Doctor of Philosophy

The Ph.D. degree is offered by the Department primarily in the areas of Analytical, Inorganic, Medicinal, Materials, Organic, and Physical Chemistry, and Biochemistry. However, many members of the faculty have research interests that cross traditional boundaries to cover a range of interdisciplinary areas. The course of study leading to this degree is designed to provide the student with a broad fundamental background in chemistry through a core course curriculum in addition to a more rigorous experience in particular area of specialization.

The first year program is flexible and is arranged to prepare the student for independent study, which is so essential for successful graduate research. Formal course work is arranged on an individual basis taking into consideration, the student's own requirements and placement examinations covering undergraduate preparation. Students may choose from a broad range of courses providing necessary skills to carry out chemical research. An advanced degree also represents experience in, and ability to carry out, original research. Thus, the major part of a student's training will be applied to solving research problems in their chosen area of chemistry.

Research toward the Ph.D. is undertaken under the supervision of a faculty member of the student's choosing. Students are encouraged to make their selection and begin research at the end of their first semester.

Master of Science

The MS degree is a research degree and requires, like the Ph.D., successful completion of both formal course work and a research problem, but on a lesser scale than the Ph.D. Most of our Master's students go on to complete a Ph.D.

Financial Support

Generally, the Department has been able to offer financial assistance to all students accepted into the PhD program. In most cases, this aid comes in the form of a teaching assistantship for first year students. The duties associated with a teaching assistantship vary and may include teaching an undergraduate laboratory, grading, or laboratory experiment preparation. The other common form of aid, research assistantships, are offered by many of the faculty members and do not involve any teaching duties; thus the student is free to concentrate all of his or her time in research toward their degree. In addition, the Department works with outstanding students in applying for various local, state and national fellowships. As is the case for research assistantships, no teaching duties are associated with Fellowship awards.

Each year we have available fellowships from the Louisiana State Board of Regents. For more information, please contact us by e-mail at jwiley@uno.edu.

The selection of prospective graduate students is based on an assessment of the student's potential for performing well in the graduate program. The information used to make this assessment includes 1) scholastic records; 2) evaluations of personal character and professional attributes made by teachers and/or employers; and 3) Graduate Record Examination scores (verbal, quantitative and analytical). Evidence of productive research experience such as publications or presentations will also be used to assess applicants. In addition, students whose native language is not English must also submit scores of the Test of English as a Foreign language (TOEFL). Reporting scores for the Test of Spoken English (TSE) is highly recommended. Proficiency in English is essential for students to fulfill their teaching duties and to effectively carry out their research projects.

Applications timeline

For full consideration, applications for the Fall semester should be received by February 15 and applications for the Spring semester should be received by May 20. Applications received after these dates may be considered if positions are still available.

Contact information

To apply, please see here.

For additional information information, contact: