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Though the primary requirement for the Ph.D. in Photochemical Sciences is the dissertation, the following course requirements are also mandated by the Graduate College:
CHEM 542 – Organic Reaction Mechanisms (second term - Spring)
CHEM 566 – Spectroscopic Methods in Organic Chemistry (first term - Fall)
CHEM 614 – Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy (first term - Fall)
PCS 701 – Photochemistry and Photophysics I (second term - Spring)
PCS 702 – Photochemistry and Photophysics II (fourth term - Fall)
PCS 704 – Special Topics in Spectroscopy (fifth term – Spring)
By the end of the student’s second year, he/she must submit the qualification examination, a 10-15 page paper that describes the student’s research progress made after the first summer in the program. This paper should convey the student’s knowledge of the scientific literature surrounding his/her program as well as describe the results, which have been obtained to date. In particular, the student’s paper should clearly demonstrate how the student’s research project relates to other work done in the field. The student’s dissertation committee will administer an oral examination on this topic. The timing of the qualification examination allows students who do not demonstrate the ability to complete the Ph.D. degree and opportunity to make alternative choices for graduate study.
The preliminary examination, completed after the fifth semester of study, consists of the preparation and defense of an original research proposal where the student will be required to develop a comprehensive plan to study some problem in a related area to (but not directly with) the Ph.D. dissertation proposal. The student will be required to submit a written proposal and also defend the proposal in a presentation to his/her dissertation committee.
Shortly after completion of the preliminary examination, the student must submit the topic and an abstract of his/her proposed dissertation research. The topic is approved by the Center faculty and the Graduate College. The student becomes a candidate for the Ph.D. degree after completion of the Preliminary Examination and submission of the dissertation abstract.
The Ph.D. dissertation represents a comprehensive, original scholarly work with the doctoral candidate as the primary contributor. In general, this work will be appropriate for publication as a major article (or series of articles) in a refereed journal. The dissertation committee supervises the dissertation work. Primary supervisory responsibility rests with the dissertation adviser).
The final examination for the Ph.D. degree is an oral defense where the student presents a seminar on his/her research and defends the results before the dissertation committee. |
