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Guide for Graduate Students in Chemistry 725 21st Street, N.W. Corcoran Hall, Room 107 Washington, D.C. 20052 202-994-6121 phone 202-994-5873 fax For general information pertaining to the Chemistry Department and the regulations of the Columbian School of Arts and Sciences, see the current edition of the University Bulletin (Catalogue) and the Student Handbook of the Columbian School of Arts and Sciences. It is the students responsibility to be aware of the information in the Bulletin, in the Student Handbook and in this Guide. updated 8/30/04 MJW Ph.D. Curriculum 1. Courses 2. Special Departmental Requirements 3. The General Examination Ph.D. Dissertations M.S. Comprehensive Examinations Desk and Laboratory Assignments V. Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTA's) and Other TA's VI. Selection of a Research Advisor VII. Formation and Role of the Doctoral Committee Appendix II (Who Has the Answers?) Appendix III (Guidelines for Cumulative Exams) Analytical Chemistry Your academic progress during your stay at GWU may seem at times to be a confusing obstacle course. The material collected in this section is meant to at least clarify the maze. Whether you are in the Ph.D. or MS program, to get your degree you must : take and pass a set of core courses The details of these requirements are presented below. Ph.D. Curriculum 1. Courses a. The "Core" courses Each student develops a program of studies in consultation with their doctoral committee and subject to the approval of the Graduate Affairs Committee and the Dean. Any changes in the program of studies made at a later date are also subject to the approval of the Graduate Affairs Committee and the Dean. The program of studies must include: 1) a minimum of 5
graduate (200 and above) level courses taken at GW or equivalent courses offered
by another university.
b. Advising of incoming graduate students The Graduate Affairs Committee advises graduate students until a choice of doctoral advisor has been made, their doctoral committee has been formed and reported to the Graduate Affairs Committee (see sections VI and VII). Advising of incoming students should be done after placement exam scores are known. Students may be required to take remedial undergraduate coursework after taking into account placement results and other relevant information concerning the student's undergraduate background in chemistry. Any undergraduate course the Graduate Affair Committee assigns to the student must be completed prior to graduation unless a waiver is requested from and granted by the Graduate Affairs Committee. Prior to the formation of a doctoral committee, courses should be chosen after consultation between the Graduate Affairs Committee and the student concerning their choice of sub-discipline and the perceived relevance of the course offerings to the student's educational/career goals. c. The Graduate Affairs Committee may require up to 9 additional semester hours of formal courses in Chemistry or related fields. Nonetheless, the department expects students to begin their research work within 6 months after admission to the program. 2. Special Departmental Requirements a. Computer Programming. Each student must be able to program in at least one structured computer language, e.g. Basic, FORTRAN, Pascal, or "C". This requirement may be satisfied by an approved course, such as CSci 100, Stat 129, or any higher-level computer programming course having one of these courses as a prerequisite, or by a test administered by the Graduate Committee. b. Seminar
Presentations. Each student must present at least two seminars. Each
student must present at least two seminars. The first seminar should be from 25
- 30 minutes long on a topic from the literature or may be preliminary results
from their research and must be given prior to the end of their fourth semester
in the program. The second seminar is an hour-long seminar on the research, and
is given a few months prior to the Ph.D. defense. c. Writing Skills. Competency in writing technical material is expected of all graduate students. Evidence of this ability will be obtained by periodic review of the student's research reports, examinations, papers for classes, seminar abstracts, and other material. In the event of inadequate performance, a student may be required to take a course in technical writing. Students are encouraged to make use of campus resources, such as the Writing Center, for help in achieving this goal. 3. The General Examination The "General Examination" requirement described
in the Bulletin is replaced by a two-part requirement consisting of a
cumulative examination system and a Candidacy Exam. These requirements reflect
the idea that course grades and research accomplishments are not a sufficient
basis for awarding the Ph.D. degree.
Entrance into the candidacy cannot normally be approved until after
completion of the General Examination.
Only 6 semester hours of Dissertation Research (Chem 399) may be taken
before completion of the General Examination. a. Cumulative Examinations. Cumulative examinations are a means of determining
that students have reached a particular level of understanding of the broad
principles of their subdiscipline and can apply those principles to different
problems in their subdiscipline. These examinations are also a vehicle for
demonstrating an ability to read the literature of a subdiscipline critically
and for assessing some level of familiarity with the current literature of a
particular subdiscipline. Each subdiscipline will provide Guidelines that
define their Core knowledge, Major Exam Topics and Recent Literature which they
may be drawn upon. The examinations are begun at the beginning of the 3rd
semester in the program, although they may be begun earlier if so desired.
Students normally take the examinations in their major field, but may elect (in
consultation with their research advisor and the Doctoral Committee) to take
examinations in other fields. For each examination points are assigned as
follows: Pass - 2 points Low pass - 1 point Fail - 0 This requirement is
completed when the student has accumulated a total of 10 points in 7
examinations or 12 points in 10 examinations. Students are disqualified from
the Ph.D. program if they have accumulated less than 12 points after 10 exams. b. Candidacy Exam. A Candidacy Exam is required of all Ph.D. students in
chemistry. The purpose of this requirement is to demonstrate the students
readiness to proceed with and complete their dissertation. The exam must be taken before the end
of the students fourth semester in the program (i.e. the spring semester of the
second year of study for students who first enroll in the fall semester and do
not take a leave of absence). The
date and time of each exam will be determined by the Chemistry Department
Office in consultation with the Ph.D. research advisor and doctoral
committee. Failure to take the
Candidacy Exam prior to the completion of the fourth semester in the program
will result in termination from the Ph.D. program, unless a specific exception
is granted by the Graduate Affairs Committee. Petitions for an exception must be signed by the student and
his/her research advisor and presented to the Chair of the Graduate Affairs
Committee. Significant (greater
than 30 days) delays should be granted only in the case of serious illness or
other severe circumstance. It is
recognized that the timing of the Candidacy Exam will often overlap with the
cumulative exams. The Graduate
Affairs Committee should not grant extensions based on the students progress in
the Cumulative Exams. Candidacy Exam:
Procedure for Fulfilling the Requirement
The student develops a Ph.D. dissertation research
plan in consultation with his/her dissertation director. The student must submit the title of
the research plan as well as the names of the doctoral committee members to the
Departmental Office on or before the first day of classes during the fourth
semester in the program. The
office will use this information to schedule the Candidacy Exam. In principle, the Candidacy Exam my be
scheduled at any time during the students fourth semester in the program,
however, in practice it should be scheduled in the final month of the semester
if possible. However, the student
should consult with the Department Office and the research advisor to
anticipate any need to have the exam completed earlier in the term. Prior to the Candidacy Exam, the student must
write a Ph.D. research plan. The plan should include the research objective,
the results of related research that have been reported in the literature,
detailed descriptions of the experimental and/or theoretical work that would be
performed, preliminary results that the student has obtained and how this work
will fulfill the research objective(s).
The plan must not exceed ten pages for the entire document, including
figures and appendices, etc., with the exception of the reference section,
which may be included on additional pages at the end of the document. The student may consult with his/her
research advisor when writing the plan, however, the plan must be the original
work of the student. The research plan must be printed on
standard 8 1/2" x 11" (216 mm x 279 mm) paper and have 1 (2.5-cm)
margins at the top, bottom and on each side. The type size must be clear and
readily legible, no smaller than 10 point. If constant spacing is used, there
should be no more than 12 characters per 2.5 cm, whereas proportional spacing
should provide no more than an average of 15 characters per 2.5 cm. While line spacing (single-spaced,
double-spaced, etc.) is at the discretion of the writer; established page
limits must be followed and there also must be no more than 6 lines in a
vertical space of 2.5 cm. The original copy should be printed only on one side
of each sheet. Copies of the
proposal given to the doctoral committee members may be printed on both
sides. After the plan has been approved by the dissertation
director for readability (i.e. organization, style and syntax), an original,
unbound copy of the proposal must be submitted to the Department Office and
stapled copies to the members of the doctoral committee. The completed document must be in the
mailboxes of the members of the Ph.D. committee and in the possession of the Department
Office at least seven calendar days before the scheduled oral examination. The Departmental Office should notify
all faculty members that the research plan has been submitted and make copies
available to faculty upon request. Attendance at the Candidacy Exam is
limited to the student taking the examination and the faculty; the research
advisor and members of the student's doctoral committee must be present. The
initial 20-30 minutes of the presentation is reserved for an oral presentation
with appropriate media that summarizes the proposal, whereupon the floor is
open to questions and discussion.
