PhD in Chemistry

Students wishing to enter the Ph.D. program should hold a M.Sc. degree or its equivalent from a recognized university. Outstanding students who have maintained a grade point average of 3.5 or greater in their last two years of study and those with external scholarships (NSERC, CHIR, FQRSC) may also apply to the Ph.D. program directly from their B.Sc. program. Evidence will be required that the applicant is capable of undertaking substantial original research. The Ph.D. program (90 credits) generally requires about four years to complete. It is also possible to carry out Ph.D. studies on a CO-OP basis with the collaboration of an employer.

Research Work

Students select a research supervisor in their area of interest. Their program will be directed by a supervisory committee of three faculty members including the research supervisor. All students must complete a body of original research, write a thesis and successfully defend it in a public oral presentation to the examining committee (CHEM 855 Doctoral Research and Thesis, 69 credits). The Ph.D. thesis must contain original publishable work of significance in advancing knowledge in the area of research undertaken.

Course Work

Ph.D. students who already hold a M.Sc. degree are required to complete 6 credits of graduate-level courses in addition to CHEM 667 (Student Seminar II, 3 credits), CHEM 668 (Student Seminar III, 3 credits) and CHEM 896 (Research Proposal and Comprehensive Examination, 9 credits). The research proposal and comprehensive exam must be completed within 18 months of admission into the Ph.D. program.