Graduate Student Handbook

• Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree
• Checklist for the Ph.D. Degree
• Guidelines for Designing a Ph.D. Program of Study
• Recommended Courses for First Year of Study
• Guidelines for the Written Comprehensive Exam
• Faculty Involvement in Comprehensive Exam
• Requirements for the M.S. Degree
• Checklist for the M.S. Degree
• Guidelines for Designing an M.S. Program of Study

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This document summarizes the requirements for the Ph.D. and M.S. Degrees in Chemistry at the University of Georgia and provides schedules and checklists for completing these requirements. Deadlines are given in semesters, which should be interpreted as "non-summer semesters after entering graduate school at UGA," unless otherwise noted.

The primary reference for rules and regulations regarding graduate students is the University of Georgia Graduate Bulletin. This Chemistry Department handbook summarizes some of the more important rules from the Bulletin and clarifies their application for Chemistry students. Additional rules above and beyond those specified by the Graduate School are also outlined here, especially those regarding specific course requirements and deadlines. Questions regarding these requirements may be referred to the Graduate Program Administrator or the Graduate Coordinator. If further information is required, the Graduate Coordinator or the Graduate Program Administrator will contact the Graduate School on your behalf. For your convenience, the Chemistry Graduate program staff are listed below:

Graduate Program Administrator
Dell Smith
Room 411 Chemistry
706-542-1936
dsmith@chem.uga.edu

Graduate Coordinator
George Majetich
Room 536A Chemistry
706-542-1966
majetich@chem.uga.edu

Department Head
John Stickney
Room 247A Chemistry
706-542-2726
stickney@chem.uga.edu

Note: It is the student's responsibility to ensure that he/she fulfills all of the degree requirements on schedule. Timelines for fulfilling these requirements are included below under Checklist: Ph.D Program and Checklist: M.S. Program.

Requirements for Ph.D. Degree

Every graduate student will be advised by the Graduate Coordinator during their first year until a research advisor is chosen. Any questions concerning these requirements should be addressed first to the research advisor (if one has been chosen) and then to the Graduate Coordinator. Students should become familiar with the Graduate School requirements in the Graduate School Bulletin.

Selection of a Research Advisor [Form]

Entering graduate students are encouraged to acquaint themselves with all the various research opportunities available in the department as soon as possible so that they can complete their selection of a research advisor, i.e. the Major Professor, by the end of the first semester in residence. To aid in the selection process, a list of research faculty is available here.

During the first semester in residence, each student is required to attend at least one divisional seminar per week. To gain exposure to the available research possibilities, students can attend a seminar in any one of the four areas (analytical, inorganic, organic, physical) during their first semester. Each student is required to meet with at least three faculty members before selection of a research advisor. Each of these faculty members will sign a form that must be turned in to the selected research advisor, who must be a member of the Graduate Faculty. The student must choose a research advisor by the end of the first semester in residence.

Student Advisory Committee [Form] and Program of Study [Form]

In consultation with the research advisor, an Advisory Committee consisting of the research advisor and two additional faculty members (all of whom must be members of the Graduate Faculty) must be chosen by the end of the second semester in residence to develop a Program of Study for the student. The Program of Study must include: (a) at least 3 hours of 9300; (b) at least 20 hours of letter-graded courses (not including 9300) open only to graduate enrollment (i.e., 6xxx-9xxx courses that do not have duplicate undergraduate course numbers, 4xxx-5xxx); and (c) at least 6 hours of 9000. The Preliminary Program of Study must be submitted to the Graduate Program Administrator by the end of the second semester in residence. Courses taken at other institutions that have similar content to UGA courses may fulfill major course requirements in Chemistry subject to approval by the Advisory Committee and the Graduate Coordinator. However, such courses do not count toward the required 30 hours of resident course credit required by the Graduate School. Doctoral students typically take six graded courses of 3 credits each, plus two hours of graded seminar (1 credit each). The specific choice of classes to be included on the Program of Study is determined by the student in consultation with the research advisor, and must be submitted to the student's Advisory Committee for approval. The Advisory Committee should either approve the suggested plan for graduate coursework, or propose changes at the time the Preliminary Program of Study is submitted. The requirement for 30 hours of resident coursework normally includes 20 credit hours of graded coursework plus 10 more hours of 9000 and 9300.