Any faculty member present may take part in the examination. After the
oral presentation and discussion the committee consults with the other faculty members
attending in executive session and then assigns a grade of Pass or Fail for the
written research plan and the presentation. The committee may require
additional coursework or other appropriate requirements to ensure a students
preparation for dissertation research, regardless of the outcome of the
exam. If a grade of Fail is
awarded, the committee may, at its discretion, opt to allow the student to
rewrite the plan and/or undergo re-examination within one month. No more than one grade of Fail for this
requirement is permitted. Ph.D. Dissertations Available at the Graduate Student Services office are copies of the pamphlet: Information Concerning Theses and Dissertations. This booklet provides guidelines about form, style, and methods of reproduction. Instructions about the final oral examination are included. These guidelines and instructions should be followed closely. The Department of Chemistry expects that a full-time student should complete the dissertation oral examination within three years after completion of the General Examination; four years will normally be allowed for a part-time student. A copy of the ACS Style Guide may be borrowed from the Department Office, COR 107. This provides more specific information directed toward writers of chemistry papers (or theses/dissertations), such as chemical nomenclature, copyright policy, format for reference citations, oral presentations, etc. Doctoral dissertations and master's theses may be produced on a computer word processor, provided the print and paper quality meets GSAS requirements. Computer time, technical assistance, and short courses on the use of the terminals and text processing languages are available at the Computer and Information Resources Center. Interested students should contact the User Services Office (x4-6139) of the Computer Center for further information and application forms. Seminars As noted in the University Bulletin, all graduate students are required to participate in the seminar program. In addition to seminars given by outside speakers, two seminars are presented by each graduate student during his/her residence in the graduate program. The first seminar, about 30-50 minutes in length, is based on a literature search, or on preliminary results of the student's research. This seminar must be given prior to the end of the fourth semester in the program. The second seminar, about one hour in duration, is based on the results of the student's dissertation or thesis research (or Chem 298 topic) and is given shortly (a few months) before dissertation or thesis defense. An abstract (about 50 words) should be prepared to accompany the announcement of each student seminar. Consortium Courses All students should be aware of the opportunity to take courses at any of the other universities in the Consortium of the Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area, Inc. Other Consortium members with graduate programs in chemistry are: American University, Catholic University of America, George Mason University, Georgetown University, Howard University, and the University of Maryland. Current catalogs of the graduate courses at these institutions can be obtained by direct request or they are usually available for examination at the reference desk of the G.W.U. Gelman Library. Current schedules of classes are available for reference at the Registrar's Office in Rice Hall. Consortium registration forms and instructions for Consortium registration may be obtained from the Consortium registration coordinator in the Office of the Registrar. Department approval by the Graduate Adviser is required, and approval will normally be limited to either courses not offered or available at G.W.U. or to cases where scheduling problems prohibit a student from taking the equivalent course(s) here. All approved Consortium courses must be added to the student's program of studies. For the master's degree, The following should be the set of five (5) core courses: Chem 207, Chem 213, Chem 221, Chem 235 and Chem 251. (SEE ALSO Ph.D. CURRICULUM ON PAGE 3). In addition to either Chem 213 or Chem 207. M.S. Comprehensive Examinations M.S. degree candidates must pass four comprehensive examinations in the fields of analytical, inorganic, organic and physical chemistry. These examinations are offered (over a period of several days) in fall, spring, and summer; announcements are posted on the Departmental bulletin boards. When prepared (usually after completion of the appropriate graduate course), a student should indicate his or her intention to take any two or all four of the examinations within the specified time period. A student may be excused from an examination if he or she has performed well in a related course(s) completed within the past year. A student who fails one or more of the comprehensive examinations may repeat the exam(s) at the next scheduled examination period. If the student fails a second time, no further opportunity to take an examination is permitted. M.S. Theses Prior to the typing of the final draft of the thesis, it must