Department of Chemistry
New York University

Description of the Ph.D. Program

I. Formal Course Work
Graduate students are required to accumulate 72 credits from a mixture of classroom courses and
research in order to fulfill the requirements for the Ph.D.. In order to maintain full-time status in
the graduate program students are required to register for 12 credits each semester until they
achieve those 72 credits.
Each student is required to enroll and pass five graduate-level courses (a ‘pass’ is defined as
maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better and having no single class grade below a B-).
The specific courses and the balance of required and elective courses may vary by area of
specialization, which include Biomedical and Biomolecular Chemistry; Materials and
Nanoscience; Synthesis; and Theoretical Chemistry). Eligible courses can be found on the
department’s Web site at http://www.nyu.edu/pages/chemistry/graduate.html. Students are
expected to take a set of core courses based on their intended area of research specialization. In
their second fall semester of residence, students also must enroll in the Graduate Seminar course
(see below). A student may customize a course sequence suitable for an interdisciplinary
curriculum. This requires approvals from the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) and a faculty
member in one of the chosen areas of specialization.

II. Language Requirement
Students who are not native speakers of English must demonstrate proficiency in both spoken
and written English. This is required by New York University. During orientation, students who
are non-native speakers of English must complete a test offered by the American Language
Institute (ALI). Students who do not pass this examination will be required to take English
courses at the ALI. These courses are non-credit, but a load of eight (8) credits plus an English
course in a given semester fulfills the requirement for full-time status. Effective communication
in English, which includes comprehension, writing and speaking abilities is a critical component
of the graduate program, and a student cannot attain Ph.D. candidacy status (obtained after
passing the Ph.D. qualifying exam) until the English proficiency exam is passed. The ALI
instruction includes International Teaching Assistant (ITA) training. Students who fail to attend
English classes at ALI or ITA training sessions without a valid excuse are at risk of being placed
on academic probation and having their Ph.D. candidacy withheld.

III. Colloquium Attendance
Departmental colloquia are held each Friday during the academic year. Graduate students are
expected to attend these on a regular basis throughout their graduate school career. Note that
departmental colloquia are distinct from seminar courses and both are requirements. Students
must attend a minimum of ten (10) colloquia prior to scheduling their Ph.D. qualifying
examination by February 15th of their second year (see below). Students not fulfilling this
requirement will not be permitted to take the qualifying exam, thereby risking having their
candidacy withheld. Colloquium attendance will be recorded at each colloquium using a sign-in
sheet that must be signed by all graduate students in attendance. In addition, students must
attend a minimum of ten (10) additional colloquia prior to the Thesis Evaluation Exam (see
below). Students who have not attended the requisite number of colloquia will not be permitted
to take the Thesis Evaluation Exam and, therefore, risk having their thesis defense delayed.

IV. Year 1
Semester 1 (Fall)
• Orientation. During orientation week, which is held prior to the beginning of the Fall
Semester, students meet with an assigned faculty advisor for guidance on course selection
and research rotation choices. Every effort is made to pair each student with a faculty
advisor in the student’s stated area of interest.
• Coursework. During Semester 1 (Fall), students must register for three academic
courses. Exceptions to this rule must be approved by the DGS. Students who do not pass
the English proficiency test offered by ALI and are therefore required to enroll in the
English course have the option of substituting one of their academic courses for their
mandatory English course.
• Research Rotation. Students are required to perform two research rotations during their
first Semester (Semester 1). Rotations are intended to introduce students to ongoing
research projects in the Department’s research groups. A rotation usually consists of a
set of training exercises and/or a small independent project related to the research
activities of the selected group(s). Rotation assignments are group dependent and will
vary from research group to research group. Individual research faculty will provide the
student with their expectations for a given rotation cycle. In preparation for choosing
their rotations, students are required to meet with six faculty members during the first
three weeks of the semester. All students will be given a signature form to bring to these
meetings and will have the faculty member sign the form after the meeting has taken
place. Students must submit this form, indicating their three rotation choices in ranked
order of preference, to the DGS by September 25. These three choices must correspond
to faculty members who have signed the aforementioned form. Students will be notified
by October 5 of their assigned rotations. Rotations start on October 10: First rotation
October 10 - November 15, second rotation November 15 - December 20. Students are
expected to spend approximately 10 hours per week on their rotation projects. Rotation
faculty supervisors will submit a performance evaluation to the DGS for each student
rotating in their group no later than December 22. These evaluations become part of the
permanent student record.

