Chemistry and Biochemistry

[ undergraduate program | courses | faculty ]

Chair’s Office:
2040 Urey Hall Addition
(858) 534-3575
http://www-chem.ucsd.edu

Undergraduate Student Affairs
4010 York Hall, Revelle College
(858) 534-0220
(858) 534-6870

Graduate Student Affairs
4010 York Hall, Revelle College
(858) 534-6871

The Graduate Programs

Graduate students are accepted to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry for study toward Plan I (Thesis) and the Plan II (Comprehensive Examination) M.S. in chemistry, the Ph.D. in chemistry, the Ph.D. in chemistry with specialization in bioinformatics, the Ph.D. with specialization in computational science, and the Ph.D. with specialization in multi-scale biology. Students interested in the bioinformatics specialization should contact the Student Affairs Office for more information.

Master’s of Science

A Plan I (Thesis) M.S. in chemistry and a Plan II (Comprehensive Examination) M.S. in chemistry are offered.

Admissions: UC San Diego students are admitted for fall, winter, and spring quarter entrance; non-UCSD students are normally admitted for fall entrance only. Eligibility requirements for admission include a solid training in the chemical sciences based on the undergraduate record, a 3.0 GPA in chemistry courses completed, and a 3.0 overall GPA.

The GRE general test is required of all applicants. Foreign applicants must submit a TOEFL score; TWE scores are strongly recommended. Those who wish to apply to the Thesis Plan must have a letter of support from the proposed thesis advisor.

Residency and Time to Degree: Master’s students must register at UCSD for a minimum of three quarters, and complete at least twenty units per academic year. Full-time Comprehensive Examination Plan students can complete the degree in three quarters. Thesis Plan students typically take eighteen to twenty-four months to graduate.

Relationship to Doctoral Program: Master’s students who wish to continue their studies as doctoral students in chemistry and biochemistry must request to transfer to that program. Application materials are due mid-January and include current letters of recommendation, current UCSD transcript, and statement of purpose. Transfer is for fall quarter only.

Plan I (Thesis)

Purpose: To prepare students for research careers or for doctoral or professional studies; the emphasis is on research.

Advancement to Candidacy: A minimum of thirty-six units with an overall GPA of 3.0 must be completed. The majority of units taken are for thesis research (Chem. 299). At least eight units of graduate level chemistry courses must be completed for a letter grade. Four units of teaching apprenticeship are required (Chem. 500; see Doctoral Program, Teaching and Language Requirement sections). Contact the Student Affairs Office for full information.

Thesis: Students must give an oral presentation and defense of their thesis project to a Thesis Committee. A student graduates after the thesis has been defended and the written dissertation approved by his or her committee, department, and OGSR, and filed with the University Archivist. The Thesis Committee consists of at least three faculty: (1) the thesis advisor, (2) a faculty member from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry familiar with the student’s research area, and (3) a faculty member from either this or another department whose research is in an area different from that of the thesis.

Plan II (Comprehensive Exam)

Purpose: To prepare students for doctoral or professional studies, teaching at the community college or high school level, or sometimes career work in industry; the emphasis is on course work.

Advancement to Candidacy: A minimum of thirty-six units with an overall GPA of 3.0 must be completed. The majority of units taken are in letter-graded graduate chemistry courses. Four units of teaching apprenticeship are required (Chem. 500; see Doctoral Program, Teaching and Language Requirement sections). Four units of nonthesis research (Chem. 297) are allowed. Contact the Student Affairs Office for full information.

Comprehensive Examination: The purpose of this requirement is to confirm that students have achieved an advanced understanding of, and a comprehensive training in, the chemical sciences. The tests cover a wide range of material, so that students will have a chance to show what they have learned. For master’s students, the department administers the standardized American Chemical Society exams in biochemistry and in analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry. Students must pass three of the five exams in order to graduate. For doctoral students earning the M.S. on the way to the Ph.D., the Departmental Examination fulfills this requirement.

Doctoral Program

The goal of the Ph.D. in chemistry is to prepare students for careers in science by expanding their knowledge of chemistry while developing their ability for critical analysis, creativity, and independent study. The program is designed to encourage initiative and to stimulate enjoyment and development of the student’s area of research expertise as well as the broader aspects of scientific inquiry and enlightenment.

Research

Students choose their research concentration from programs in biochemistry, biophysics, bioinformatics, inorganic, organic, physical, analytical, and theoretical chemistry, surface and materials chemistry, and atmospheric and environmental chemistry. Opportunities for scientific discovery are also abundant through the department’s extensive collaborations with investigators in the physical, biological, and engineering sciences. This includes on-campus collaborations with faculty in the Materials Science Program, School of Medicine, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. There are also off-campus interactions with scientists at nearby research facilities such as the Salk Institute and The Scripps Research Institute. Excellent state-of-the-art facilities and equipment support all the research programs. The department’s Industrial Relations Program interfaces with national and local chemical, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical industries to encourage technology transfer and to assist postgraduates interested in industrial careers.

Research Advisor

A first-year faculty advisor guides students until a research advisor is chosen. Most of a student’s efforts in graduate school are directed toward research for the doctoral dissertation, and selection of a research advisor is of utmost importance. To assist students with this critical decision, all chemistry and biochemistry faculty present research seminars in the fall quarter. Students then rotate in laboratories or consult with faculty to discuss research opportunities. Although students have until the end of the first year to join a laboratory, most start their research studies by mid-year.

