Full-time students are required to register for 9 semester hours of graduate coursework. This includes regular graduate courses approved by your research mentor or program director if you do not yet have a research mentor, seminar (CH 791), and non-thesis research (CH 798) or thesis research (CH 799). Students on departmental assistantships should enroll for no more than 9 hours per semester unless authorized by the Graduate Program Director and the Department Chair.
Detailed information about the Graduate Program can be found in the UAB Graduate Catalog and Department of Chemistry Graduate Handbook (PDF).
Coursework
All students are required to pass 18 hours of chemistry core courses. Chemistry core courses are selected by you, your research mentor and your graduate research committee. You must receive a grade of B or better in all core courses.
In consultation with your research mentor and your graduate research committee, you will select 6 hours of additional graded graduate courses to complete a minimum of 24 semester hours. You must complete a minimum of 24 semester hours of graduate coursework with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Communication/English Skills
All students are required to complete GRD 715: Preparing TAs to Be Effective Teachers during their first semester. Students with English as a second language enroll for 3 semester hours. All others enroll in this course for 2 semester hours. This course is required but is not counted toward the 24-semester hour minimum.
Before registering for Academic English courses, non-native English speakers must complete the oral and written language assessments. For more information about English proficiency, contact Graduate Program Director Aaron L. Lucius, Ph.D., at
Teaching
A minimum of one-semester teaching experience is required of all graduate students. This requirement is designed to enhance your professional development as well as contribute to the graduate and research missions of the Department of Chemistry and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Teaching is also required during any semester that financial support is not provided by grant funds or an external fellowship. Effort is made to make the assignment relevant to your research interests.
Seminar
Graduate students are to attend and participate in the Department of Chemistry Seminar Program each semester (CH 791). Graduate students pursuing a Ph.D. present a departmental literature seminar (CH 792) during the second year of enrollment.
Research/Dissertation
You will carry out original research under the direction of your research mentor and the advice of your graduate research committee. This research serves as the basis of your Ph.D. dissertation. The student will enroll in CH 798 (non-thesis research) prior to admission to candidacy or CH 799 (dissertation research) after admission to candidacy for no more than 9 semester hours. You must be enrolled for a minimum of one academic year after admission to candidacy.
Your research progress toward a degree is reviewed by the graduate research committee on a yearly basis. Your research mentor will periodically provide an evaluation of your scientific development as well as progress toward completion of the dissertation work.