8. COURSE REQUIREMENTS

See the Graduate Bulletin for the official course requirements. The information in Sections 8.1-8.3 below was copied from the Graduate Bulletin on 7/11/2019.

8.1. Course Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree in Chemistry

Successful completion (3.0 GPA) of eighteen credits in formal graduate courses (including CHE 599 rotation research, but excluding seminars, teaching, directed study, etc.). At least nine of these credits must be from courses numbered CHE 501 through 559, and at least twelve credits must be from courses in Chemistry. Courses are designated among the following four subdisciplinary groups: Group I – Physical Chemistry: CHE 519, CHE 521, CHE 522, CHE 523, CHE 524, CHE 528, CHE 529, CHE 530; Group II – Inorganic Chemistry: CHE 511, CHE 514, CHE 515, CHE 516, CHE 517, CHE 518; Group III – Organic Chemistry: CHE 501, CHE 502, CHE 503, CHE 504, CHE 607; Group IV – Biological Chemistry: CHE 535, CHE 536, CHE 541, CHE 542, CHE 543. Students are required to take at least one course outside their major subdiscipline. Continuation in the Ph.D. program is based, in part, on achievement in at least four chemistry courses to be taken during the student’s first year. In addition, students are required to complete CHE 581; CHE 582; CHE 619 (unless the student elects to complete Option 1 for the Second Meeting requirement); GRD 500; CHE 693, 694, or 696; and two semesters of Teaching Practicum (CHE 610, CHE 611). Initially, each student will be assigned an academic advisor to help the student select an appropriate course of study to prepare for research in the student's chosen area of chemistry. Once a student has joined a research group, the research advisor acts as academic advisor.

Students who have taken equivalent courses previously may be excused from individual course requirements with permission of the Graduate Program Director, in consultation with the Graduate Advising Committee.

8.2. Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree with Concentration in Chemical Physics

CHE 581, 582, GRD 500, and two semesters of CHE 610/611 plus six formal graduate courses (including CHE 599 rotation research, but excluding seminars, teaching, directed study, etc.) are required including the following:

1. CHE 523, Chemical Thermodynamics
2. Either CHE 521 (Quantum Chemistry I) or PHY 511 (Quantum Mechanics I)
3. Three courses from a set approved by the Graduate Advisement Committee. This set consists of CHE 522, 524, 525, 528, and 530; and PHY 501, 503, 505, 540, 551, 555, and 565. Other graduate courses can be substituted only with prior permission of the Graduate Program Director.
4. One additional course from outside of Group I.

A prerequisite for the Chemical Physics program is undergraduate training in Classical Mechanics and Electromagnetic Theory at or above the level of PHY 301 (Electromagnetic Theory) and PHY 303 (Mechanics). Students in the Chemical Physics program must take these courses unless they receive waivers from the Graduate Program Director.

8.3. Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree with Concentration in Biological Chemistry

CHE 581, GRD 500, and two semesters of CHE 610/611 plus 18 credits of formal graduate courses (including CHE 599 rotation research, but excluding seminars, teaching, directed study, etc.), including

1. A minimum of two graduate biology/biochemistry oriented courses (e.g., BMO 520, CHE 541, CHE 542, etc.) as approved by the student's Academic Advisor or ACC. Students will normally take CHE 541, CHE 542, and CHE 543.
2. At least one course from outside of Group IV.
3. Registration for CHE 582 (year one, zero units), CHE 619 (year two, maximum two units) and CHE 694 (years three through five, one unit) in the Spring semesters of the first five years of the program (while still in residence). Students in their first and second year will present a research paper from the literature. Students in their third and fourth years (and fifth year if still in residence) will present a seminar on their thesis research.

8.4. Grading

Chemistry courses are graded on the following scale:

• A = 4.0: Exceptional performance
• A- = 3.67: Excellent performance
• B+ = 3.33: Good performance
• B = 3.0: Adequate performance for the PhD program
• B- = 2.6: Adequate performance for MS program, but not Ph.D. level
• C = 2.0: Unsatisfactory
• F = 0.0: Failure

CHE 610/611 Practicum in Teaching is graded as discussed above in Section 4.2.

More general information on grading at Stony Brook can be found in the Graduate Bulletin.

8.5. Repeated Courses

Course repetition is limited to once per course and to cases wherein a grade of a B- or lower less was earned initially. A grade earned by a student who repeats a course replaces the first grade for the purpose of Departmental GPA calculation. This limitation does not apply to select courses which may have different subject matter in different terms.

More information on course repetition can be found in the Graduate Bulletin.