be submitted to a departmental M.S. thesis review committee. This committee will evaluate the final draft to assure its adherence to standards appropriate for the M.S. degree. Non-Thesis MS In addition to the five core courses described above, students who elect to take the non-thesis MS option are required to take Chem 298. Chem 298 involves a survey of a topic approved by departmental staff, a written report and presentation of a seminar. Students who register for Chem 298 should contact the Departmental Graduate Advisor at the beginning of the semester for further information on scheduling. Science Technology and Public Policy Ph.D. students in Chemistry may substitute up to 12 hours of Dissertation Research (Chem 399) in the form of course work jointly approved by the Chemistry Department and the Graduate Program in Science, Technology, and Public Policy. The purpose of this option is to provide a useful background for chemistry doctoral students who are (or will be) employed in government agencies dealing with science, technology and public policy programs. The 12 hours may be selected from the following recommended courses: PSc 222, 223, 252, 203, 217; Pub. Admin. 260, 261; Mgt. 233, 234. Thus, a typical sequence of courses might be: PSc 222, PSc 223, Pub. Admin. 261, and PSc 203. Students desiring to take advantage of this option should be sure to have the courses approved and included in their program of studies. Desk and Laboratory Assignments Each full-time graduate student is entitled to the use of a desk in either Corcoran or Samson Hall. See the Graduate Adviser for assignment to a desk. Students (both full-time and part-time) who are ready to begin a research problem should see their research director to be assigned lab space and a desk in one of the research laboratories. When vacating a desk (or filing cabinet), please empty all of the drawers and leave it in a clean condition for the next user. Mailboxes Incoming mail is delivered to the Chemistry Department Office, Cor. 107. Mailboxes in that office are available for full-time graduate students. Since the number of mailboxes is limited, sharing of a mailbox may sometimes be necessary. As these boxes are also used for distribution of seminar notices, instructions for graduate teaching assistants, etc., check your mailbox daily. The department office is usually open weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Keys The Departments Executive Assistant (Cor. 107) maintains a supply of keys for the rooms and laboratories of the Department of Chemistry. To obtain one or more keys, a student must obtain a note from the Chairman, or the Graduate Adviser, or from his or her research director, indicating to which room(s) or lab(s) the student requires access. Upon presentation of this note to the Executive Aide, the key(s) will be issued. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WHEN ANY PERSON PERMANENTLY LEAVES THE DEPARTMENT, ALL SUCH KEYS IN HIS OR HER POSSESSION MUST BE RETURNED TO THE EXECUTIVE AIDE. A student's research director is responsible for enforcement of this regulation. Bulletin Boards Notices pertaining to graduate students are usually posted on the first floor of Corcoran Hall (outside Cor. 106). Copies of such notices may also be posted in the Chemistry Office. E-mail Accounts, Photocopier Accounts, Departmental Fax Use To set up your e-mail account you will need to visit CIRC (Computer and Information Resource Center) located in the basement of the Academic Center (Rome B106) (x4-0100). Photocopier and Fax (i.e. a long distance code) accounts are furnished through the Department's Executive Aide (Cor. 107). To obtain a photocopier and/or fax account, a student must obtain a note from the Chairman, or the Graduate Adviser, or from his/her research director concerning their use. All graduate students are held responsible for the content of the booklets Safety in Academic Chemistry Laboratories, prepared by the Committee on Chemical Safety of the American Chemical Society, and the HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SAFETY MANUAL, Office of Safety and Security, GWU. THESE ARE REQUIRED READING. Several copies are available for study in the Department's seminar room (Samson 311); additional copies may be obtained from the Graduate Adviser. Several safety
guidelines are worth emphasizing here: V. Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTA's) and Other TA's The detailed responsibilities of a TA will depend on the course and laboratory, and assignment for the current semester. Questions about specific duties should be directed to the faculty member(s) in charge of the laboratory course. However, general suggestions and guidelines are given in the Handbook for Chemistry Assistants, published by the Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society. A copy of this hand- book is given to each new GTA. See the Graduate Adviser to receive a copy. Each TA must attend the lectures of the course(s) in which he or she is instructing the first time that they are teaching in the course. In addition, a TA should take all of the examinations given during the first time he/she assists in a course and subsequently at the discretion of the