Departments & Programs
Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Graduate Programs (M.S. and Ph.D. Degrees)
Admission Requirements
The prospective student should have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, show promise of ability to engage in advanced work, and have adequate preparation, at least 35 credit hours of chemistry, broadly representative of the fields of the discipline, in a chemistry curriculum.
Incoming students with an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) will be considered for admissionfor admission as regular graduate students. Those with a GPA below 3.0 could be considered for admission.
Application for Admission
Inquiries concerning the application process can be made directly to the Department by writing to Graduate Admissions; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, IUPUI, 402 N. Blackford Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202-3272; phone (317) 274-6876; www.chem.iupui.edu. Applications for full-time study should be completed by January 15th for the following Fall semester to ensure complete consideration for fellowships and other financial support (see “Graduate Program Financial Aid” in this section). Applications for part-time graduate admission may be submitted at any time.
Non-degree seeking graduate students who wish to enroll in courses, though not necessarily in a degree program, should contact the IUPUI Graduate Office, University Library, UL 1170, 755 W. Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202; phone (317) 274-1577. Students should be aware that no more than 12 credit hours earned as a non-degree student may be counted toward a degree program. Please contact the graduate administrator in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology for guidelines.
Transfer Credit
The Department will accept by transfer a maximum of 6 hours of graduate credit, in excess of undergraduate degree requirements, from approved institutions subject to approval by the graduate director in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.
Graduate Program Financial Aid
All full-time Ph.D. graduate students receive support stipends through teaching assistantships, research assistantships, departmental fellowships, university fellowships, or through the Industrial Co-op Program. Full-time students receive fee remissions; students with assistantships and fellowships are also eligible for health insurance. Consult the graduate advisor for current funding levels.
Master of Science Program
The M.S. program in chemistry, which awards a Purdue University degree, requires 30 credit hours of study beyond the baccalaureate level. It is designed for students seeking careers as professional chemists. Graduates of the program often choose industrial positions, but others enter Ph.D. programs in chemistry or related areas. Graduates have been placed in positions throughout the United States and abroad.
General Degree Options and Requirements
Specific area requirements (core courses) apply for course work. Courses from three of the following areas must be taken: analytical, biological, inorganic, organic, and physical. Typically, students take three courses in their primary area and two courses outside of it to meet these requirements.
The M.S. degree can be earned through any of three different options: the thesis option, the Industrial Co-op Program, and the nonthesis option.
Thesis Option This traditional full-time program requires 20 hours of course work and 10 hours of thesis research. The research activity culminates in the completion and defense of a thesis. This option is available to full- or part-time students.
Nonthesis Option The nonthesis option requires 30 hours of course work alone. Because actual research experience is essential in an advanced chemistry program, this option is recommended for part-time students only. Students in this option are usually employed full time and are already engaged in research activity as part of their employment. However, nonthesis students may still enroll in a limited amount of research study that applies to the degree requirements (usually through CHEM 59900).
Ph.D. Program
The Ph.D. program is a full-time, thesis-based research program. This program provides a substantially larger research component than that of the M.S. degree and requires original and significant research contributions by the student. As a result, the Ph.D. student is qualified for employment where the ability to design, develop, and complete a research program is expected.
The program is part of the Purdue University system-wide doctoral program in chemistry, and, as such, identical requirements apply to all campuses participating in the program.
To establish candidacy, students must pass five written ‘cumulative’ examination questions within their first four semesters and an oral examination before the end of their fifth semester of graduate study. The oral examination will include a discussion of the student’s research and defense of an original research proposal that is different from the student’s thesis research.
Course requirements include a core of three courses in the student’s major division plus three additional courses outside the major division. A number of additional courses may be recommended that cover material appropriate to the written part of the preliminary examination.