*Please note: We recognize that students have specific circumstances that may warrant slight adjustments to the requirements. The GSO will try to accommodate these.

Underlying Philosophy

Rules and Regulations

Ph. D. from B.S. or B.A.

• Must have a total of 96 hours.# Beyond the required coursework (listed below). The remainder of the hours is made up of Chemistry 691: Research.
• Minimum of four courses (12 credit hours). Coursework is generally determined by the student's division and their specific requirements. The advisory committee has the final authority for the course requirements.
• Four semesters (4 credit hours) of Chemistry 681: Seminar. The student must present and pass one seminar. The student must be registered for Chemistry 681 in the semester when the seminar is presented.
• Two semesters (6 credit hours) of Chemistry 695: Frontiers in Chemical Research.
• One semester (1 credit hour) of Chemistry 686: Ethics in Research and Scholarship.
• At least one semester (1 credit hour) of Chemistry 697: Methods in Teaching Chemistry Laboratory.

• The Department of Chemistry requires that all Ph.D. committees consist of at least three Chemistry faculty and one outside-the-department faculty.
  
  The Texas State Legislature is in the process of limiting the number of credit hours that a student can accumulate in pursuit of the Ph.D. When a student enters the Ph.D. program with a BA or BS, the first 30 completed credit hours are called G7 hours. After this time, the student begins to accumulate G8 hours.

See Subvention Hours Page

Ph. D. from M.S. (Domestic Students*)

• Must have a total of 64 hours.# Beyond the required coursework (listed below), The remainder of the hours is made up of Chemistry 691: Research.
• Minimum of two courses (6 credit hours). Coursework is generally determined by the student's division and their specific requirements. The advisory committee has the final authority for the course requirements.
• Four semesters (4 credit hours) of Chemistry 681: Seminar. The student must present and pass one seminar. The student must be registered for Chemistry 681 in the semester when the seminar is presented.
• Two semesters (6 credit hours) of Chemistry 695: Frontiers in Chemistry Research.
• One semester (1 credit hour) of Chemistry 686: Ethics in Research and Scholarship.
• At least one semester (1 credit hour) of Chemistry 697: Methods in Teaching Chemistry Laboratory.

  
  The Texas State Legislature is in the process of limiting the number of credit hours that a student can accumulate in pursuit of the Ph.D. When a student enters the Ph.D. program with a MS, all courses are regarded as G8 hours.

See Subvention Hours Page

M.S. Thesis Option from B.S. or B.A.
For M.S. with an emphasis in Chemical Education.

M.S. Thesis:

• Must have a total of 32 hours.# Five graded courses. Coursework is generally determined by the student's division and their specific requirements. The advisory committee has the final authority for course requirements.
• One semester (3 credit hours) of Chemistry 695: Frontiers in Chemical Research.
• Two semesters (2 credit hours) of Chemistry 681: Seminar. The advisory committee will need to decide if the student is required to give a seminar or not toward this requirement. If a seminar is given, the student must be registered for Chemistry 681 in the semester when the seminar is presented.
• Ten credit hours of Chemistry 691: Research.
• One semester (1 credit hour) of Chemistry 686: Ethics in Research and Scholarship.
• One semester (1 credit hour) of Chemistry 697: Methods in Teaching Chemistry Laboratory.

  The Texas State Legislature has not set a limit on the number of credit hours that can be accumulated in pursuit of the degree.

For any type of degree plan, the student may have more than the minimum hours of coursework or research hours. The Office of Graduate Studies will only count the number entered on the degree plan. There is some flexibility in the two Ph.D. programs, but the requirements for the M.S. program are set.

Students who have taken graduate level courses prior to attending Texas A&M University but who did not complete a degree may petition to have these courses transferred in for credit. Once a course has been used for another degree, however, it can not be transferred.

*International student requirements vary - check with the Graduate Student Office for specific information.

+If the M.S. is from Texas A&M University, slightly different rules apply - check with the Graduate Student Office for specific information.

#These are Texas A&M University requirements.

Divisional Guidelines:

Analytical Division Coursework Guidelines:
Chemistry 601: Analytical Chemistry I
Chemistry 602: Analytical Chemistry II

Biological Chemistry Program:
Chemistry 646: Organic Chemistry
Five additional courses (at least two must come from chemistry offerings; the others must come from biochemistry offerings, recommended courses include BICH 603, 624, 631, and 654)

Inorganic Division Coursework Guidelines:
Chemistry 634: Physical Methods in Inorganic Chemistry
Chemistry 636: Mechanistic Inorganic Chemistry
Chemistry 641: Structural Inorganic Chemistry

Organic Division Coursework Guidelines:
Chemistry 646: Organic Chemistry
Chemistry 610: Organic Reactions

Physical Division Coursework Guidelines:
Chemistry 648: Quantum Chemistry
Chemistry 631: Statistical Thermodynamics
Chemistry 621: Chemical Kinetics OR Chemistry 660: Nuclear Chemistry

Other Information:

Petition Process:
Once a degree plan has been approved by the student's advisory committee, the Graduate Advisor, and the Office of Graduate Studies, the only way any part of it can be changed is by a petition. This includes substituting coursework, changing committee members, etc. The petition form can be obtained from the Office of Graduate Studies Webpage. Each petition must be approved by the student's advisory committee, the Graduate Advisor, and the Office of Graduate Studies.

Forms and Samples

OGS Degree Plan

OGS Petition Form -- click here to download forms from the Office of Graduate Studies

For more information, write the Graduate Student Advisor: gradmail@mail.chem.tamu.edu.