Chemistry (PhD)

The Chemistry PhD program focuses on all areas of modern chemistry with faculty actively engaged in research in the often interdisciplinary fields of Materials Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Forensic Science, Biochemistry and Chemical Education. The training prepares future scientists and educators for research within contemporary subjects which yield graduates that are very competitive when entering the workforce in industry, government, and academic positions.

The PhD program in Chemistry provides a doctoral education in the following technical focal areas: Materials Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Forensic Science, Biochemistry and Chemical Education, drawing upon the strengths of the Department of Chemistry and other units, such as the College of Optics and Photonics, Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center, National Center of Forensic Science, Nanoscience and Technology Center, College of Medicine, College of Engineering and Computer Science, and the College of Community Innovation and Education. These areas meet the ever-pressing demand for the development of new materials, the increasing urgency of addressing crucial environmental and security problems, and new methods and understanding for STEM education. The curriculum has been formulated in collaboration with industrial, government, and academic scientists and represents a response to current and projected competencies needed by industry and the scientific community. The purpose of the program is to develop scientists and educators capable of conducting research to solve important problems in contemporary fields of the chemical sciences while preparing a highly skilled work force to ensure the technological/economic health and competitiveness in Central Florida and the nation.

The Chemistry PhD program requires 72 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree with a minimum 18 credit hours of electives in the chosen sub-discipline, an original research project, and dissertation presentation. At least 27 hours of formal course work, exclusive of independent study, are required in order to fulfill degree requirements. This includes four core courses and four electives, three of which must be taken from Chemistry. Six credit hours of directed research are also required; additional courses may be specified by the student's research adviser.

Total Credit Hours Required: 72 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree

Program Prerequisites

A Bachelor of Science degree in the Chemical Sciences or a closely related field.

Degree Requirements

Core Courses

• Complete at least 4 of the following:
  • CHM6710 - Applied Analytical Chemistry (3)
  • CHM6440 - Kinetics and Catalysis (3)
  • CHS6251 - Applied Organic Synthesis (3)
  • CHS6240 - Chemical Thermodynamics (3)
  • BCH6740 - Advanced Biochemistry (3)

Seminar

• Complete all of the following
  • Earn at least 7 credits from the following:
    • CHM6936 - Graduate Chemistry Seminar (1)
  • CHM 6936 - Graduate Chemistry Seminar :Six seminar credits must be taken consecutively through the first 3 years in the program (excluding summer); the seventh seminar credit will be taken one semester before anticipated dissertation defense.

Directed Research

• Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
  • CHM6918 - Research Report (1 - 99)

