Ph.D. Program of Study
Course Requirements
The PhD program requirements consist of a minimum of six one-semester lecture
courses (six course units) and these are usually completed in the first
academic year. Frequently, students having interdisciplinary interests will
take some courses in other departments. Twenty units of combined course and
research credit are requirements for the Ph.D. degree, after which students
enter "dissertation" status until they graduate. Successful
completion of a Departmental library class covering conventional and
computer-based searching of the chemical literature is also required.
Examinations
Each Ph.D. candidate also takes written cumulative examinations in one of the
following areas: biological, inorganic, organic or physical chemistry.
Interdisciplinary students may take exams in more than one area during their
stay. These examinations are given six times each year. Each student is
required to pass a total of five out of eighteen, before submission of the
dissertation. There are no entrance examinations for incoming students, other
than the English Language Proficiency test for foreign students.
Research Project
A major portion of the work towards a Ph.D. degree is a research project
leading to the thesis. This usually involves several years of research under
the supervision of a particular faculty member. Increasingly, chemistry-based
students are becoming involved in interdisciplinary areas of research
involving collaborations with faculty, students and postdoctoral fellows from
other departments or institutions.
Dissertation
In the fall of the second year, each graduate student chooses a Dissertation
Committee composed of three faculty members other than the Research Advisor.
Yearly Dissertation Committee meetings monitor student progress, culminating
in a public seminar, final oral examination and submission of thesis. The
average time to complete the Chemistry Ph.D. Degree is 5½ years.
Teaching Requirement
We require students to serve as Teaching Assistants for at least two
semesters, usually during the first year. Teaching Assistants are responsible
for supervising laboratory sections or conducting recitation classes under
the guidance of a faculty member. New Teaching Assistants in Chemistry are
prepared for their teaching responsibility through a special training program
held for one week before the start of the fall semester.
Seminars
A regular program of
seminars, in which
distinguished scientists visit the Chemistry Department, is an essential part
of the curriculum. At Penn, there are weekly departmental research seminars
in biological, inorganic, organic and physical chemistry. Graduate students
and postdoctoral fellows are strongly encouraged to participate. Additional
interdisciplinary seminar series (Biochemistry/ Biophysics Minisymposium;
Interface of Chemistry and Biology) and special sponsored lectures
(Wyeth-Ayerst, DuPont Marsh, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Edgar Fahs Smith, ACS
Philadelphia Section Award, Philadelphia Organic Chemists' Club, etc.) also
offer opportunities to hear from premier scientists.
"Handbook for Students: Ethics and Original Research" focuses primarily
on integrity in the preparation of scholarly texts. It provides
important information about correctly acknowledging sources, guidelines
for collaboration, and information about what constitutes violations of
academic integrity.
