The program has a diverse faculty with strengths in the traditional areas of inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry, as well as in the interdisciplinary areas of biophysical chemistry and structural biology; chemical physics; molecular design and synthesis; nano- and materials chemistry; organometallic chemistry; surface chemistry; and theoretical chemistry. Additional opportunities for interdisciplinary training and research are provided by faculty participation in a number of multidisciplinary research centers including the BioMaPS Institute for Quantitative Biology, the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, the Center for Molecular Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, the Institute for Advanced Materials, Devices, and Nanotechnology, the Laboratory for Surface Modification, and the New Jersey Center for Biomaterials.
Faculty and graduate student research is supported by in-house shop facilities, a comprehensive chemistry library, and a full range of state-of-the-art chemical instruments. This equipment includes 300, 400, 500, two 600, 700, and 800 MHz NMR spectrometers with 2-D and 3-D capabilities, single-crystal and powder X-ray diffractometers, macromolecular crystallization and imaging facilities, ultrahigh vacuum surface analysis systems, microscopy and microanalytical spectroscopy facilities, extensive laser and calorimetric instrumentation, and state-of-the-art computing and graphics facilities.
The program for the master's degree requires a minimum of 30 credits and either a critical essay or a thesis on some research problem. Many graduate courses are scheduled in the late afternoon and early evening hours. This enables students who are unable to attend classes during the day because of employment restrictions to pursue an M.S. degree.
The principal requirement for the Ph.D. degree is completion and successful oral defense of a thesis based on original research. A Ph.D. candidate must also complete a minimum of 18 credits of work in graduate courses approved by his or her adviser and pass the Ph.D. qualifying exam, which consists of two parts: (1) successful oral defense of a written research proposal based on the student's Ph.D. thesis project, and (2) successful oral defense of a written "out-of-field" proposal on a topic not closely related to the student's thesis research. Both parts of the qualifying exam must be completed by the end of the fourth semester of full-time graduate study. A Ph.D. candidate must spend not less than one academic year as a full-time student in residence. This residence requirement may be waived in cases of outstanding professional accomplishment and experience.
Teaching assistantships and fellowships are available for both first-year and advanced graduate students, and virtually all full-time doctoral students receive financial support. Teaching assistants spend no more than six contact hours per week on their duties and normally take 6 to 10 credits of graduate courses or research each semester. Fellowships normally do not entail special duties, and those who hold them can devote full time to coursework and to research related to their Ph.D. dissertation. Further information on these and other matters may be found on the homepage of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.