Required Elective Courses

• Complete 1 of the following
  • All students who enter the program need to take four elective courses (12 credit hours). All 12 credits must come from one of the following concentrations listed below: Materials Chemistry Concentration Environmental Chemistry Concentration Forensic Science Concentration Biochemistry Concentration Student may choose four courses from the departmental offerings (Courses beginning with CHM or CHS) or three courses from the departmental offerings and one from outside of the department (Non CHM/CHS Courses). Directed research will always be within the department.
  Materials Chemistry Concentration
  • Earn at least 12 credits from the following types of courses: CHS 5110 - Radiochemistry 3 Credit Hours CHM 5937 - Bioinorganic Chemistry 3 Credit Hours CHM 5305 - Bioconjugate Chemistry 3 Credit Hours CHM 5225 - Advanced Organic Chemistry 3 Credit Hours CHM 5580 - Advanced Physical Chemistry 3 Credit Hours CHS 6260 - Chemical Unit Operations and Separations 3 Credit Hours CHM 6711 - Chemistry of Materials 3 Credit Hours CHM 6620 - Solid State Inorganic Chemistry 3 Credit Hours CHM 5450 - Polymer Chemistry 3 Credit Hours CHM 5451C - Techniques in Polymer Science 3 Credit Hours CHM 5305 - Bioconjugate Chemistry 3 Credit Hours CHM 6938 - Special Topics 3 Credit Hours CHM 5235 - Applied Molecular Spectroscopy 3 Credit Hours CHM 6134 - Advanced Instrumental Analysis 3 Credit Hours CHM 7938 - Frontiers in Chemistry 1 Credit Hours (three semesters, 1 credit hour each semester) CHM 7919 - Directed Research in Materials Chemistry 6 Credit Hours Courses from outside the Chemistry Department. IDS 6252 - Biomedical Nanotechnology 3 Credit Hours IDS 6254 - Nanofabrication and Characterization 3 Credit Hours IDS 6255 - Nanotechnology and Energy and Sustainability 3 Credit Hours IDS 6261 - Nanotechnology for Sustainable Agriculture 3 Credit Hours OSE 5203 - Geometrical Optics 3 Credit Hours OSE 6313 - Materials for Optical Systems 3 Credit Hours OSE 5414 - Fundamentals of Optoelectronic Devices 3 Credit Hours EMA 5504 - Modern Characterization of Materials 3 Credit Hours EMA 6518 - Transmission Electron Microscopy 3 Credit Hours EMA 5108 - Surface Science 3 Credit Hours EMA 6129 - Solidification and Microstructure Evolution 3 Credit Hours EMA 6130 - Advanced Phase Transformations in Materials 3 Credit Hours EMA 6136 - Diffusion in Solids 3 Credit Hours EMA 6516 - X-ray Diffraction and Crystallography 3 Credit Hours PHY 5933 - Selected topics in biophysics of macromolecules 3 Credit Hours PCB 5527 - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology 3 Credit Hours BSC 5408L - Advanced Biology Laboratory Techniques 3 Credit Hours
  Environmental Chemistry Concentration
  • Earn at least 12 credits from the following types of courses: CHS 5110 - Radiochemistry 3 Credit Hours CHS 6260 - Chemical Unit Operations and Separations 3 Credit Hours CHS 6613 - Current Topics in Environmental Chemistry 3 Credit Hours CHS 6508 - Advanced Mass Spectrometry for Forensic Science 3 Credit Hours CHM 5235 - Applied Molecular Spectroscopy 3 Credit Hours CHM 5580 - Advanced Physical Chemistry 3 Credit Hours CHM 6134 - Advanced Instrumental Analysis 3 Credit Hours Courses from outside the Chemistry Department. IDS 6253 - Bioanalytical Technology 3 Credit Hours IDS 6255 - Nanotechnology and Energy and Sustainability 3 Credit Hours IDS 6261 - Nanotechnology for Sustainable Agriculture 3 Credit Hours ENV 5410 - Water Treatment 3 Credit Hours ENV 6046 - Membrane Mass Transfer 3 Credit Hours ENV 6055 - Fate and Transport of Subsurface Contaminants 3 Credit Hours ENV 6106 - Theory and Practice of Atmospheric Dispersion Modeling 3 Credit Hours ENV 6126 - Design of Air Pollution Controls 3 Credit Hours ENV 6336 - Site Remediation and Hazardous Waste Treatment 3 Credit Hours ENV 6519 - Aquatic Chemical Processes 3 Credit Hours ENV 6558 - Industrial Waste Treatment 3 Credit Hours
  Forensic Science Concentration
  • Earn at least 12 credits from the following types of courses: CHS 5110 - Radiochemistry 3 Credit Hours CHS 6545 - Forensic Analysis of Explosives 3 Credit Hours CHS 6546 - Forensic Analysis of Ignitable Liquids 3 Credit Hours CHM 6134 - Advanced Instrumental Analysis 3 Credit Hours CHM 5451C - Techniques in Polymer Science 3 Credit Hours CHM 6938 - Special Topics 3 Credit Hours CHS 6535 - Forensic Molecular Biology 3 Credit Hours CHS 6535L - Forensic Analysis of Biological Materials 3 Credit Hours CHS 6536 - Population Genetics and Genetic Data 3 Credit Hours CHM 7938 - Frontiers in Chemistry 1 Credit Hours (three semesters, 1 credit hour each semester) CHM 7919 - Directed Research in Forensic Science 6 Credit Hours Courses from outside the Chemistry Department. IDS 6253 - Bioanalytical Technology 3 Credit Hours
  Biochemistry Concentration
  • Earn at least 12 credits from the following types of courses: CHS 5110 - Radiochemistry 3 Credit Hours CHM 5937 - Bioinorganic Chemistry 3 Credit Hours CHM 5305 - Bioconjugate Chemistry 3 Credit Hours CHM 5235 - Applied Molecular Spectroscopy 3 Credit Hours CHM 5225 - Advanced Organic Chemistry 3 Credit Hours CHM 5580 - Advanced Physical Chemistry 3 Credit Hours CHS 6535 - Forensic Molecular Biology 3 Credit Hours CHS 6535L - Forensic Analysis of Biological Materials 3 Credit Hours CHS 6536 - Population Genetics and Genetic Data 3 Credit Hours CHM 7938 - Frontiers in Chemistry 1 Credit Hours (three semesters, 1 credit hour each semester) CHM 7919 - Directed Research in Biochemistry 3 Credit Hours Courses from outside the Chemistry Department. IDS 6252 - Biomedical Nanotechnology 3 Credit IDS 6253 - Bioanalytical Technology 3 Credit Hours IDS 6261 - Nanotechnology for Sustainable Agriculture 3 Credit Hours PHY 5933 - Selected topics in biophysics of macromolecules 3 Credit Hours MCB 5654 - Applied Microbiology 3 Credit Hours MCB 6417C - Microbial Metabolism 3 Credit Hours BSC 6407C - Laboratory Methods in Molecular Biology 3 Credit Hours IDS 5127 - Foundation of Bio-Imaging Science 3 Credit Hours PCB 5236 - Cancer Biology 3 Credit Hours PCB 5527 - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology 3 Credit Hours EMA 6516 - X-ray Diffraction and Crystallography 3 Credit Hours EMA 6518 - Transmission Electron Microscopy 3 Credit Hours