Ph.D. Coursework Offered in the Chemistry Department

The graduate courses typically offered by the Department in each of the four traditional areas of chemistry are listed below. All graduate chemistry courses listed on a student's Program of Study must be passed with a grade of B or better. Consult the Graduate Course Catalog for specific course descriptions.

Analytical (CHEM 88x0)	Inorganic (CHEM 82x0)	Organic (CHEM 83x0)	Physical (CHEM 89x0)
CHEM 8810	CHEM 8210	CHEM 8300	CHEM 8920
CHEM 8820	CHEM 8220	CHEM 8310	CHEM 8930
CHEM 8830	CHEM 8230	CHEM 8320	CHEM 8940
CHEM 8840	CHEM 8240	CHEM 8330	CHEM 8950
CHEM 8850	CHEM 8250	CHEM 8340	CHEM 8960
CHEM 8860	CHEM 8290	CHEM 8350	CHEM 8990
CHEM 8890		CHEM 8370
		CHEM 8390

Graduate Courses Offered Outside the Chemistry Department

Each Ph.D. student may include graduate courses outside the Chemistry Department on his or her Program of Study to allow for exposure to a broader base of advanced or interdisciplinary subject matter. Courses offered by departments other than Chemistry may be listed on the student's Program of Study, as long as they are approved by the student's research advisor and Advisory Committee. For the Ph.D. degree, a maximum of two of the six required graduate courses may be taken outside the Chemistry Department. Any graduate course taken outside the Chemistry Department and listed on the student's Program of Study must be passed with a grade of B or better. The six graduate courses required for the Ph.D. degree should normally be completed by the end of the fourth semester in residence.

Seminars

Each Ph.D. student must register for the appropriate section of CHEM 8120-8150 (seminar) every non-summer semester in residence. Each Ph.D. student must give three departmental seminars. The first two of these seminars must be given and letter-graded as part of CHEM 8120-8150, and the student must receive at least a B grade on each. One of these first two seminars may be on a topic related to the research project, and the other must be on a literature topic unrelated to the research project. The third seminar is given as part of the Final Defense (see below).

Research Prospectus [Form]

During the third semester, each Ph.D. student will meet with their Advisory Committee to present a prospectus of their research. The research prospectus should describe a specific project or projects that a student plans to undertake for his or her Ph.D. thesis research. The prospectus presentation allows an opportunity for the Advisory Committee to become familiar with the student's research goals and plans, and to provide useful suggestions.

The research prospectus should include clear written and oral presentations of:

1. The hypothesis to be tested or the gap in knowledge to be investigated.
2. A succinct review of the background research/knowledge from the literature that forms the basis for the hypothesis/knowledge gap.
3. The experimental approach(es) to be used in testing the hypothesis/knowledge gap.

Consultation with the major professor during formulation of the prospectus is strongly encouraged.

The research prospectus must be presented both in writing (limited to 10 typed pages, double-spaced) and orally (a 20-minute planned presentation interspersed with questions from the committee) at a meeting of the Advisory Committee to be held by the end of the third (non-summer) semester in residence. This is typically one semester before a student would hold his/her preliminary oral exam for admission to Ph.D. candidacy. (Note that the graduate school requires both a research prospectus and a preliminary oral examination for admission to Ph.D. candidacy.) Successful completion of the research prospectus requires approval by all but one member of the Advisory Committee.

Note that the prospectus is not a list of required experiments that, once performed, automatically entitles the student to a Ph.D. degree. Research is by nature exploratory and, therefore, its outcome is unpredictable. Furthermore, the quality of the research is not addressed in the research prospectus. The major professor and the Advisory Committee remain the final judges of what constitutes an acceptable Ph.D. dissertation.

