General
Financial support for qualified graduate students is made available through the Department of Chemistry in the form of part-time teaching and research assistantships, scholarships, and fellowships.
All appointments and reappointments are subject to availability of funds and satisfactory progress (see Graduate Student Good Standing & Awards).
The University of Washington's Equal Employment Opportunity Policy and Affirmative Action Program apply to these categories of appointments.
Eligibility
Graduate appointments are granted to graduate students only. Initial appointments are contingent upon the student's admission to graduate status prior to the beginning of the appointment. Appointments can be made only to students who devote their fulltime effort to study, research, and duties associated with their appointment. Graduate students receiving assistantships are required to register as full-time students (minimum 10, maximum 18 credits) during the academic year. First-year students are required to register for a minimum of 14 credits in each of their first three quarters. During summer quarter, graduate students receiving assistantships are required to register for 2 credits only, unless prior approval is obtained.
Criteria for Reappointments and Support Commitments
Students must maintain Good Standing (see Graduate Student Good Standing & Awards) in order to be eligible for reappointment. Renewal of teaching appointments is dependent on good performance as judged by the Associate Chair and the Director of Undergraduate Services. Criteria for evaluation include feedback from instructors, staff and students. Of particular importance in these evaluations is the consistent enforcement by the TA of all safety regulations (lab attire, goggles, etc.). (See Health & Safety: Laboratory)
Limits to Support
MASTER'S OF SCIENCE (Non-thesis): For those students who terminate their graduate studies in our department with a non-thesis Master's of Science, the total support period is three academic year quarters at the regular TA stipend.
MASTER'S OF SCIENCE (Thesis): For those students who terminate their graduate studies in our department with a thesis Master's of Science, support may be continued for a maximum of six academic quarters for a student in good standing if recommended by the research supervisor and the Graduate Studies Committee. Summer support is dependent on the needs of the department.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY: Typically, Ph.D. students in Chemistry have required about five years of study to complete the program. Departmental support may not be available if this interval is significantly exceeded.
Initial Appointment
AFTER REVIEW by the Graduate Admissions Committee of the applications received, formal offers of appointment will be sent to selected applicants.
RESPONSE by the applicant to an offer of a graduate student appointment shall be made to the Graduate School and/or the Graduate Program Advisor no later than April 15 or two weeks after the offer of appointment, whichever is later. If the offer is accepted, the appointee is expected to hold to that decision unless he/she requests and is granted a release.
ON OR BEFORE JUNE 1, the Department will prepare an official list of graduate students with initial academic year appointments for the coming year.
INITIAL GRADUATE STUDENT APPOINTMENTS are normally for the period September 16 through June 15. Students who choose a research supervisor and remain in good standing (see Graduate Student Good Standing & Awards) will receive three months' summer support in their first year.
STUDENTS WHO ACCEPT an initial appointment will receive a copy of these Policies & Procedures at the start of their term of appointment.
Provisions for Summer Quarter
DURING THE SUMMER QUARTER, as during the regular academic year, holders of graduate student appointments are expected to make satisfactory progress (see Graduate Student Good Standing & Awards) toward completion of their degree. Summer appointments may be more variable, both with respect to duration of appointment and proportion of time, than appointments during the academic year.
SUMMER QUARTER registration is for the number of course credit hours required by the Department. Number of credits may differ for international students or students with loans (it is the student's responsibility to determine his or her individual requirements).
Review of Progress for Ph.D. Students
SECOND-YEAR EXAM: Students studying for the Ph.D. are expected to complete the Second-Year (Pre-Candidacy) Examination by the end of their 6th quarter (i.e., winter quarter) of study, which includes the summer quarter after their first year. There is a uniform departmental Second-Year Examination format for all Ph.D. students.
Students who pass the Second-Year Examination are encouraged to proceed to the General (Ph.D. Candidacy) Examination. In the case of unsatisfactory performance on the Second-Year Examination, the student is allowed once to retake the portions of the exam that were initially failed.
In the event of a failure on the retake of the Second-Year Examination, the student will not continue with his or her doctoral studies.
THE GENERAL EXAMINATION: Students studying for the Ph.D. are expected to complete the General Examination no later than their third year in the program (i.e., the 11th quarter of study which includes the summer quarters which follow the first two years in the program). A formal supervisory committee must be set up prior to the quarter in which the Exam is to take place. If a second General Exam is required, it must be taken within 6 months.
In the event of failure on the retake of the General Examination, the student will not continue with his or her doctoral studies.
At the time of the General Examination, the Supervisory Committee may set a date for the completion of the degree requirements and/or termination of support. The completion date must be within the policy guidelines (See Graduate Student Good Standing & Awards). A statement of any action taken will be communicated to the student and to the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies.
Postdoctoral Appointments
University of Washington graduate students should not ordinarily remain as postdoctoral fellows in the research group from which they received their Ph.D. degree, and only in extraordinary circumstances should they remain in such a postdoctoral position for more than one year.