A PhD in Organic Chemistry

Overview

    By far the largest and most important component of the Ph. D. degree in organic chemistry is the thesis research. However, there are also several formal requirements which are described below and in the linked pages.

Coursework

    Most graduate students in organic chemistry finish all or almost all of their required coursework during their first year. There is a major requirement (basically Chem 641, 647 and 841) and a minor requirement (10 additional credits of coursework). University regulations require that full-time graduate students register for 12 credits of coursework each semester (this includes Chemistry 990, Research in Organic Chemistry). Typical courses are as follows:

Fall semester of first year:

• Chemistry 641 (required course: reaction mechanisms and physical organic chemistry)
• Chemistry 636 (a lecture seminar and laboratory course on proper use of high-field NMR spectrometers). Everyone who anticipates using NMR spectroscopy in their research takes this course either in the first or second semester.
• Chemistry 647 (required course on electron-pushing mechanisms)
• One additional course ouside of organic chemistry to satisfy part of the minor requirement. Depending on the interest of the student this may be a course in organometallic chemistry, biochemistry, medicinal chemistry or any other area relevant to organic chemistry.

Spring semester of first year:

• Chemistry 607 (all graduate students are required to register for and attend the Chemistry Department's Laboratory Safety Course during the spring semester. This course is given once a year during the week before classes start in January).
• Chemistry 605 (structure elucidation by use of NMR and other spectroscopic techniques)
• Chemistry 841 (required course: organic synthesis and synthetic methods)
• One or two additional courses to complete the minor program.

    Members of the faculty teach a number of special topics courses (Chem 842, 843, 845). Senior graduate students will often sit in on these even after they have completed formal course requirements.

    Grades in Graduate Courses. The passing grade for all courses taken by graduate students is a B. Grades of less than B do not count for minor or major credit. A grade of less than B in the required courses Chem 641, Chem 647 or Chem 841 means the course has to be repeated. Graduate students also have to maintain a B average in all coursework, so a BC grade in one course has to be offset by a grade of AB or better in another course. Grades in Research courses (Chemistry 990) do not count in calculating the average.

Joining a research group

    One of the major tasks for new graduate students is choosing a research advisor. In the UW Organic Division we have developed an advisor selection procedure that we believe to be very advantageous from the student perspective. The key features of this procedure are:

1. All students must attend the Tues/Thurs evening sessions (6:30 - 8:30, starting after Sept. 1), at which all organic faculty will briefly outline research opportunities in their groups.
2. Students must have one-on-one meetings with at least FIVE members of the Organic Division (listed on the "dance card") to discuss research opportunities in greater depth. You are encouraged to meet with as many faculty members as possible, including faculty who are not members of the Organic Division. The dance card helps you keep track of your faculty contacts.
3. Neither students nor faculty members can make any commitment before 1 November. Students should make a final decision by 15 November.

    Feature #1 guarantees that all new students have a complete overview of organic research activities on the UW campus.

    Feature #2 gives students an opportunity to get to know all of the faculty members who have research interests that are (or might be) complementary to their own. This breadth of acquaintance helps maintain a friendly and communicative atmosphere in our department. In addition, this familiarity can be very helpful later on, when students encounter scientific questions that require expertise beyond that of their own group (i.e., students know which other faculty members to approach with their questions). The one-on-one meetings also ensure that new students appreciate the full range of research opportunities available at UW. It can be difficult to acquire a broad knowledge of organic chemistry as an undergraduate; some incoming students choose doctoral research paths that they had never imagined prior to the start of graduate school. For this reason we encourage new graduate students to meet individually with as many faculty members as possible beyond the minimum of five members of the Organic Division.

    Feature #3 ensures that new graduate students have the time to make the necessary faculty and group contacts prior to making a final decision. New graduate students are encouraged to start their evaluation of potential advisors as soon as possible, and certainly by mid-September.

    Interaction with a potential advisor is not the only way to judge a prospective research group. Once you have identified a set of potential advisors that are most interesting to you, you should attend group meetings to get a sense of laboratory dynamics. In addition, you should get to know the older graduate students in any group that interests you, since you will want to hear their perspective on "life" in that group. Don't be shy about approaching more advanced graduate students -- they have all gone through this selection process, and they're eager to help new students make an informed decision.

    Note, although formal commitments cannot be made before 1 November, it is sensible for students to communicate their preferences privately to advisors of interest before that date. Early communications allow faculty and students to gauge the level of interest in various groups, which is particularly important if a group has a chance of being over-subscribed.

Requirements for the PhD Degree

    In addition to preparing the Preliminary Research Report and passing the Preliminary Research Exam, there are two other requirements that are important parts of the PhD program. Irrespective of the ultimate career that a PhD chemist chooses, the work is likely to involve the development of independent research proposals, and the public presentation of chemical information.
    Research Proposal: Each graduate student, during the second semester of the second year or the first semester of the third year in graduate school, develops an independent research proposal. This requirement provides students with the opportunity to formulate and develop an original set of hypotheses or other scientific goals, and to communicate the proposed research in written and oral formats. The student first submits a written proposal to the faculty, who provide feedback and a Pass/Conditional Pass/Fail grade. Conditional Pass requires additional work, specified by the examining committee. Successful proposal presentation and defense is a requirement for the Ph.D. The proposal must not be closely related to research being conducted at the University of Wisconsin. After the proposal is accepted there is an oral exam by a committee of faculty during which the student presents the proposal and answers questions about it.
    Graduate Seminar: Each student presents a seminar to the organic division during the second or third year of graduate school. The topic for the seminar can be developed by the student, or it can be selected from an extensive list provided (the topic should not be closely related to the research project of the student). The student researches the topic, prepares the talk, and presents the seminar to the organic division in the regular Thursday morning seminar slot.

Dissertator Status

A student becomes a "Dissertator" (admitted to Candidacy for the PhD) when they have completed the following formal requirements for the PhD degree:

• The major and minor courses
• 32 graduate credits of coursework
• The Second Year Research Report and Research Preliminary Exam
• The research proposal