Chemistry, Ph.D.
Prepare yourself for employment as a professional chemist in academia, industrial, or government research laboratories, or in other vocations where specialized knowledge in chemistry is desired or required.
About the Ph.D. in Chemistry
The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry in the College of Liberal Arts offers the Ph.D. in Chemistry. It is designed for those who intend to seek employment as a professional chemist in academia, industrial, or government research laboratories, or in other vocations where specialized knowledge in chemistry is desired or required.
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Program Information
Degree
Ph.D. in Chemistry
Required Credit Hours
54
Program Type
Doctorate Program
Program Location
School
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Ryan Clifton Fortenberry
Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Ph.D. in Chemistry Program Details
Learn about the Ph.D. in Chemistry - how to apply, what classes you'll take, ways to fund your education, and where you'll dive into research!
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Review begins in December with a deadline on April 1
The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry welcomes student applications with the following materials. See department webpage for more details.
- Complete the Graduate School’s Online Application.
- Pay the application fee ($60).
- Submit official transcripts.
- International applicants whose first language is not English may be required to submit scores from an acceptable English language proficiency test.
- Upload Supplemental Application materials for the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry to the link provided on the application.
- Statement of purpose: outlining your background, career aspirations, and motivation for graduate studies
- Three letters of recommendation: provide contact information for three recommenders
To be admitted to a graduate degree program in full standing, a student must have completed a B.S. degree in chemistry with an average grade of B. Exceptionally qualified students who have not completed a B.S. degree in chemistry but have a degree in a related field (such as biology, engineering, physics, pharmacology, or pharmacy) may be admitted. However they should expect to present a clear case in their personal statement for admission. Additionally, they should expect to be provisionally admitted until specified conditions are satisfied such as prerequisite coursework or other expectations.
Students in the Ph.D. program complete 54 credit hours of graduate coursework.
- 18 credit hours of chemistry courses
- Chem 700:
- 3 hours of seminar (Chem 750 and 759)
- 18 hours of dissertation (Chem 797)
Credit for previous graduate-level course work may be applied toward these requirements at the discretion of the student's advisory committee and with approval by the department chair. A minimum grade of B is required in each course in the student's area of specialization.
All Ph.D. students must take one core course from each of four of the five specialty areas.
Speciality Areas |
|---|
| Analytical Chemistry (Chem 512, 514, 519) |
| Biochemistry (Chem 534, 771) |
| Inorganic Chemistry (Chem 544, 701, 702) |
| Organic Chemistry (Chem 527, 528) |
| Physical Chemistry (Chem 531, 532, 536) |
A cumulative average of not less than B is required in the core courses. A minimum grade of B is also required in each course in the student's area of specialization.
Each Ph.D. student must also
- make three seminar presentations
- must pass a minimum of four cumulative examinations
- create and defend a 10-15 page research proposal/dissertation prospectus
- write and defend a dissertation
Teaching and research assistantships are available to qualified applicants. Students with a graduate assistantship funded in the department receive a scholarship that covers some or all of the tuition and non-residency fee, if applicable, for regular semesters and subsidized health insurance.
The Graduate School's financial aid webpage lists a variety of funding possibilities, including summer support and a recruiting fellowship program that promotes academic excellence and access to graduate education.
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is located in Coulter Hall, which houses teaching and research laboratories and a machine shop including glass blowing equipment.
The Science Library, housed in the Thad Cochran Research Center adjacent to Coulter Hall, contains more than 20,000 chemistry books and journals and subscribes to more than 140 chemistry research journals.
The department also benefits from the presence of several other on-campus research programs and facilities, including the
- Mississippi Center for Supercomputing Research,
- National Center for Physical Acoustics,
- National Center for Natural Products Research,
- School of Engineering.
Nano-Bio ImmunoEngineering Consortium (NIEC) has established two state-of-the-art research suites at the university. The research core facilities are intended to 1) give researchers access to high-dollar instrumentation that is beyond the scope of support of individual labs, 2) provide the necessary infrastructure to perform cutting-edge research projects at UM, and 3) enable researchers to develop their biomaterials from initial physicochemical characterization all the way through to preclinical efficacy testing. The two core suites (i.e., Biomaterials Characterization and Biomolecular Analysis) are outfitted with major instrumentation.
World Class Research Facilities
Video: Get to Know the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Hear firsthand from students and faculty about the Chemistry program.Next Steps
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