Preliminary Examination and Admission to Candidacy [Form]

The preliminary examination, which constitutes the written and oral comprehensive examinations, as defined by the Graduate School, must be completed and passed by the end of the fourth semester in residence. The student should select a date for the preliminary oral examination in consultation with his or her Advisory Committee. PLEASE NOTE ! At least two weeks in advance of the oral preliminary examination, the student must provide the date, time, and place of the exam to the Graduate Program Administrator, who will forward this information for announcement on the Graduate School website. Students cannot do this themselves. This must be done through the Graduate Program Office. There must also be an approved Advisory Committee form and an approved Final Program of Study form on file with the Graduate School prior to this announcement.

The written comprehensive examination consists of a progress report on the dissertation research and an original research proposal, not directly related to the research project (see Guidelines for Written Comprehensive Examination below). In the oral comprehensive examination, the student defends the original research proposal and is also questioned on basic knowledge in his/her major area. Passage of the preliminary examination requires approval by at least all but one member of the Advisory Committee. Failure to pass the preliminary examination will result in a mandatory change of degree objective to M.S. Students who have failed their oral preliminary examination may not apply for readmission after completion of the M.S. Degree. Admission to candidacy forms should be submitted to the Graduate Program Administrator immediately after the successful completion of the preliminary examination. At least 30 hours of consecutive resident coursework must be completed before a student may be admitted to candidacy.

Dissertation and Final Defense (Oral Examination)

After admission to candidacy, the student must register for at least 5 hours of coursework in each of two semesters to be eligible for graduation. An application for graduation must be filed with the Graduate School no later than Friday of the second full week (the first full week for summer) of classes in the semester of the anticipated graduation date. Following the completion of the research project, the student must submit to the Graduate School a dissertation acceptable to the Advisory Committee. The student then orally defends the dissertation before the Advisory Committee. The defense consists of a formal seminar immediately followed by questioning by the Advisory Committee. This defense is open to the public. PLEASE NOTE! At least two weeks in advance of the final defense, the student must provide the date, time, and place of the exam to the Graduate Program Administrator, who will forward this information for announcement on the Graduate School website. Students cannot do this themselves. This must be done through the Graduate Program Office. Failure to properly notify the Graduate School in advance of the date of the final defense could jeopardize the validity of the Final Defense.

Maintenance of Good Standing

The Graduate School Bulletin states: "students may be dismissed by their department at the end of any semester if they have not made sufficient academic progress to warrant continuance of study" and "A candidate for the doctoral degree who fails to complete all degree requirements within five years after passing the comprehensive examination, and being admitted to candidacy, will be required to take the comprehensive examinations again and be admitted to candidacy a second time."

Continued support via a research assistantship (RA) or teaching assistantship (TA) requires maintenance of good standing, which includes all of the following

1. A good faith effort to fulfill all program requirements on schedule (cf. the Checklists below).
2. Maintenance of at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA. The Graduate School Bulletin states "Students with a cumulative graduate course average below 3.0 for two consecutive terms are placed on academic probation by the Graduate School. They then must make a 3.0 or higher semester graduate average each succeeding semester that their overall cumulative graduate average is below 3.0. These students are no longer on probation when their cumulative graduate average is 3.0 or above. If they make below a 3.0 semester graduate average while on probation, they are dismissed."
3. Receiving "Acceptable" (or better) ratings in each task of each course for which GLA performance was evaluated in the most recent semester in which GLA duties were performed.
4. Receiving an "S" grade for any GRSC 7770 course taken within the last year.
5. Receiving at least one "S" grade in CHEM 7000/9000 in the previous two semesters (applies to students beyond their first year).
6. For international students, achieving a score of at least 50 on the SPEAK test.

Checklist: Ph.D. Program

(For deadlines, "semester" means "non-summer semester after entering graduate school at UGA." All completed forms should be forwarded to the Graduate Program Administrator.)

