Materials Chemistry (Ph.D.)

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Program Overview

The doctoral program prepares you for a career as a researcher in academia or industry. The program addresses critical needs in energy, catalysis, security, health and environmental remediation. Our faculty have funding from many national granting agencies. Graduate students may begin their program at the start of either the fall or the spring semester. There is a substantial research component to the program culminating in oral defense of a thesis whose basis is an original contribution to the discipline. The program is designed to allow students to complete both master’s and doctoral requirements within five years. The program has been accredited by the American Chemical Society (ACS) since 1941. Learn more at usd.edu/chemistry.

DELIVERY: On campus

Doctor of Philosophy, Materials Chemistry

Major Area Coursework- 58 or 82-88 Credit Hours

Master’s coursework: 0-30 credit hours
(from USD or an equivalent Master’s degree in Chemistry from a qualifying institution)
CHEM 580 - Chemical Hygiene 1 cr
CHEM 5xx/7xx-Two CHEM elective courses 6 cr hrs
CHEM 726 - Advanced Organic Chemistry 3 cr
CHEM 730 - Advanced Analytical Chemistry 3 cr
CHEM 744 - Advanced Physical Chemistry 3 cr
CHEM 752 - Advanced Inorganic Chemistry II 3 cr
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 (7 credit hours required)
Doctoral coursework: 58 credit hours
CHEM 790 - Graduate Seminar in Chemistry (C) 1 cr (6 credit hours required)
CHEM 898D - Dissertation Research in Chemistry (C) 1 to 9 cr (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 *
Select 3 courses from the following**:
CHEM 521 - Spectroscopic Analysis (C) 3 cr
CHEM 720 - Synthesis and Characterization of Nano-Structured Materials (C) 3 cr
CHEM 723 - Luminescence Spectroscopy of Materials (C) 3 cr
CHEM 727 - Electrochemistry 3 cr
CHEM 729 - Applications of Nano-Structured Materials 3 cr
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.

Application Requirements

Completed application
$35 application fee
Official transcripts*
Letters of recommendation*
Admission test scores*
Statement of purpose
Resume/CV*

*Requirements for admission vary by program and may require different documentation and have different deadlines. For specific program requirements and submission deadline, visit: catalog.usd.edu.

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 USD’s State Authorization webpage.

State Authorization

Questions?

Department of Chemistry
605-677-5487 | chemistry@usd.edu | usd.edu/chemistry

Graduate Admissions
605-658-6200 | gradadmissions@usd.edu | usd.edu/grad