Requirements & Deadlines

Ph.D. in Chemistry
M.A. in Chemistry
Graduate School Requirements

The requirements for the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemistry are established by the Chemistry Department and the Graduate School at Boston University. The essential steps toward earning a graduate degree in Chemistry are described in this section. For more detailed information, the Graduate School Bulletin and Chemistry Graduate Student Handbook should be consulted.

Ph.D. in Chemistry

The requirements for a Ph.D. in Chemistry consist of a combination of coursework, examinations and original research, as outlined below.

• Course requirements (May of 2nd year) Five courses must be successfully completed, with a minimum grade of B-. One of the courses can be at the 500 level and at least four must be at the 600 level or higher.

Requirements and Deadlines for 1st Year Students:

• Research Saturdays (Saturdays in September and October) Be familiar with the schedule of Research Saturdays. Attendance is mandatory for each graduate students in the first year of study.
• Selection of Research Advisor Students are strongly encouraged select a research advisor in their first semester of study. In order to offically select an advisor, students must fill out the Research Advisor Selection form.

Requirements and Deadlines for 2nd Year Students:

• Selection of Dissertation Advisory Committee (15 October) Each student in the 2nd Year of study should plan to meet with his or her Research Advisor to select 3-5 faculty members to serve as a Dissertation Advisory Committee (DAC). The purpose of the DAC is to evaluate research progress annually, provide a forum for information and a source of expertise, serve as members of the second year oral exam committee, and participate as dissertation readers and members of the dissertation exam committee.
• Abstract due for Oral Qualifying Exam Proposal (1 December) The abstract will be reviewed by the members of the DAC before final scheduling of the defense date for the Oral Qualifying Exam.
• Scheduled Defense Date for Oral Qualifying Exam (1 February) Note that the written proposal for the Oral Qualifying Exam is due at least one week before the scheduled date of the Oral Qualifying Exam.
• Completion of Written Qualifying Exams (May of 2nd year) Students must pass four cumulative exams before May of their second year of study and before consideration for advancement to candidacy.
• Advancement to Doctoral Degree Candidacy (May of 2nd year) Students having completed their requirements for course work, written qualifying exams, oral qualifying exams, as well as having demonstated substantial progress in their doctoral research, will be recommended for advancement to candidacy for the doctoral degree. Students not meeting those standards typically leave the program, often with a “terminal” Masters degree (if the requirements for the Masters degree, described below, are met).

Requirements and Deadlines for Advanced Students:

• Annual Progress Report (each year, no later than 31 May) Advanced students must prepare a two to three page progress report describing their recent progress in their doctoral research. That report is to be distrbuted to members of the DAC.
• Annual Meetings with DAC (each year, no later than 30 June) Advanced students must arrange to meet annually with members of their Dissertation Advisory Committee to discuss their research progress.
• Advanced Year Public Presentations (end of 4th year) By the end of the fourth year, students must present their research results in a public seminar, either at Boston University or at an outside scientific meeting.
• Dissertation and Defense Ph.D. candidates must complete a research program, submit a dissertation outline and a dissertation abstract, complete a dissertation and defend the dissertation in a final oral exam.

M.A. in Chemistry

The requirements for a M.A. in Chemistry consist of a combination of coursework and research, as outlined below.

• Course Requirements Masters students are required to successfully complete eight graduate courses, of which at least five are non-research courses. Of the five, two must be outside the candidate’s major area of specialization and four must be at the 600-level or above.
• Research Students must complete at least two research courses.

Graduate School Requirements

As a component of the Graduate School, the department necessarily conforms to the Graduate School’s policies and procedures. These general regulations can be found explained in detail in the Graduate School Bulletin. You are strongly advised to read over these regulations in the most recent Bulletin carefully. Bulletins are available at the Graduate School office (705 Commonwealth Ave., room 112).