Curriculum

The graduate curriculum reflects the evolving needs of students as well as the changing research interests of the faculty. Each student develops his/her own program of courses (normally six) in consultation with the Graduate Student Committee and his/her research advisor and guidance committee. A typical program consists of core courses, area courses and electives, one or two of which may be taken in a different departments such as Molecular Biology, Physics, Chemical or Electrical Engineering, or Computer Science. New special topics courses are continually being introduced.

The following courses are representative of our graduate course offerings:


Graduate Course Descriptions

For classes offered this semester, click here.

515 Structure and Bonding in Inorganic and Organometallic Chemistry (4)
An integrated core course of structure and bonding in inorganic, coordination and organometallic chemistry within an oxidation state framework. Symmetry, electronic properties.

516 Synthesis, Reactivity, and Mechanism in Inorganic and Organometallic Chemistry (4)
A reactivity framework for inorganic and organometallic chemistry. Synthesis, reaction mechanisms and energetics. Homogeneous catalysis. Prerequisite: CHEM 515.

519 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology: An Introduction for Chemists (4)
Amino acids and peptides; protein structure and function; enzyme kinetics; structure, analysis and synthesis of nucleic acids; chemical biology of DNA and RNA; biotechnology.

526 Structure and Mechanism in Organic Chemistry (4)
Review of modern structural theory of organic chemistry; and relation to the mechanisms of organic chemical reactions.

527 Synthetic Organic Chemistry (4)
A survey of representative groups of widely used synthetic organic reactions; emphasis on scope, limitations, and stereochemical consequences.

535 Introduction to Molecular Spectroscopy (4)
Theory and experimental methods of molecular spectroscopy and applications to chemistry. Rotational, vibrational, electronic and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies. Prerequisite: CHEM 544.

536 Molecular Dynamics (2 or 4)
Potential energy surfaces, reaction dynamics, scattering theories, classical trajectories, statistical theories, molecular energy transfer, photodissociation dynamics, gas-surface interactions, experimental results, beam and laser techniques.

538 Mathematical Techniques of Physical Chemistry (4)
Fundamentals and techniques of mathematics and physics. Linear algebra, differential equations, mechanics, electricity and magnetism. Applications to physical chemistry/chemical physics.

539 Surface Chemistry (4)
Physical and chemical properties of solid surfaces; thermodynamics and kinetics of gas chemisorption; chemical bonding at surfaces; applications to catalysis and electronic materials.

540 Introduction to Statistical Mechanics (4)
Study of macroscopic systems from molecular viewpoint using statistical mechanics: ensembles, fluctuations, gases, gas-solid interfaces, crystals, polymers, critical phenomena, non-equilibrium systems.

544 Introduction to Quantum Chemistry (4)
Basic principles of quantum mechanics and their application to chemistry. Electronic structure of atoms and molecules.

545 Theory and Practice of Molecular Electronic Structure (4)
Provide working knowledge and hands-on experience in current quantum chemical methods for chemists who would like to employ these techniques in their own research. Prerequisite: CHEM 538, CHEM 544.

550 Special Topics in Chemical Physics (2-4, max 8)
Study of selected areas of chemical physics. Critical evaluation of recent advances in the field. Prerequisite: departmental approval.

555 Computational Quantum Chemistry: Methods and Applications (4)
Introduction to modern computational quantum chemistry. Prediction of molecular structure, molecular spectra and molecular reaction mechanisms using ab initio and semi-empirical methods. Prerequisite: CHEM 340; recommended preparation: CHEM 544.

561 Polymer Synthesis (4)
Concepts of polymer structure and stereochemistry. Organic chemistry of polymerization reactions with emphasis on condensation, radical, cationic, anionic, and coordination-metathesis polymerization.

570 Seminar in Chemical Biology (2, max 4)
Introduce students to emergingresearch areas in chemical biology through a thorough discussion of seminal research articles and presentations of current research topics. Recommended preparation: some research experience and familiarity with literature search.

588ab X-ray Crystallography (2-2)
a: Single-crystal X-ray diffraction theory and experimental methods. b: Application of diffraction techniques to problems of current chemical and biological interest. Prerequisite: CHEM 588a before b.

599 Special Topics (2-4, max 8)
Special topics in chemistry.

625 Chemical Applications of Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (4)
Elementary theory of magnetic resonance spectroscopy, methods of spectral analysis, treatment of Fourier Transform methods and time dependent phenomena; recent applications in organic chemistry.

626 Natural Products Chemistry (2)
Survey of the chemistry and biogenesis of the major classes of secondary metabolites along biogenetic lines: terpenes, aceto genins, and alkaloids.

661 Selected Topics in Polymer Synthesis (2-4, max 8)
Advanced level study in selected areas of polymer synthesis. Critical evaluation of recent advances. Topic examples: ionic polymerization; stereo chemistry of polymers; silicon polymers; ladder polymers.