professor in charge. Note that a TA is considered a half-time employee, and thus 19 hours per week may be required to fulfill all TA responsibilities (including office hours, grading, preparation for class, etc.). Near the end of each semester, each TA will be evaluated by his/her students and also by the faculty member in charge. Sample forms for these evaluations are given on the next two pages of this guide. Safety goggles must be worn at all times by all persons, including TA's, in the laboratory. All accidents involving injury must be reported at once to the stockroom (Cor. 404) and to the University Police (ext. x4-6110). If more than first-aid is required, the injured person must be taken to the Student Health Service, 2150 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. (entrance on 22nd Street), phone extension x4-6827; hours on weekdays: 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM and 5 - 7 PM; Saturdays: 9 AM - 12:30 PM. The Emergency Room of the University Hospital (ext. x4-3211) is available for emergencies or when the Student Health Service center is closed. Accident forms available from the stockroom should be completed for each incident. The University Police are only permitted to transport persons who can wave to the vehicle. In the laboratory, teaching assistants are expected to supervise closely their assigned students and to move about the laboratory in order to be available for student questions and problems. The TA's should insure that the lab session is run in a quiet and orderly manner. Books for recording grades and attendance and red grading pens may be obtained from the department office. GTA's Only The Graduate division of the School requires that current fellowship holders and/or GTA's must reapply each year (by Feb. 15th) for continued support. Reappointment is not automatic; a satisfactory teaching and academic record (including research evaluations) must be demonstrated. Reappointments are limited to: four years for a Ph.D. candidate, three years if the student enters the Ph.D. program with a master's degree (or with 18 to 24 semesters hours of credit transferred) from another department or university. At the completion of a student's tenure as a GTA, they may be supported by the Department of Chemistry as a teaching assistant (without tuition benefit). However, this employment can not be guaranteed, and students are advised to plan their graduate study accordingly. The Benjamin D. Van Evera Memorial Prize is usually awarded annually (at a reception following the May commencement) to the Graduate Teaching Assistant(s) in Chemistry selected by the Department as the most effective teacher(s) during the past academic year. Criteria used in the selection include: 1) consistently outstanding teaching evaluations by students and supervising faculty, and 2) reasonable progress toward the M.S. or Ph.D. degree, as indicated by the GTA's academic record and research evaluations. VI. Selection of a Research Director The reprint from the Journal of Chemical Education at the end of this Guide discusses some factors that a graduate student should consider in choosing a research director. In order to improve the selection process, the following procedure has been established: 1. Full-time graduate students in the Chemistry Department should interview with three faculty members and select an advisor/research group by the end of their first semester and be required to report this in a memo to the Graduate Advisor, also before the end of their first semester. 2. Graduate students are advised to begin rotating immediately through three research groups during the first semester. Graduate students are allowed to commit to an advisor at any time during this lead-in period, thus ending the rotation. The extent of involvement in the research group for this introductory period would vary according to the individual advisor. VII. Formation and Role of the Doctoral Committee Following the choice of a research advisor, and prior to the start of the second semester of study, a Doctoral Committee must be formed. This committee shall consist of at least three members of the department, including the research advisor, who acts as chair and selects the other members. The selected members may include preferably one faculty member each from the students chosen division and from an outside division. The advisor should report the composition of the committee to the Graduate Affairs Committee chairman prior to the start of the second term of study. Any subsequent changes to the Doctoral Committee membership are to be made at the discretion of the research advisor, subject to the approval of the Graduate Affairs Committee. The doctoral committee, once formed, has the dual responsibility of evaluating and advising the student. Unless there are reasons for concern, the committee should convene annually in the presence of the student. It is the research advisors responsibility to schedule all such meetings. The first meeting should occur at the beginning of the second semester of study, at which time any necessary revisions to the course of study should be developed, subject to the approval of the Graduate Affairs Committee. During the second