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If you would like personalized assistance, please contact the CDC for an individual appointment, or stop by during drop-in hours Monday through Friday between 2 P.M. and 4 P.M.
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Academic Departments: Chemistry Students majoring in chemistry generally apply to graduate school in one of the five following sub-specialties:
Graduate schools are primarily interested in the undergraduate grades of a student applying to these programs. A GPA of at least 3.0 is preferred and the grades in two courses are specifically looked at. These courses are: (1) organic chemistry, which is generally taken during the sophomore year, and (2) physical chemistry, which is generally taken during the junior year. GRE scores may be a parameter for assessment at some schools. Any independent research experience is extremely helpful, but not essential. Selecting schools to apply to begins with individual research by the student. It is important that students spend some time reading about different schools in order to develop a general idea of what they are looking for. Student should also maintain close contact with their advisors so that advisors are aware of the students' interests. This will be useful when the student asks the advisor to make a judgment about whether the student and a certain school are compatible. Students should also consult with other faculty with expertise in their area of interest. Chemistry students have valuable resources available to them in the Chemistry Department when they begin looking for graduate schools. There is a big red book titled, The Directory of Graduate Research - American Chemical Society, that lists universities, fields of specialization, professors and their background, as well as students with whom they have published. The chemistry department also receives a significant number of posters and brochures that are available to the student to look through in the chemistry reading room (OR372). After students locate schools that are of interest, they can use their advisors as resources to determine whether the match between the student and the school is a good one. In most cases, it is recommended that the student go on to graduate school directly after graduation. While some students do work for a year or two after graduation, the chemistry knowledge obtained at the undergraduate level is fresher in the student's mind if they go on to graduate school after graduation. Usually money is not a problem for students wishing to study chemistry at the graduate level. Almost all schools offer a "teaching assistantship" to supervise labs. After a year or two there is often an opportunity to take up a research grant with a professor. The National Science Foundation also provides fellowships that are competitive, but very helpful. Most chemists never write a Master's thesis. They usually go straight through to the Ph.D. As a matter of fact, at some schools the Master's degree is viewed as a "consolation prize." In other words, it is believed that the student was not able to earn the Ph.D. However, it is not that way at all schools. It is also worth noting that it has been recommended that students who are not as strong candidates for a Ph.D. program go to a Master's only school to give them a chance to develop. Many students are able to bloom there in a setting of smaller classes and more contact with professors. Some are also perhaps able to earn a Ph.D. at another institution. Finally, there are a few graduate programs providing opportunities in other countries. Canadian universities are listed in The Directory of Graduate Research, but most foreign experience by chemists is gained in a post-doctoral setting, after the Ph.D. is obtained.
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