Semester 2 (Spring)
• Research. Students must submit their first and second choices for thesis advisor by
January 7. These choices will be reviewed by the Departmental Executive Committee,
after which the DGS will inform each student of the Committee’s recommendation by
January 20. The Committee will make every effort to approve the first or second choice
of thesis advisor, although these choices cannot be guaranteed. If a particular research
group is full, or if it is deemed that a student is not suited to the research of a particular
group, it is possible that a student’s first and second choices might not be approved. In
these rare instances, students will need to submit another choice of faculty advisor to the
DGS by May 15. Students are encouraged to consult actively with the DGS during this
time.
• Coursework. Students are required to enroll and complete two classroom courses and a
section of “Research” (G25.2931). The Research section replaces a formal academic
course, allowing the student to pursue research in greater depth. Research is a creditbearing
academic course and as such, students will receive a grade for Research from
their thesis advisors based on their research performance during the semester.
• Year 1 Evaluation. Shortly after the end of the spring semester, each student will
receive a letter from the DGS containing an evaluation of his/her performance during the
first academic year. The evaluation will be based on grades received in academic courses
and Research, rotation evaluations, and for students taking English, evaluations from the
instructors at the American Language Institute. The year-end evaluation from the DGS
will, as needed, present suggestions for areas of improvement and, for students taking
English, recommendations for continued language instruction, which usually entails the
course in Accent Correction. Any concerns regarding academic standing will be
communicated to the student at this time. In some cases, poor academic progress may
result in termination.