Additional Electives

• Earn at least 20 credits from the following types of courses: Students who enter the program without a master's degree will be required to take 20 additional hours. These 20 hours must be in the same Concentration as the other 12 Required Electives selected above. Students and advisers need to be careful about how elective courses are selected so that at least 12 credit hours of electives must be formal course work, exclusive of independent study. Doctoral research, dissertation research, independent study and directed research may also be used to satisfy additional hours in the concentration.

Dissertation

• Earn at least 15 credits from the following types of courses: CHM 7980 - Doctoral Dissertation Within three months before defending the dissertation, the student will present a dissertation research seminar to the Department of Chemistry, registering for one credit hour of seminar.

Qualifying Examinations

• Students will be expected to satisfy qualifying (proficiency) requirements (analytical chemistry, biochemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry and physical chemistry) during the first year by passing exams in four of these five areas. These exams may be waived if the entering student possesses an MS degree in the Chemical Sciences. Satisfaction of this requirement will help ensure that students are adequately prepared for the core courses. If a student does not satisfy the proficiency exam requirements within the first year, the student will be subject to dismissal from the program.

Candidacy Examination

• As part of the degree requirement, all graduate students pursuing a doctoral degree in chemistry must pass a candidacy exam before the sixth semester from the start of their study in the program. The candidacy examination consists of writing and orally defending an original research proposal to the student’s faculty advisory committee. Every doctoral student must demonstrate proficiency in his/her dissertation research area, the ability to independently develop an original research topic, and the ability to communicate these ideas effectively using concise scientific writing and presentation skills. Students are required to take the candidacy exam no later than the end of the fifth semester (excluding summer) from the start of their study in the program. If a student fails to pass the exam at the first attempt, the student must retake and pass the exam before the end of the sixth semester (excluding summer) of their study. Failure to pass the PhD candidacy exam will result in dismissal from the program.

Admission to Candidacy

• The following are required to be admitted to candidacy and enroll in dissertation hours: Completion of all required and formal elective course work, except for seminar credit hours and dissertation hours. Successful completion of the candidacy examination. Successful defense of the written dissertation proposal. The dissertation advisory committee is formed, consisting of approved graduate faculty and graduate faculty scholars. Submittal of an approved program of study.

Dissertation Defense

• The final requirement for the PhD degree is completion of a satisfactory written dissertation of the student's research, along with successful presentation and defense of the dissertation to the advisory committee, including one doctorate-holding non-program faculty member.

Equipment Fee

• Full-time students in the Chemistry PhD program pay a $90 equipment fee each semester that they are enrolled. Part-time students pay $45 per semester.

Independent Learning

• The grounding in scientific research methodology provided by the dissertation requirement is a central focus of the proposed program. Students will conduct research either on site or at the professional laboratories where they work. In either case, a member of the UCF Chemistry Department graduate faculty will act as research adviser and approve the research topic. This research culminates in the writing and presentation of the dissertation. The student will present his/her dissertation for examination by a committee consisting of a minimum of five members including the research adviser. One of the committee members will be from outside the Chemistry department. A majority of the program committee members will hold tenure-earning faculty appointments in the Chemistry Department. The committee has to be approved by the Graduate Coordinator of the Chemistry program and the department Chair. The dissertation must be judged worthy of publication by the dissertation committee and may not be submitted for examination until so deemed. For students performing their dissertation research off campus, the dissertation adviser will visit the student's laboratory, where their research is to be performed, before the research begins and on a regular basis until the work is complete.

Grand Total Credits: 72

Application Requirements

Application Deadlines

Financial Information

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Fellowship Information

Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.