Materials Chemistry (Ph.D.)

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Admissions Information

Doctor of Philosophy, Materials Chemistry: Total 58 or 82-88 credit hours

Major Area Coursework

Master’s coursework: 0-30 credit hours ##Pending SDBOR approval for Master work content
(from USD or an equivalent Master’s degree in Chemistry from a qualifying institution)
CHEM 580 - Chemical Hygiene 1 cr hrs
CHEM 5xx/7xx-Two CHEM elective courses 6 cr hrs
CHEM 726 - Advanced Organic Chemistry 3 cr hrs
CHEM 730 - Advanced Analytical Chemistry 3 cr hrs
CHEM 744 - Advanced Physical Chemistry 3 cr hrs
CHEM 752 - Advanced Inorganic Chemistry II 3 cr hrs
CHEM 790 - Graduate Seminar in Chemistry (C) 1 cr hrs (4 credit hours required)
CHEM 798 - Thesis Research in Chemistry (C) 1 to 6 cr hrs (7 credit hours required)
Doctoral coursework: 58 credit hours
CHEM 790 - Graduate Seminar in Chemistry (C) 1 cr hrs (6 credit hours required)
CHEM 898D - Dissertation Research in Chemistry (C) 1 to 9 cr hrs (40 credit hours required)
All doctoral students are required to complete 12 credit hours from the courses below. Select courses offered by the Chemistry Department and other Departments may also be counted. These courses must be related to the student’s primary area of research interest and must be approved by the student’s Dissertation Committee and the Department Chair. A minimum of 58 credit hours beyond the conferred M.S. in Chemistry is required.
CHEM 721 - Solid State Chemistry and Crystallography 3 cr hrs *
Select 3 courses from the following**:
CHEM 521 - Spectroscopic Analysis (C) 3 cr hrs
CHEM 720 - Synthesis and Characterization of Nano-Structured Materials (C) 3 cr hrs
CHEM 723 - Luminescence Spectroscopy of Materials (C) 3 cr hrs
CHEM 727 - Electrochemistry 3 cr hrs
CHEM 729 - Applications of Nano-Structured Materials 3 cr hrs
Select courses offered by the Chemistry Department and other Departments may also be counted. These courses must be related to the student’s primary area of research interest and must be approved by the student’s Dissertation Committee and the Department Chair.

* CHEM 721 may be substituted by PHYS 539.

** Students matriculating with the M.S. in Chemistry from USD will be allowed to count up to two of the listed courses (CHEM 721, 521, 720, 729, 723, 727) towards both degrees.

Student Learning Outcomes

Ph.D. students will demonstrate basic knowledge and competency in organic, inorganic, physical, and analytical sub-disciplines of chemistry as assessed by the American Chemical Society (ACS) exams.
Students will demonstrate critical thinking skills and be well-informed in topical areas of Materials Chemistry.
Students will demonstrate to conduct independent original research and effectively communicate results of their research by contributing to the knowledge base in their discipline(s).

State Authorization - It Matters Where You Live

If your learning placement course (internship, externship, clinical, rotation, practicum, independent study, study away, etc.) or your online course will be taken outside South Dakota, please reference the State Authorization webpage.

State Authorization