The faculty in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry offer programs leading to the M.S. and the Ph.D. degrees in Chemistry. Areas of concentration include analytical chemistry, biochemistry, geochemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and solid-state chemistry.
The faculty also participate in offering programs leading to the “Master of Natural Science” degree when one of the concentrations is chemistry, and the interdisciplinary programs, leading to the Ph.D. degrees with majors in “Exercise Science” and the “Science and Engineering of Materials”
Students admitted to the Master of Education degree program with a major in Secondary Education may also elect chemistry as the subject matter field.
The graduate programs offered by the faculty in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry prepare students for professional careers in chemistry and related fields in industry, government, and educational institutions. All students applying for admission to one of these programs must submit scores for the Graduate Record Examination.
MASTER OF SCIENCE
See “Master’s Degrees” for general requirements.
Program of Study. A minimum of 30 semester hours of credit is required, including three core courses. A thesis carrying six semester hours is also included in the total. The remaining courses are selected by the student in consultation with the supervisory committee.
Thesis Requirements. A thesis is required.
Final Examinations. A general oral examination is required of all candidates for the master’s degree. A written examination may also be required.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
See “Doctor of Philosophy” for general requirements.
Program of Study. A minimum of 84 semester hours, including dissertation, is required. Approximately 20–30 hours of this total is formal course work, including three core courses. The remaining courses, including research and dissertation, are selected by the student in consultation with the supervisory committee.
Cumulative Examinations. Written examinations are required. In addition, an oral examination is required which includes material of a general nature, and the presentation and defense of current research and an original research proposal prepared by the student.
Foreign Language Requirements. There is no departmental foreign language requirement, but the student’s supervisory committee may specify a reading proficiency in one or more foreign languages.
Dissertation Requirements. A dissertation based on original work of high quality and demonstrating proficiency in the student’s special field is required. (See “Research and Dissertation Requirements.”)
Final Examinations. The final oral examination is a defense of the dissertation, during which the candidate presents a summary of the dissertation research. Evidence of a publishable contribution of original research must be presented.
RESEARCH ACTIVITY
Current research in the department is reflected in the following list of subjects: chemical bonding; atomic spectroscopy; transition elements; organometallic chemistry; meteorite chemistry; electrical properties of titanium oxides; X-ray and neutron crystallography; X-ray crystallography of membrane proteins; photobiology; electronic structure and mechanisms involved in pigment systems; artificial photosynthesis; bacterial photosynthesis; chemical applications of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; organic mass spectrometry including field ionization kinetics; biochemical pharmacology; structure of biopolymers; metalloproteins; molecular biology; site-directed mutagenesis; quantitative analysis with electron beam instruments; enzymes of purine metabolism; toxic proteins from Mojave rattlesnake venom; purine and pyrimidine chemistry; design of potential antitumor agents; design and synthesis of imaging agents of malignant tissues; redox chemistry of quinones; rate processes and molecular spectroscopy; nature and origin of organic compounds in carbonaceous meteorites; computer-assisted structure elucidation; cycloaddition and cycloreversion reactions; magnetic; chemisorption; and catalytic behavior of small metallic particles; structure and properties of metal-ammonia systems; solid-state geochemistry; nucleic acid chemistry and electron microscopy; separations and chromatographic detectors; electron microprobe analysis of air-pollutants; metal complexes of macrocyclic chelating agents; structure analysis of metal complexes having a high coordination number; molecular orbital calculations; infrared and Raman spectroscopy; ceramics; laser spectroscopy; ultrafast kinetics; microwave spectroscopy.
In addition, interdisciplinary research is actively pursued in several areas, e.g., biochemistry, geochemistry, solid-state science, and materials science. Magnetic and magnetic resonance studies involve faculty and students from the Departments of Physics and Astronomy and Chemistry and Biochemistry in a well-equipped magnetism facility. Approximately 35 faculty members from the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Physics and Astronomy, Geology and the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences are associated with the Center for Solid-State Science. The center includes a number of specialized facilities such as electron microscopy and crystal-growing laboratories. Eleven faculty members from the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Plant Biology are associated with the Center for the Study of Early Events in Photosynthesis. This center has unique instrumentation for studying the earliest energy storing reactions of photosynthesis. The Center for Meteorite Studies and the Cancer Research Institute also foster interdisciplinary research efforts. Faculty in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry also participate in collaborative programs in the science and engineering of materials and in molecular and cellular biology.
Omnibus Graduate Courses: See omnibus graduate courses that may be offered.
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