Program Overview

---

Chemistry, PhD

The Department of Chemistry at the University of WisconsinMadison conducts world-class, groundbreaking research in the chemical sciences while offering high-quality education to undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral associates. The department's leadership in research includes traditional areas of physical, analytical, inorganic, and organic chemistry, as well as rapidly evolving fields like environmental chemistry, chemical biology, biophysical chemistry, soft and hard materials chemistry, nanotechnology, and chemistry education research.

Mission and Research Areas

The department prides itself on its highly interactive, diverse, and collegial scientific environment, with an emphasis on collaboration that connects colleagues across campus, around the country, and throughout the world. Research areas include:

• Analytical chemistry
• Inorganic chemistry
• Materials chemistry
• Organic chemistry
• Physical chemistry
• Chemical biology
• Chemistry education research

Admissions

Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program's requirements. The admissions requirements include:

• Fall Deadline: December 1
• Spring Deadline: The program does not admit in the spring
• Summer Deadline: The program does not admit in the summer
• GRE (Graduate Record Examinations): Not required
• English Proficiency Test: Refer to the Graduate School's policy
• Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT): Not applicable
• Letters of Recommendation Required: 3

Prospective graduate students are expected to have satisfactorily completed the equivalent of fundamental courses in chemistry, one year of physics, and mathematics through calculus. Students who have not completed all prerequisites may be admitted in exceptional cases, but any deficiencies must be made up in the first year of graduate study. A grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in the last 60 hours of undergraduate work is the minimum required for admission to graduate studies.

Funding

The department offers opportunities for graduate students to obtain teaching experience. Financial assistance is available to most graduate students in the form of teaching or research assistantships, fellowships, or traineeships. With few exceptions, students admitted to the PhD program in the Department of Chemistry are guaranteed support for five continuous academic years. The support will be at the level of at least 50% time and may come from various sources.

Requirements

The program requires a minimum of 51 credits, with at least 32 credits of residence credit and 26 credits of graduate-level coursework. The overall graduate GPA requirement is 3.00. The Department of Chemistry will not allow courses in which a student received a grade below a C to satisfy degree requirements.

Curricular Requirements

• Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face
• Minimum Credit Requirement: 51 credits
• Minimum Residence Credit Requirement: 32 credits
• Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement: 26 credits
• Overall Graduate GPA Requirement: 3.00 GPA required
• Other Grade Requirements: No courses with a grade below C can satisfy degree requirements
• Assessments and Examinations: Include the Thesis Background Exam (TBE), Original Research Proposal (RP) Exam, and fourth-year and fifth-year reviews

Required Courses

The Department of Chemistry has designated specific graduate courses as "core" courses, aligned with various research areas. These include:

• CHEM 901: Seminar-Teaching of Chemistry
• CHEM 607: Laboratory Safety
• CHEM 980: Seminar: Review of Current Research
• CHEM 990: Research

Path Courses

Students can choose from various paths, including:

• Analytical Chemistry Path
• Chemical Biology Path
• Chemistry Education Research Path
• Inorganic Chemistry Path
• Materials Chemistry Path
• Organic Chemistry Path
• Physical Chemistry Path

Each path has specific course requirements.

Professional Development

The Graduate School offers professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch careers.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completing the program, students will be able to:

1. Articulate research problems, potentials, and limits with respect to theory, knowledge, and practice within an area of chemistry.
2. Formulate ideas, concepts, designs, and techniques beyond the current boundaries of knowledge within an area of chemistry.
3. Create research and scholarship that makes a substantive contribution to an area of chemistry.
4. Demonstrate breadth within their learning experiences.
5. Advance the beneficial societal impacts of research in chemistry.
6. Communicate complex scientific ideas in a clear and understandable manner.
7. Foster safe, ethical, and professional conduct.