V. Year 2
Semester 3 (Fall)
• Thesis Committee. By the first day of Semester 3 (Fall), students choose the members
of their Thesis Committee by submitting the Thesis Committee Form. The Thesis
Committee is responsible for evaluating the student’s examinations and monitoring the
student’s progress throughout his/her years in the Ph.D. program. Each Thesis
Committee consists of three members, one of whom is the thesis advisor. The remaining
members should be chosen from among the departmental faculty. With the permission of
the DGS and the student’s thesis advisor, a student can select an expert from outside the
department as one of the committee’s three members. Before choosing outside members,
however, students should bear in mind that serving on a Thesis Committee is a
substantial commitment, and the student should ensure that their chosen Committee
members will be able to attend each of their examinations and seminars as well as regular
meetings, as described below. Students should discuss these choices with their thesis
advisor.
• Coursework. During Semester 3, students should complete any remaining required
academic courses, if available. Non-native English speakers for whom accent correction
was recommended by ALI must attend the Accent Correction course offered by ALI as
well. In addition, students must register for Seminar, a course designed to give students
the opportunity to present a seminar in front of their peers and to attend seminars
presented by their peers. Seminar should not be confused with the weekly Departmental
Colloquia. Students also must register for a number of Research credits sufficient to
maintain full-time status. As in Year 1, Research is regarded as an academic course, and
students receive a grade for Research from their thesis advisor.
Semester 4 (Spring)
• Coursework. During Semester 4, students should complete any remaining required
academic courses, if available, and register for a number of Research credits sufficient to
maintain full-time status. As in Year 1, Research is regarded as an academic course, and
students receive a grade for Research from their thesis advisor.
• Ph.D. Qualifying Examination. Students are required to schedule and take their Ph.D.
qualifying examination during Semester 4. The examination is scheduled by the student
with the members of the Thesis Committee plus one faculty member chosen by the DGS
from outside the student’s area of specialization. This fourth member is communicated to
the student by February 1. These four members comprise the Exam Committee. It is
the responsibility of the student to work with their Exam Committee members to set the
date and time for the examination, which must be scheduled by February 15 and
communicated to the department through the submission of the ‘Ph.D. Qualifying Exam
Scheduling Form’. The exam should take place between April 15 and June 15. This
examination consists of both written and oral components as described below.
Written Report. The written report is submitted to the Exam Committee at least two
weeks before the scheduled exam date. The report should consist of: (i) a 250-word
abstract understandable to a technically-trained individual outside of the student’s
field; (ii) a 1-page discussion of the background, motivation, and significance of their
research project; (iii) a 5-page description of specific research accomplishments; (iv) a
two-page description of future research plans; and (v) an appendix containing
experimental or computational details. This report should be submitted in a format
that stringently corresponds to that of a key journal in the student’s area of
specialization, which may include, but is not limited to, the Journal of the American
Chemical Society, Physical Review, or Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences. Formatting includes font sizes, margins, figures, among others. If available
for a given journal, the use of a template is encouraged. In contrast to most journal
requirements, ‘single space’ must be used for the written report.
Oral Presentation. The oral portion of the exam consists of a 30-minute presentation
by the student to the Exam Committee followed by a question-and-answer session of
up to two hours in length. The oral presentation should cover the background,
motivation and significance of the research project, specific techniques applied and the
theory underlying these techniques, results obtained, and future research plans.
Questions will range from specific topics covered in the oral presentation to general
fundamental concepts in chemistry.
Both the written and oral portions of the exam are evaluated based on the following
criteria:
• Research progress.
• Organization.
• Depth of technical knowledge about the research project.
• Breadth of knowledge in the general research field.
• Understanding of the methodology/techniques employed.
• Understanding of specific results obtained in the course of the research project.
• Ability to communicate effectively.
5
• Ability to understand and answer questions accurately.
Examinations are awarded one of the following grades:
• Pass with Distinction
• Pass
• Conditional Pass
• Conditional Fail
• Fail
In order to be granted Ph.D. candidacy status, students must earn at least a “Pass”, which
will only be awarded if all of the above criteria are met at a satisfactory level. “Pass with
Distinction” is reserved for students who perform exceptionally well in all of the above
categories. Failure to satisfy some of the above criteria will result in a “Conditional
Pass”, which requires that some part of the exam, to be determined by the Committee, be
repeated prior to August 20 of that year. In certain marginal cases, a student might be
given a grade of “Pass” but be asked to submit certain materials to the Exam Committee
for reevaluation and final approval of the passing grade, without another examination.
This material must be submitted to the Exam Committee within 4 weeks after the exam.
Failure to satisfy a majority or all of the above criteria will result either in a “Conditional
Fail” or “Fail”. A grade of “Conditional Fail” requires that the exam be repeated in its
entirety between July 1 and August 20 of that year. A grade of “Fail” will result in the
student’s dismissal from the program.

VI. Year 3
Research/Coursework. During Year 3, each student should focus on thesis research.
Students may take additional courses beyond the number required for the degree, as desired,
if doing so does not conflict with GSAS policy. Any student wishing to take additional
courses, however, must obtain the approval of their thesis advisor before enrolling in or
choosing to audit additional courses.

