PhD Program
The Program
The Green Chemistry Track in the Chemistry PhD Program is the first such program in the world. Students obtaining a degree from this program will be prepared for conventional chemistry jobs in industry, government, and academia. In addition to traditional training in the chemical sciences, required and elective courses in the Biology Department and School for the Environment provide graduates with the tools and experience to assess human impact on health and the environment.
Green chemistry involves an ecologically sustainable view of chemical research, development, and manufacture. Toxicological understanding and environmental fate are necessary components to understanding the entire "molecular life cycle" of any commercial endeavor.
Typically, universities and academic departments lack the appropriate personnel and facilities to pursue a program of this kind. The unique complement of chemistry, EEOS, and biology department faculty has allowed the University of Massachusetts Boston to create such a program.
Degree Requirements
For the PhD in Chemistry/Green Chemistry Track, 60 credits are required from courses, seminars (CHEM 691 & 692), and Dissertation Research (CHEM 899), distributed as follows:
- Three fundamental graduate courses in chemistry, one from each of the following areas: physical chemistry (CHEM 601 - Thermodynamics and Kinetics, CHEM 602 - Quantum Mechanics & Spectroscopy); inorganic chemistry (CHEM 611 - Inorganic Chemistry: Synthesis and Analysis, CHEM 612 - Inorganic Chemistry: Structure and Reactivity); and organic chemistry (CHEM 621 - Organic Synthesis and Mechanisms, CHEM 622 - Physical Organic Chemistry). These courses must be passed with grades of B or better.
- CHEM 671 - Introduction to Green Chemistry and EEOS 635 - Environmental Toxicology. Both CHEM 671 and EEOS 635 must be passed with grades of B or better.
- One elective course selected from either the list of Fundamental Graduate Courses in Chemistry, the list of Elective Graduate Courses in Chemistry (CHEM 651, CHEM 653, CHEM 658, CHEM 666, CHEM 687, CHEM 688, CHEM 689, CHEM 690, CHEM 696), or a list of Approved Elective Courses Outside of Chemistry (available from the department) given by the Biology or EEOS Departments. Other graduate courses outside of chemistry may be taken to fulfill this requirement, with the approval of the graduate program director, if particularly relevant to the student’s research. Beyond this requirement, students are encouraged to take additional elective courses relevant to their programmatic focus.
- CHEM 691 (Seminar I) and CHEM 692 (Seminar II) in every semester of attendance.
- Literature seminar presentation, based on review of the scientific literature related to a selected topic of current chemical interest. The literature seminar must be completed within the first two years of matriculation.
- A written comprehensive examination and an oral examination to be admitted to candidacy. (For more information on these examinations, please refer to the Graduate Student Seminar web page.)
- Dissertation and defense based on original research relevant to green chemistry.
- All students must acquire at least one semester of teaching or work experience in chemistry, subject to approval by the graduate program director.
Research
A complete listing of the faculty and their research interests is available elsewhere on this site.
Admission Requirements
The Chemistry Program will recommend admission for those applicants who present evidence of their ability to do graduate work with distinction. Applicants should present:
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (aptitude and advanced tests).
- Three letters of recommendation.
For more information, contact the Graduate Program Director of the Chemistry Department, Prof Bela Torok.