Program Statistics
Visit Master's Program Statistics and PhD Program Statistics for statistics such as program admissions, enrollment, student demographics and more.
Chemistry
Degree Types: PhD
The Department of Chemistry focuses on graduate teaching and research at the forefront of the discipline, and prepares students for research positions in industry or academia.
Advanced courses, seminars, and research opportunities are offered in inorganic, organic, physical and biological chemistry. We also promote the interdisciplinary research areas of materials chemistry, environmental chemistry, and the chemistry of life processes.
Our students and faculty collaborate with campus research centers including the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC), the Center for Catalysis and Surface Science, the International Institute for Nanotechnology (IIN), the Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Research Center, Chemistry of Life Processes Institute (CLP), Center for Molecular Innovation and Drug Discovery (CMIDD), and the Center for Bio-Inspired Energy Science (CBES).
Additional resources:
Program Contact
Contact Jonathan Maendel
Graduate Program Coordinator
847-491-2968
Degree Requirements
The following requirements are in addition to, or further elaborate upon, those requirements outlined in The Graduate School Policy Guide.
Master's
The Chemistry Department’s graduate program is designed to lead to the PhD degree, and it is expected that all students who enroll are pursuing the doctorate. However, a student leaving the Doctoral Program is eligible to receive a terminal master’s degree provided appropriate requirements delineated in the Departmental Graduate Program Guide are met.
Coursework Requirements
- Nine units of graduate-level coursework in chemistry are required.
- Research Requirements: Sufficient research to complete master’s thesis is required prior to degree completion.
PhD
Total Units Required: 9
Coursework Requirements
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| Required Courses | |
| CHEM 519-0 | Responsible Conduct of Research Training |
| CHEM 570-0 | Chemistry Colloquium (taken for three quarters in the first year) |
| Additional Courses | |
| Additional course requirments differ for each major field of study. 1 | |
- 1
Each division within the chemistry program has its own set of additional course requirements. See the Graduate Program Guide for additional information.
Other PhD Degree Requirements
- Examinations: qualifying exam consisting of written document and oral examination prior to end of seven quarters of graduate study
- Original research proposal (ORP) has specific requirements in the third and fourth years of graduate study and at the dissertation defense. See the chemistry graduate program guide for further details. The ORP is not an extension of the dissertation topic.
- PhD Dissertation: must describe original research
- Final Evaluations: oral dissertation defense when all other requirements completed
- Other: all full-time students are required to teach for five quarters in their first two years of study. In order to complete the teaching requirement, all International students must comply with English proficiency requirements.