VII. Year 4
Research Progress Examination: Students are required to schedule their Research Progress
Examination on or before December 1 of Year 4 (unless a waiver has been granted, see
below). The student must arrange with their committee members the time and place for the
presentation and must notify the graduate office of the department by September 19 of the
time and place through the submission of the ‘Research Progress Evaluation Scheduling
Form’. The purpose of this exam is to ensure that each student’s thesis project is on a track
that will allow the student to complete the thesis in the time frame allotted by the graduate
program. The exam consists of a 5-10 page written document and a 30-minute oral
presentation given before the thesis committee. The written report should consist of a brief
summary of research performed to date and a detailed plan for the research that will be
performed in the last two years of graduate study (The basic formatting (fonts, spacing etc.)
of the report must follow the guidelines described above for the qualifying exam). This
report must be submitted to the thesis committee members at least two weeks prior to the
date scheduled for the presentation. The oral presentation should reflect the content of the
report and the research plan for the fourth and fifth years of study. The written and oral
components of the exam are evaluated strictly on a pass/fail basis. Students who fail all or
part (written, oral, part of oral) of the exam will need to repeat the failed part according to the
instructions of the thesis committee. Failing grades usually indicate that the student needs to
reconsider the direction of his/her project and prepared a revised scenario for the next two
years to be presented at a make-up exam. It is the student’s responsibility to take the makeup
exam in a timely manner but no later than May 15 of the following spring semester.
Students may apply for a waiver of the Research Progress Exam. Students interested in
exercising this option must submit a completed ‘Research Progress Exam Waiver Request
Form’ to the DGS by September 19 of Year 4. Waivers will be granted only if all members
of the Thesis Committee approve the request, through their signatures on the form, and with
final approval by the DGS. The student is responsible for obtaining all signatures and the
final DGS approval.

VIII. Year 5
Thesis Evaluation Exam. Prior to taking the Thesis Evaluation Exam, students must choose
the ‘Two Readers’ for their Extended Thesis Committee and communicate their choice to the
graduate program through the submission of the ‘Thesis Committee ‘Reader’ Selection
Form’. The Thesis Evaluation Exam has then to be performed in front of the Extended
Thesis Committee (all five members). This exam consists of two parts.

Part 1 is a research evaluation examination and part 2 is an original proposal examination. The entire exam must
be completed within 3-6 months prior to the anticipated date of the thesis defense, preferably
6 months. Students must inform the graduate program of the department of their scheduled
Thesis Evaluation Exam through the submission of the ‘Thesis Evaluation Exam Scheduling
Form’ as soon as the exam has been scheduled. Students may not schedule their thesis
defense until they have successfully completed both parts of this requirement.
Part 1: An evaluation of the student’s research to date designed to ensure that the
student is ready to defend and earn a Ph.D. The student must give a 30-minute
presentation on their research to their Thesis Committee, to be followed by questions
from the Committee members on the research. If the Committee identifies problems with
the student’s research, deems that additional work is needed, feels that some aspect of the
work presented should be completely or partially repeated, or detects serious weaknesses
in knowledge of chemical principles, this will be communicated to the student at this
time.
Part 2: An original proposal that provides an opportunity for the student to demonstrate
proficiency in the design, planning and communication of an original research problem.
Students are asked to propose a series of experiments to a specific problem or system or
the application of an existing technique to a specific problem or application. The
proposal must be original, meaning that there should be no overlap with the student’s
thesis topic, and the proposed technique and/or application should not have appeared in
the scientific literature. The exam consists of written and oral components.