First Year

Meet with Graduate Admissions Committee to select first-semester courses week before start of first semester

Meet with three or more faculty members to discuss research options; get signatures on Selection of Major Professor form during 1st semester

Have selected research advisor sign Selection of Major Professor form by end of 1st semester

Select Advisory Committee; submit Advisory Committee for Doctoral Candidates form by end of 2nd semester

Submit Preliminary Doctoral Program of Study form by end of 2nd semester

Second Year

Schedule and hold a meeting of the Advisory Committee for discussion of the Research Prospectus. Have Advisory Committee sign Prospectus form by end of 3rd semester

Give first graded seminar by end of 4th semester

Distribute a one-paragraph abstract summarizing the independent research proposal for the preliminary examination to the Advisory Committee for their approval (this can be conveniently accomplished via e-mail) no later than six weeks before exam date

Submit Final Doctoral Program of Study form to Graduate School through Graduate Program Administrator before preliminary examination

Schedule date for preliminary oral examination with Advisory Committee. At least two weeks in advance of the oral preliminary examination, provide date, time, and place to the Graduate Program Administrator, who will forward this information for announcement on the Graduate School website. There must be an approved Advisory Committee form and an approved Final Program of Study form on file with the Graduate School prior to this announcement. The preliminary examination must be taken and passed by end of 4th semester

Distribute the written independent research proposal and research progress report for the preliminary examination to Advisory Committee at least two weeks before exam

When the announcement of the preliminary examination has been received by the Graduate School, the Report of the Written and Oral Comprehensive Examination form will be placed in the student's mailbox. This form should be taken to the preliminary examination for the Advisory Committee to complete (along with the Student Performance forms). After the preliminary examination, the student should return the completed form to the Graduate Program Administrator, who will forward it to the Graduate School.

Submit Application for Admission to Candidacy form after fulfilling following criteria:

• Final Doctoral Program of Study approved
• Grade Point Average of 3.0 or better
• Preliminary examination passed
• 30-hour coursework requirement met
• Advisory Committee confirmed and notified

Third Year and Beyond

Give second graded seminar by end of third year (i.e., the sixth non-summer semester after entry)

File Application for Graduation form with the Graduate School no later than Friday of the second full week (the first full week for summer) of classes during the semester the student plans to graduate. The Graduate School strictly enforces this deadline!

Submit completed dissertation to research advisor for approval to distribute to Advisory Committee

Distribute dissertation to Advisory Committee at least two weeks in advance of the Final Oral Examination

Schedule date for Final Oral Examination with Advisory Committee. At least two weeks in advance of Final Oral Examination, provide date, time, place, and title of dissertation to the Graduate Program Administrator who will forward this information for announcement on the Graduate School website. Failure to provide this information could jeopardize the validity of the Final Defense.

Take Final Oral Examination [no more than one Advisory Committee members may disapprove of dissertation]

Make any suggested changes to dissertation and submit completed Approval Form for Doctoral Dissertation and Final Oral Examination and Student Performance form (one for each faculty member on committee) to Graduate School through Graduate Program Administrator immediately after Final Oral Examination or after suggested changes are made

Submit final dissertation to Graduate School for approval electronically as .pdf file according to instructions on ETD Submission Form on the Graduate School webpage by the end of the semester in which the Final Oral Examination was taken.

Register for at least three hours of coursework during semester of graduation. Complete all requirements and have all forms filed with the Graduate School at least one week prior to Graduation.

Guidelines for Designing a Ph.D. Program of Study

The following is a summary of the rules discussed in the UGA Graduate Bulletin regarding residency, admission to candidacy, and the Program of Study. Special attention is given to how these rules affect Chemistry graduate students.