Placement Examinations and Course Work

Entering students take written placement examinations in analytical, biochemistry, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry. The purposes of these exams are to assist with advising and to assure that students have the breadth and level of competence needed for graduate studies. Deficiencies must be remedied in the first year. Three of five exams must be passed, including the one in the student’s research area.

First-year students normally take at least six of the graduate courses listed below based on the results of their placement examinations, their research programs, and their specialized interests. Chem. 250 and Chem. 500 are required. Undergraduate courses and courses offered through other departments may also be taken, depending on the student’s research area. By the second year, the emphasis is on thesis research, and a lighter load of courses is taken, although participation in seminars and informal study groups continues.

Departmental Examination

In the winter quarter of the second year, a student’s progress in research and graduate studies is evaluated through the departmental examination, which includes presentation and critical discussion of a recent research article. Students are also evaluated on their general knowledge of their particular field of study. Students may also be asked about progress on their dissertation.

Qualifying Examination

By the end of the third year, students defend the topic, preliminary findings, and future research plans of their dissertation. Passing this defense qualifies the student to advance to candidacy for the dissertation. A dissertation committee composed of five faculty, one of whom is the research advisor, provides consultation and evaluation for the dissertation project.

Dissertation

The dissertation is normally completed in the fourth or fifth year. This body of research is expected to make an innovative contribution to the field of chemistry. Ph.D. candidates present a seminar summarizing their research accomplishments and defend their thesis in an oral examination before their dissertation committee.

Teaching

Experience in teaching is a vital and integral part of every graduate student’s training, and all students participate in the instructional activities of the undergraduate curriculum. Course credit for the teaching apprenticeship is earned by enrolling in Chem. 500. Excellence in teaching is stressed, and the department provides a thorough training program covering the fundamentals of teaching as well as other useful information and techniques for effective instruction. Further training is provided by the campus’s Center for Teaching Development. Faculty and the students taught evaluate the performance of teaching assistants every quarter and awards are bestowed annually for outstanding performance as a teaching assistant.

Language Requirement

Students whose native language is not English must demonstrate a mastery of English adequate to complete the teaching requirement. Deficiencies must be remedied by the end of the first year of academic residency. For native English speakers, there is no foreign-language requirement.

Time Limits

In accordance with UCSD policy, students must advance to candidacy by the end of four years. Total university support cannot exceed six and one-third years. Total registered time at UCSD cannot exceed seven and one-third years.

Seminars

Seminars by researchers from other universities, national laboratories, and industry are another basic and important aspect of the graduate curriculum. Seminars are presented weekly in biochemistry, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry. Department colloquia are given on topics of general interest to the department. Seminars are also sponsored by many other departments and institutes.

Financial Support

The department supports all first-year students in good academic standing from a variety of sources, including teaching and research assistantships, training grants, fellowships, and awards. A stipend is paid in addition to fees and, if applicable, tuition. Continuing students who do not have fellowships or awards are normally supported on training grants or on research assistantships by their thesis advisors.

Admissions

The department seeks bright, motivated doctoral students and welcomes all such applications. To make admissions decisions, the department considers an applicant’s statement of purpose and research interests, GRE scores on the general test plus either the advanced chemistry or advanced biochemistry test, undergraduate record, quality of the undergraduate university, letters of recommendation, and research experience and publications. Applicants whose native language is not English must also submit TOEFL scores; TWE scores are strongly recommended. Admissions to the doctoral program is for fall quarter. Applications received by mid-January receive priority consideration.

Students who have a master’s degree with strong course records and with research experience are encouraged to apply. They normally pass the qualifying examination and graduate at an accelerated pace.

Ph.D. in Chemistry with Specialization in Computational Science

As of fall 2007, the UCSD campus is offering a new comprehensive Ph.D. specialization in Computational Science that will be available to doctoral candidates in participating science, mathematics, and engineering departments at UCSD.

This Ph.D. specialization is designed to allow students to obtain standard basic training in their chosen field of science, mathematics, or engineering with a specialization in computational science integrated into their graduate studies. Prospective students must apply and be admitted into the Ph.D. program in Chemistry/Biochemistry described previously. (See the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry for more information.)

Ph.D. in Chemistry & Biochemistry with Specialization in Multi-Scale Biology

As of fall 2009, the UCSD campus is offering a new Ph.D. specialization in Multi-Scale Biology that will be available to doctoral candidates in participating programs that span four divisions: Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Jacobs School of Engineering, and Health Sciences at UCSD.

The Ph.D. specialization is designed to allow students to obtain standard basic training in their chosen field within the biological sciences, physical sciences, engineering, and health sciences with training in integrative and quantitative analysis across multiple scales of biological organization from molecule to organism in health and disease into their graduate studies. It trains a new cadre of Ph.D. scientists and provides a unique interdisciplinary education at the interfaces between the biological, medical, physical, and engineering sciences. (See the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry for more information.)

Joint Doctoral Program with San Diego State University

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCSD and the Department of Chemistry at San Diego State University offer a joint program of graduate study leading to the Ph.D. degree in chemistry. More information is available in the current edition of the Bulletin of the Graduate Division of San Diego State University.