Written component: The written part of the exam, which must be submitted to the
Thesis Committee members at least two weeks prior to the scheduled exam date,
consists of a seven-page, single-spaced document following NSF Guidelines (From
the NSF Grant Proposal Guide http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_
summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg: “The proposal must be clear, readily legible, and conform
to the following requirements: a. Use one of the following typefaces – Arial, Courier
New, or Palatino Linotype at a font size of 10 points or larger; Times New Roman at
a font size of 11 points or larger; Computer Modern Family of fonts at a font size of
11 points or large; b. No more than 6 lines of text within a vertical space of 1 inch;
and c. Margins, in all directions, must be at least an inch.”). The student has to
submit only the basic proposal following the NSF guidelines. All other forms and
requirements described in the NSF grant proposal guidelines (such as biosketches,
budget pages, equipment, etc.) should be neglected.
In the written proposal, students should (i) identify a research topic in chemistry not
related to their thesis research, (ii) explain its importance and broader context, (iii)
describe a project that falls within the scope of the topic, (iv) describe how the project
would be performed and how its feasibility would be demonstrated, and (v) describe
the overall aims of the project and the results anticipated upon its completion.
Experimental proposals should include details of the experiments needed for project
completion whereas theoretical proposals should describe specific calculations as
well as methodological and theoretical developments.
Oral component: The oral component consists of a 30-minute presentation
summarizing the written proposal, followed by questions from the Committee. This
question and answer session will be based primarily on the written proposal and short
presentation but could extend into the broader context of the proposed project.
Students who fail either the written or the oral portions of the Thesis Evaluation Exam will be
asked to repeat all or some portion of this part of the exam with specific instructions on what
needs to be improved or modified. Students who fail all parts of the exam are responsible for
scheduling their make-up exam at a time that is convenient for the members of their Extended
Thesis Committee.
Thesis. The submission and defense of your thesis is the final chapter of your graduate career.
The thesis defense consists of two parts: a) a written Ph.D. thesis and b) an oral defense of the
thesis work.
Submitting the Thesis Draft: At least six weeks prior to the anticipated thesis
defense date, students must submit a draft of their thesis to their Extended Thesis
Committee members for comments and recommendations of changes. At this
time, the Committee will recommend changes to the thesis. The student must
incorporate these changes and obtain the signatures of their Committee members
on the ‘Departmental Thesis Approval Form’ no less than two weeks prior to the
date of the defense. The defense cannot proceed without the form having been
signed and filed with the Department.
The Thesis Defense: The final step in receiving the Ph.D. is the thesis defense.
The thesis defense consists of an oral presentation by the student, approximately
45-50 minutes in length, which is open to the public. During this time questions
from the public audience and the committee are encouraged. The presentation is
followed by a question-and-answer section, which is open to the public.
Afterwards, the general audience and the student are excused and the Thesis
Committee discusses the student’s performance in a closed-door session. If any
concerns remain, the student might be called back for a closed-door question-andanswer
session with the Extended Thesis Committee.

IX. Miscellaneous
• Submission of Forms. Students are responsible for the submission of all required forms
at the above outlined deadlines to the graduate office of the chemistry department. These
forms include (but are not limited):
o Research interest and rotation form (Due September 25)
o Thesis advisor selection form (Due January 7)
o Thesis committee selection form
o Ph.D. qualifying exam scheduling form (Due February 15)
o Ph.D. qualifying exam form
o Research progress evaluation scheduling form (Due September 19)
o Research progress exam waiver request form
o Research progress evaluation form (if exam is not waived)
o Thesis committee ‘reader’ selection form
o Thesis evaluation exam scheduling form
o Thesis evaluation exam form
o Thesis defense scheduling form
o Departmental thesis approval form
o Thesis defense form
These forms can be downloaded as pdf files from the departmental website.
• Cheating and Scientific Fraud. It is expected that all students will maintain the highest
standards of scientific integrity. Cheating and fraud, including any form of plagiarism,
copying, collusion on exams, or data falsification, will not be tolerated at any point in
your graduate career. Students found guilty of any of the aforementioned infractions can
expect to be placed on departmental probation at the very least, and in most cases,
brought up on charges before the GSAS Dean, and/or dismissed from the program.
• Obeying the Rules and Departmental Citizenship. The department, as a whole,
functions only as well as its individual members. Students are expected to behave as good
departmental citizens. This means showing up on time for all meetings, attending as
many Friday colloquia as possible (even those outside your field of study – you might
just learn something!), being on time for all exams, and obeying the instructions of
faculty and staff.
• Petitions. In selected cases of hardship (medical etc.), a student can petition the graduate
committee to delay an exam or waive a deadline. These petitions have to be approved
PRIOR the deadline of the exam/deadline in question. Petitions should be submitted in
writing to the graduate office of the department. Petitions will be reviewed twice
annually by the graduate committee and have to be submitted by March 15th for the
spring graduate committee meeting and September 15th for the fall meeting.