1. A minimum of 30 hours of resident coursework at the University of Georgia must be completed before a student may be admitted to candidacy.
2. A Final Program of Study must include a minimum of 20 hours of letter-graded courses open only to graduate enrollment (i.e., 6xxx-9xxx courses that do not have duplicate undergraduate course numbers, 4xxx-5xxx).
3. Ph.D. chemistry students must include on their Final Program of Study:
1. Six 3-credit letter-graded graduate courses; a maximum of two of these may be taken outside of the chemistry department.
2. Two 1-credit letter-graded seminar courses (i.e., CHEM 8120, 8130, 8140, or 8150).
3. A minimum of 6 hours of CHEM 9000 (Doctoral Research).
4. A minimum of 3 hours of CHEM 9300 (Doctoral Dissertation).
4. The detailed Graduate School rules and procedures for correctly submitting a Chemistry Ph.D. Program of Study form are available as a pdf download.

Recommended Courses for 1st Year of Study

Guidelines for Written Comprehensive Examination

Each Ph.D. student must pass a preliminary examination to be admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. This examination consists of two distinct parts: (a) a written independent research proposal and a written research progress report; and (b) an oral defense of these documents including oral answers to questions raised by the student's Advisory Committee. These guidelines relate to part (a), which constitutes the written comprehensive examination. The written proposal and progress report should be distributed to the student's Advisory Committee at least two weeks before the scheduled preliminary examination.

Independent Research Proposal

Each Ph.D. student must write an original, independently conceived proposal for a research project not directly related to the student's dissertation research. The purpose of this exercise is to demonstrate that the student can identify a significant and timely scientific question, and synthesize a research strategy designed to answer this question. The proposal will be evaluated for creativity, feasibility, and significance of the research goals. The student is also expected to be familiar with the background of the selected research topic. The topic must be approved by the Advisory Committee, as set forth in the Checklist: Ph.D. Program/second year above. The research proposal should be no longer than 10 pages of double-spaced text. Figures, tables, references, and other graphical material are not included in this limit and should be used to efficiently convey information.

The format of the proposal should use the following sections in the indicated order adhering to the indicated page limits:

Summary (0.5 pages): A brief summary of the proposal stating the goals of the proposed research and the experimental approach to achieving them.

Background and Significance (2 pages): A description of the current state of the chosen research area, concentrating on any gaps in current understanding that this proposal is designed to fill. The significance of the research question being addressed should also be discussed.

Proposed Experiments (6.5 pages): A detailed description of the experiments proposed, including instrumentation or procedures used, and how the results would be analyzed and interpreted.

Chances of Success (1 page): An evaluation of the experimental protocol, possible outcomes, and the overall chance of successful completion of the proposed experiments. The most difficult or challenging parts of the proposed study should be identified and discussed.

Research Progress Report

Each Ph.D. student must write a report describing the progress made to date on his/her dissertation research project. This allows the committee to evaluate the student's understanding of the research pursued and the student's research progress. The progress report should be no longer than 10 pages of double-spaced text. Figures, tables, references, and other graphical material are not included in this limit and should be used to efficiently convey information.

The format of the progress report should use the following sections in the indicated order adhering to the indicated maximum page limits:

Abstract (0.5 pages): A brief summary of the goals of the research project and the progress that will be discussed.

Background (1.5 pages): A description of the current state of this research area, concentrating on any gaps in current understanding that your project is designed to fill.

Goals (1 page): A summary of the specific goals of the research project and the significance of reaching these goals (i.e., how will science be advanced if these goals are achieved?)

Experimental Approach (5 pages for this and next section): A discussion of the experimental approaches being used to accomplish the research project. This should represent an "outline" of the thesis project from start to finish.

Progress: A summary of work accomplished to date on the research project. Included in this section should also be a discussion of the future directions of the project.

Guidelines for Faculty Involvement in Graduate Student Preparation of Written Comprehensive Examination

1. suggest the specific topic, technique, or molecular system to be considered in the independent research proposal. Suggestions about the general area of the proposal are acceptable.
2. direct the development of the project in the independent research proposal. When consulted by the student, they may provide factual information only.
3. see any version of the independent research proposal prior to its distribution to the entire committee (at least two weeks before the preliminary examination).
4. attend an oral presentation of the contents of the written comprehensive examination before the preliminary exam.

