-forms. For the student to

continue in the program, the Ph.D. research

program MUST be approved before the

end of the student’s fourth semester.

(f) If the research topic is changed

substantially at a later stage of study, or if

the student changes research groups, the

student shall convene a meeting of the

Ph.D. Advisory Committee to discuss and

approve the outline of the new research

topic.

(g) Requests for appeal of the recommendation

of the Ph.D. Advisory Committee must be

submitted in writing to the Director of

Graduate Studies by the candidate within

one week of being informed of that

decision. Requests should include a

detailed explanation of why appeal is

sought and justified. Appeals will be

considered by the Graduate Curriculum

Committee.

V. "Recommendation for Candidacy for the Ph.D.

Degree" Form

This form must be submitted to the Chair’s

Administrative Assistant in the Department of

Chemistry and Biochemistry and then to the

Department Chairperson and Office of Graduate

Studies after the student has fulfilled the following

requirements:

(a) Course requirements

(b) Research project and program of study

approval by Ph.D. Advisory Committee,

and "Approval of Ph.D. Research Program"

submitted to the Graduate Curriculum

Committee (see Section IVe)

University.

This form may be obtained from the Chair’s

Administrative Assistant in Chemistry and

Biochemistry or online: http://grad.udel.edu/

VI. Additional Ph.D. Advisory Committee Meetings

For full time students, a second meeting of the

Ph.D. Advisory Committee must be held no later

than the end of the 11th semester of study so that

the committee can assess progress towards degree.

Ph.D. Advisory Committee meetings will be held at

least annually, thereafter, until graduation.

VII. Preliminary Oral Examination(s) of Research

Progress

At least one meeting of the Ph.D. Advisory

Committee must be held no less than six months

preceding the day of the final dissertation defense.

The Ph.D. Advisory Committee shall inform the

Chair’s Administrative Assistant of this meeting by

means of the “Record of Preliminary Oral

Examination" form. This form may be obtained

from the Chair’s Administrative Assistant or at

https://www.chem.udel.edu/graduate/graduate-

student-forms.

VIII. "Application for Advanced Degree" Form

This form must be submitted to the Chair’s

Administrative Assistant in the Department of

Chemistry and Biochemistry by the Office of

Summary of Requirements for Advanced Degrees in Chemistry and Biochemistry

Graduate Studies established dates for the Spring,

Summer, Fall, and Winter graduations.

The form can be found at http://grad.udel.edu/

X. Dissertation

A dissertation is required. It must meet the approval

of the Dissertation Advisor, the Ph.D. Advisory

Committee, the Department Chairperson, the Dean

of the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Vice

Provost for Graduate and Professional Education.

The requirements for formatting of the Ph.D.

dissertation are detailed in the “Thesis and

Dissertation Manual” which may be found on the

Graduate Studies website, http://grad.udel.edu/

XI. Final Oral Defense of Dissertation

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

requires that the final examination for the Ph.D.

include a public oral presentation of the candidate's

dissertation results that meets the approval of the

Ph.D. Advisory Committee. The presentation

should be about one hour long. The Chair’s

Administrative Assistant in the Department of

Chemistry and Biochemistry must be notified three

weeks in advance of the date of the exam so that the

appropriate notification of the University

community can be made. A hard or electronic copy

of the dissertation must be available for

examination in the Department of Chemistry and

Biochemistry Chair’s Office at least two weeks in

advance of the date of the exam. In the event that a

student is unsuccessful, the Ph.D. Advisory

Committee may arrange for the student to be

reexamined.

XII. “Certificate of Ph.D. Dissertation” Form

This form must be submitted to the Office of

Graduate Studies with the Dissertation. It may be

obtained from the Graduate Studies website:

http://grad.udel.edu/

Summary of Requirements for Advanced Degrees in Chemistry and Biochemistry

APPENDIX A

Divisional Course Requirements

A course is defined as a unit of three credit hours. In the

case of a divisional course requirement where a particular

course is not specified, this "course" may be satisfied by a

combination of graduate level courses whose value equals

or exceeds three credit hours. Other stipulations of the

division concerning the nature of courses must be satisfied

(divisions are also called concentrations by the University).

Specific course requirements by division are outlined below.

If a student wishes to take courses other than those

specified, then each of these courses must be approved in

writing: (a) at the Fall and Spring advisements for first-year

graduate students by the representative from the respective

Division on the Graduate Curriculum Committee, and (b) at

other times by the research advisor.

The remaining courses satisfying the departmental course

requirement of 18 credits in graduate level coursework can

be selected from offerings in the Department of Chemistry

and Biochemistry, or appropriate graduate level courses in

other Departments.

