General Graduate School Requirements
Area Specific Requirements
Department of Chemistry Manual
Requirements and information about specific areas starts on page 37.
Analytical Chemistry
Twelve of the 20 hours of graduate coursework must be 500-level courses in chemistry, not counting the second-year literature seminar course (CHEM 525). Students should attempt to keep 4:00-5:00 p.m. on Fridays open for seminars. The original research proposal must be turned in before the end of the eighth semester.
Chemical Biology
Twelve of the 20 hours of graduate coursework must be 500-level courses in chemistry, not counting the second-year literature seminar course (CHEM 525). Students should attempt to keep 4:00-5:00 p.m. on Fridays open for seminars. The original research proposal must be turned in before the end of the eighth semester.
Inorganic Chemistry
CHEM 512 (Advanced Inorganic Chemistry) and CHEM 516 (Physical Methods in Inorganic Chemistry) must be taken. Students should attempt to keep 4:00-5:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays open for seminars. Students are expected to attend all inorganic seminars during their graduate studies and encouraged to attend seminars broadly outside of inorganic chemistry as well. The literature seminar (CHEM 515) must be given before the end of the third full semester. Upon consultation with the faculty advisor, students who are enrolled in six or more hours of coursework in their third semester may be granted a one-semester extension of this deadline. The preliminary oral examination report must include, in addition to the research report (see Section 5.2.18), a separate sheet containing a prospective title for your thesis and a chapter-level outline; that is, give the titles you expect your chapters will have (but omit any subheadings within chapters). The original research proposal must be submitted before the end of the seventh semester.
Materials Chemistry
CHEM 584 (Introduction to Materials Chemistry) and CHEM 588 (Physical Methods in Materials Chemistry) must be taken. Students should attempt to keep 4:00-5:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays open for seminars. The student literature seminar (CHEM 585) must be given before the end of the third full semester. Upon consultation with the faculty advisor, students who are enrolled in six or more hours of coursework in their third semester may be granted a one-semester extension of this deadline. The original research proposal must be submitted before the end of the seventh semester.
Organic Chemistry
All Organic Chemistry students must successfully complete CHEM 530, 532, 534, 535, and 536. Students should attempt to keep 4:00 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays free for seminars. Papers that describe the progress in research will be due at the beginning of the second and third years (see the Organic area office for deadlines). The paper submitted early in the second year is restricted to one page of introduction/historical information and five pages of results, discussion, and references. In addition, a full experimental section of unlimited length, describing research accomplished during the first year, must be included. The paper submitted early in the third year will serve as the preliminary examination paper. Written in an appropriate journal style, this paper is a full account of research completed in the first two years. The contents of this document will be orally presented as part of the student’s candidacy examination during the fifth semester in residence.
For the original research proposal, students in the Organic Chemistry area must submit a pre- proposal and orally defend the finished proposal to their thesis committee during the eighth semester in residence. The organic chemistry area awards a $500 cash prize for the best Original Research Proposal each year (Vanderveer Voorhees Award).
Physical Chemistry
CHEM 540 is a prerequisite for all graduate-level Physical Chemistry courses. This requirement can be waived at the discretion of the course instructor. CHEM 544 is also required and will not be waived. CHEM 540 is a prerequisite for all graduate-level Physical Chemistry courses. This requirement can be waived at the discretion of the course instructor. CHEM 544 is also required and will not be waived. Students should familiarize themselves with the faculty by attending the informal meetings that are held at the start of each academic year and the "coffee half hours" after each Physical Chemistry seminar. For the original research proposal, students must submit a one-page pre-proposal. The original research proposal must be submitted before the end of the eighth semester.
Chemistry Area Office Information
| Office | Location | Phone | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analytical-Inorganic-Materials-Physical | A131 CLSL | 217-333-2556 | Craig Johnson chem-imp@mx.uillinois.edu |
| Organic-Chemical Biology | 61 RAL | 217-244-0769 | Kara Metcalf chem-ocb@mx.uillinois.edu |