meeting, which should take place at the beginning of the fourth semester, the student must present an outline of the topic of the dissertation and research progress to date. This and subsequent meetings should focus on evaluating the students progress and implementing changes to the course of study when appropriate. The committee should consider progress in research, cumulative exams, coursework, the Choice and Design of a Research Problem and any other information it considers pertinent in formulating its annual evaluation. Student progress should be characterized, by a majority vote of the committee, as one of the following: excellent, good or failing. Should a failing mark be given, the committee must choose one of two options: probation with further guidance or recommendation for termination from the Ph.D. program. This evaluation of the students standing, as well as changes to the course of study, should be conveyed in a report to the Graduate Affairs Committee and the student following each meeting. This document should be drafted by the research advisor and signed by all committee members. Selection of a Thesis Research - Course of Action - provocative opinion It is gratifying that this neglected aspect of the academic scene, which is the subject of much informal comment, has been set down for scrutiny by Lansbury in his article on "Selection of Thesis Research: The Most Important Course." The comparison of advisor selection to courting and marriage is an apt one. Although, as pointed out, the process may entail rape and elopement, my feeling is that seduction is the technique more often employed. I was disappointed by the lack of follow through on this general theme. Lansbury discusses in detail the aspect of thorough examination by the student of the various research options, including funding, which are available. Of course, this is commendable, and is analogous in the nuptial area to careful inspection of the career objectives and economic potential of one's possible spouse. However, merely dealing with research topics and finances is equivalent to selecting a mate solely on the basis of "business like" considerations. What about the important intangibles involving the personal characteristics of the faculty member, such as personality, ethical and moral considerations, treatment of student.s, and compatibility with the students. From my own observations at five universities and conversations with colleagues at many other schools, I conclude that this area can be of greater importance, and indeed is probably a more frequent factor underlying divorce and unhappiness in the scientific marriage. Often in the selection process, the student pays little attention to this variable on the false premise that if the person is a professor, then these intangible qualities must be in good order. In some instances, the unsatisfactory relationship is suffered because he does not wish to offend his undergraduate advisor who sent him to work with a particular colleague. In other cases, the student is loath to speak out or take action for fear of retribution or lest other faculty might be reluctant to accept him as a transfer and thus become involved in a messy situation. In certain instances, the towel is not thrown in since an appreciable amount of research work might then go down the drain, or because of the desire to be identified with a "name" chemist. Complaints by graduate students derive from many sources: excessive pressure in relation to research output, lack of openness, false promises, unwillingness to permit a reasonable degree of independence, viewing the student primarily as a means of achieving tenure or a reputation, insufficient concern for the long range welfare of the student, and little assistance in job placement. Additional considerations also pertain. Since some students emulate their advisors, these behavior patterns are passed on from generation to generation. In departments here the problem is particularly serious, a number of the well-qualified students shun academic careers thinking that the home-base is representative. Involvement in such a situation can have a serious adverse effect on motivation and creativity. In particularly traumatic cases, a promising career in chemistry is completely abandoned. In a way, Lansbury might be giving a broad hint to this subject when he emphasizes "their responsibility to look after themselves because others will not necessarily do it for them!" Although the number of advisors in this category is fortunately in the minority, nevertheless the amount of unnecessary misery is considerable when the numbers of students and the time involved are taken into account. It should be stressed that speaking out on behalf of fair treatment for students does not imply coddling. All will concede that some students require firm guidance, and in certain cases strict discipline or even termination. Certainly there are examples in which students try to take advantage of an advisor who attempts to be fair, thinking he is a "soft touch." l would suppose that a balanced approach is desirable, including treatment of each person as an individual. Many departments astutely place an important value on these intangibles