INTERDISCIPLINARY DEGREE IN CHEMISTRY
A student who is interested in the application of chemistry to another discipline may enter one of the approved Interdisciplinary Programs in Chemistry. In these programs the student chooses a research problem to be supervised by a participating faculty member who is not a member of the Chemistry Department. A five-member faculty committee and the student will plan the program. Since the degree to be granted is a Ph.D. in Chemistry, the committee will have at least three faculty members from the Chemistry Department. The thesis supervisor will be the chairman of the student's doctoral committee. The doctoral committee will advise the student, supervise the educational program and evaluate progress. The doctoral committee must meet with the student at least once each semester.
Students participating in these programs must be graduate students in chemistry, and must meet the usual admission requirements of the Chemistry Department. Since the student's interest will extend beyond the usual divisions of chemistry, certain variations in meeting the requirements of the Ph.D. will be allowed. These are:
- Courses - Normally the student in an interdisciplinary program will take five chemistry courses at the 900 level and four other courses selected jointly by the student and the student's doctoral committee. The courses (including the chemistry courses) will be selected according to the individual student's needs and interests.
- Cumulative Examination - After passing a preliminary cumulative examination, the student must either pass six written cumulative examinations which will be given monthly, or take a predetermined number of examinations given monthly with the total series to be considered in determining the student's standing in the program. The Doctoral Committee will determine the specific nature of the examinations and, in consultation with the student, when the cumulative examinations will begin.
- All other requirements for the Ph.D., including proposals, seminars, demonstrations of computer knowledge, etc., remain the same as in the regular program.