All students pursuing a degree program in Chemistry and

Biochemistry need to secure the written permission from

both their research advisor and the Director of Graduate

Studies prior to enrolling in any course not bearing a

CHEM6XX or CHEM8XX designation.

Course requirements for students in the various divisions

are:

Analytical Six credit hours of graduate analytical

courses from the list below plus six

additional credit hours of graduate

coursework approved by the research

advisor. Analytical courses that can satisfy

these requirements include CHEM620,

CHEM621, CHEM622, CHEM623,

CHEM624, CHEM625, CHEM628,

CHEM629, and CHEM820.

Biochemistry At least 9 credits in graduate-level

biochemistry courses. CHEM 641 must be

taken as one of these courses unless this

requirement is waived by the Biochemistry

Division. The Division, or the student’s

research advisor, must approve the courses

used to satisfy the departmental course

requirement of 18 credits in graduate level

courses. Biochemistry courses that can

satisfy these requirements include

CHEM641, CHEM642, CHEM643,

CHEM644, CHEM645, CHEM646,

CHEM648, CHEM684, and CHEM686.

Inorganic Inorganic students must take at least nine

credits from courses with a CHEM65x or

CHEM85x designation, or an equivalent

graduate level inorganic course.

Organic Students in the organic division are free to

select coursework that best meets personal

educational and professional goals. First

year students in the division should consult

with the division's representative on the

Graduate Curriculum Committee to tailor a

course plan that best meets these needs. In

general, it is recommended that all organic

students take CHEM633 and CHEM634,

and at least one additional course (3 credit

hours) with a CHEM63X or CHEM83X

designation.

Physical A minimum of three courses from among

the following: CHEM671, CHEM672,

CHEM674, and CHEM677. The student

may substitute for one of these three

courses from physical-chemistry related

three-credit courses upon the approval of

the research advisor. Students must take at

least one core course in the Department of

Chemistry and Biochemistry outside of the

Division of Physical Chemistry.

Summary of Requirements for Advanced Degrees in Chemistry and Biochemistry

APPENDIX B

Departmental Course and Grade Requirements

Full-time students must be registered each semester for at

least nine hours of graduate credit, not including courses

for which he/she is registered as a listener or courses which

are not for graduate credit (400 series and lower courses).

Part-time students will develop a course plan with their

advisor. This plan must be approved by the director of

graduate studies before the start of study, and before any

changes are made to the plan.

After admission to candidacy, the candidate shall register

for a total of nine hours of CHEM-969 (Ph.D.

Dissertation). Following these registrations, if the

dissertation has not been submitted to the Office of

Graduate Studies, the candidate shall register for UNIV-

999 (Sustaining) status each semester in the fall or spring

semester, or register as full-time if on contract during these

periods. Sustaining or other registrations shall be required

for summer session if the candidate graduates during that

session.

Graduate students are required to maintain continuous

registration each fall and spring semester to be eligible to

continue in a graduate degree program. Failure to comply

with the requirement of maintaining continuous

registration in the fall and spring semesters either in

courses, in sustaining credit, or with approved leave of

absence will be taken as evidence that the student has

terminated his/her graduate program, and the matriculated

status to the graduate program will be terminated. In

addition, all students, including sustaining students, must

be registered in the semester in which the degree is

officially awarded.

A student who receives a master's degree and wishes to

continue for the Ph.D. must submit a Graduate Student

Change of Classification form to his/her Ph.D. advisor

requesting reclassification as G1 (graduate pre-candidacy).

The form is approved in turn by the Chairperson of the

Graduate Curriculum Committee, the Director of Graduate

Studies, the Department Chairperson, and the Office of

Graduate Studies.

All students are required to maintain a cumulative grade

point average of 3.00. Students with cumulative grade

point averages below 3.00 will not be considered to be in

good standing and are subject to the Academic Probation

Policies established the Office of Graduate Studies and

Professional Education. Details of that policy can be found

here: http://grad.udel.edu/policies/graduate-academic-

policies/. In addition, any student who has not yet

entered Ph.D. candidacy and earns two or more grades

of C+ or lower in any 3-unit (or greater) courses can be

recommended for dismissal from the program.

All students are also subject to the Office of Graduate

Studies and Professional Education Academic Policies, see:

http://grad.udel.edu/policies/graduate-academic-policies/.

Summary of Requirements for Advanced Degrees in Chemistry and Biochemistry

APPENDIX C

Other Departmental Course Requirements

All full-time students in the M.S. and Ph.D. programs must

enroll in CHEM-865 New Student Seminar during their

first fall of residence. Withdrawal from CHEM-865 New

Student Seminar without the permission of the

instructor constitutes resignation from the graduate

program. CHEM-865 New Student Seminar must be

passed by all full-time students in the M.S. and Ph.D.

programs within their first two years of residence.

Sept. 1, 2018