and hence the problem is avoided. On the other hand, in some schools, such undesirable characteristics on the part of the faculty member are looked upon as unimportant, harmless idiosyncrasies. or are admired. I surmise there is the feeling that a certain amount of ruthlessness is needed, 'nice guys finish last,'' end one's reputation in the chemical world-at-large is the primary consideration. In some extreme cases, no discussion of these traits is contained in letters of recommendation for the prospective faculty member, even when the characteristics were quite evident at the graduate level. Surely, the mores and general attitudes which are prevalent in society have an impact on academia. Recent years have seen changes in the direction of greater emphasis on good teaching and more incorporation of "relevant" chemistry into the curriculum. Perhaps with declining graduate enrollments, the time is ripe for changes in the area under discussion. Over the years, I have carried out an informal poll concerning the reasons why students select chemistry as a career. Although scientific competence and teaching ability are mentioned, almost invariably the personal characteristics of the teachers who primarily influenced them are stressed. Accounts of the rises of truly great scientists generally reveal persons well endowed with these important intangibles. Peter Kovacic University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION OF THE "JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION" SEE YOUR OWN DEPARTMENTAL ADVISOR FOR: Prerequisites SEE GRADUATE STUDENT SERVICES FOR: Questions concerning
admissions process regulations for Graduate Teaching Assistantships/Fellowships
GUIDELINES FOR CUMULATIVE EXAMINATIONS Analytical Chemistry
1. Exam Type/Duration a. Usually three hours in
duration 2. Major topics to be covered a. Optical spectroscopy 3. Components of Exams with Major Topics a. Recent literature: 1) A-Page articles in
Analytical Chemistry in the prior six (6) months b. Basic texts on major topics:* 1) Text for Chem 22 (D.C.
Harris, Quantitative Chemical Analysis, published by Freeman, New York,
NY, 4th Ed., 1995, 812 pages) c. Problem solving skills will be regularly tested by selected problems in the outlines areas. *It is assumed that students are familiar with the contents of basic undergraduate/graduate texts for courses offered in this Department in analytical chemistry/instrumentation. GUIDELINES FOR CUMULATIVE EXAMINATIONS Inorganic Chemistry
The cumulative examinations in inorganic chemistry will be designed to evaluate a students core knowledge of inorganic chemistry and his/her awareness of the current important inorganic literature according to the following criteria: 1. Core Knowledge The student should have a good working knowledge of advanced inorganic chemistry at the level of Chemistry 235/236. In addition, a knowledge of subject areas not covered in depth in these courses (e.g. Periodicity) but addressed in the following texts, is also expected: Inorganic Chemistry, by Huheey, Keiter and
Keiter. Typically, a student should be able to answer questions similar to those found in the excerises in either of these text books. 2. Inorganic Literature The student should be able to read and understand an article or communication from the recent inorganic literature and understand: a) why the work was performed Articles will be extracted from the following journals and will have been in print for no longer than 6 months: "Journal of the
American Chemical Society" GUIDELINES FOR CUMULATIVE EXAMINATIONS Organic Chemistry
1. The series of cumulative examinations in organic chemistry are designed to ascertain that a student has met two criteria: a. The student should have a fundamental store of
knowledge of the basics of the discipline such as that found in standard first
course texts like Solomons, McMurry, or Wade, but with a more sophisticated and
detailed understanding of this material. The understanding of the material is
to be at the level of advanced texts like March and/or Carey & Sundberg, as
well as Silverstein, et. al. In other words, a student is to have in his/her
memory, material such as that found in Solomons, etc. but is to be able to
explain the material, or other material given as a part of a question, at the
March, Carey & Sundberg, or Silverstein et. al. 1) the purpose or intent of the investigation, In addition, the student is expected to be able to
read through the experimental section and discuss the validity of the results
obtained. "Journal of the American Chemical Society" 2. Each examination with contain a range of questions encompassing at least two of these four general areas: a. structure determination, 3. Examinations will generally be closed book and two hours in duration. GUIDELINES FOR CUMULATIVE EXAMINATIONS Physical Chemistry
1. Motivation a. To assess basic knowledge of physical chemistry. 2. Major topics to be covered a. Thermodynamics and statistical thermodynamics. 3. Possible types of exams a. Overviews of Physical Chemistry. 4. Exam types /duration a. Closed book should be approx. 1 - 1.5 hours. 5. Scheduling a. Each student while taking his/her 7 - 10 exams
should takes exams covering all areas. |
