Course Selection, Housing, and New Student Orientation
Over the summer, prior to beginning their studies, students are offered assistance in choosing the Autumn Quarter courses most relevant to their field of study and connected with a housing network that can advise them about how to find a place to live or find a roommate. The on-campus orientation for new graduate students occurs in September and primarily consists of training in how to be an effective Teaching Assistant (TA), explanation of lab safety procedures, and social events.
Selecting Research Advisors
Fall Poster Sessions – During the autumn quarter, the department organizes 2-3 informal poster sessions where Chemistry faculty and research group members explain their current and future research projects to first-year students.
Rotations – First-year students have the opportunity to (and are encouraged to) do at least two 5-week rotations in different research groups during the autumn quarter. The main purpose of these rotations is for students to identify a good match for their research group and advisor. Rotations are also great opportunities to identify potential future collaborators, learn a new skill, and become familiar with a new field. Students submit their rotation preferences to the Graduate Program Coordinator prior to the start of the autumn quarter and then rotation assignments are made based on these preferences and research group openings. Students are encouraged to contact potential faculty advisors prior to or at the start of the autumn quarter. The expectations for rotations are specific to each research group and can include activities such as attending and participating in group meetings, shadowing and talking with current lab members, reading literature, brainstorming projects, and meeting with the faculty advisor.
Advisor Selections – Incoming graduate students are expected to select and be accepted into a research group by the middle of the winter quarter. In early February, students submit a form to the Graduate Program Coordinator indicating their first and second choices for research advisors; students are typically matched with their first choice. The wide range of research in the Department of Chemistry provides most students with multiple options for faculty advisors who meet their research interests. However, if this is not the case, it is possible for a student to choose a research advisor outside of the Department of Chemistry, subject to the approval of the Department Chair. Students are not required to remain in the same research group for their entire graduate studies. Graduate school is a time of intellectual growth, and as graduate students learn about new concepts and techniques, their research interests may evolve. Students who are interested in switching research groups are encouraged to start conversations with potential new advisors as soon as possible and to inform the Graduate Program coordinator, especially if there are issues of support as a research assistant or teaching assistant.
Teaching and Research Appointments
Students usually serve as TAs for all three academic quarters (autumn, winter, and spring) of their first year of study. After the first year, most students will be TAs for some quarters and Research Assistants (RAs) in other quarters, depending on the funding situation of their research group.
Deadlines and Satisfactory Progress
Students are expected to make satisfactory academic progress throughout their graduate studies. Basic expectations (such as maintaining a GPA of at least 3.0) and deadlines for major milestones in the program are clearly communicated with students. Please see Elements of Good Academic Standing and the PhD Handbook for complete details. The Graduate Good Standing Committee meets regularly to review the progress of each student, in an effort to maintain good communication and to help students stay on track for a timely graduation. It is extremely important that students who experience any kind of difficulty, especially if it leads to missing one of the deadlines, communicate as soon as possible with the Committee to ensure that extenuating circumstances will be discussed and a mutually satisfactory decision will be made.
Advising & Support
Please contact our Graduate Program Coordinator for advising and support. The Graduate Program Coordinator will work with the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies and the Chair of the PhD Training and Mentoring Committee to fulfill requests. They will help answer questions, sort out difficulties, and listen to problems.