Requirements for M.S. Degree

1. A good faith effort to fulfill all program requirements on schedule (cf. the Checklists below).
2. Maintenance of at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA. The Graduate School Bulletin states "Students with a cumulative graduate course average below 3.0 for two consecutive terms are placed on academic probation by the Graduate School. They then must make a 3.0 or higher semester graduate average each succeeding semester that their overall cumulative graduate average is below 3.0. These students are no longer on probation when their cumulative graduate average is 3.0 or above. If they make below a 3.0 semester graduate average while on probation, they are dismissed."
3. Receiving "Acceptable" (or better) ratings in each task of each course for which GLA performance was evaluated in the most recent semester in which GLA duties were performed.
4. Receiving an "S" grade for any GRSC 7770 course taken within the last year.
5. Receiving at least one "S" grade in CHEM 7000/9000 in the previous two semesters (applies to students beyond their first year).
6. For international students, achieving a score of at least 50 on the SPEAK test.

Checklist: M.S. Program

Meet with Graduate Admissions Committee to select first-semester courses week before start of 1st semester

Meet with three or more faculty members to discuss research options; get signatures on Major Professor Selection form during 1st semester

Have selected research advisor sign Major Professor Selection form by end of 1st semester

Select Advisory Committee; submit Advisory Committee for Master of Arts and Master of Science Candidates form by end of 2nd semester

Submit Program of Study for Master of Arts and Master of Science Candidates form to Graduate Program Administrator by the end of the 3rd semester. The following criteria must be fulfilled before submitting a program of study:

• Final Program of Study approved
• Grade Point Average of 3.0 or better
• 30-hour coursework requirement met
• Advisory Committee confirmed and notified

Give graded seminar; variable timing

File Application for Graduation form through Graduate Program Administrator at least two full semesters before graduation date

Submit completed thesis to research advisor for approval to distribute to Advisory Committee [variable]

Distribute thesis to Advisory Committee. At least two weeks in advance of Final Oral Examination, provide date, time, place, and title of dissertation to the Graduate Program Administrator who will forward this information for announcement on the Graduate School website. Failure to provide this information could jeopardize the validity of the Final Defense.

Take Final Oral Examination and make any suggested changes to thesis.

Submit signed and completed Approval Form for Master's Thesis, Defense, and Final Examination Master of Arts and Master of Science Candidates and Student Performance form (one for each faculty member) to Graduate School through Graduate Program Administrator immediately after Final Oral Exam or after suggested changes are made

Submit final thesis to Graduate School for approval electronically as .pdf file according to instructions on ETD Submission Form on the Graduate School web page by end of semester following Final Oral Examination

Register for at least three hours of coursework (CHEM 7300) during semester in which you will graduate. Complete all requirements and have all forms filed with the Graduate School at least one week prior to Graduation.

Guidelines for Designing an M.S. Program of Study

1. A Final Program of Study must include a minimum of 30 hours of resident coursework at the University of Georgia.
2. A Final Program of Study must include a minimum of 12 hours of letter-graded courses open only to graduate enrollment (i.e., 6xxx-9xxx courses that do not have duplicate undergraduate course numbers, 4xxx-5xxx).
3. M.S. chemistry students must include on their Final Program of Study:
   1. Four 3-credit letter-graded graduate courses; a maximum of one of these may be taken outside the chemistry department.
   2. One 1-credit letter-graded seminar course (i.e., CHEM 8120, 8130, 8140, or 8150).
   3. A minimum of 3 hours and a maximum of 6 hours of CHEM 7000 (Master's Research).
   4. A minimum of 3 hours of CHEM 7300 (Master's Thesis).
4. The detailed Graduate School rules and procedures for correctly submitting a Chemistry M.S. Program of Study form are available as a pdf download.