Graduate Programs
Tulane's Department of Chemistry is the ideal size for a graduate program-we are large enough to provide you with exciting research opportunities, yet small enough to treat you as an individual. We hope you will visit our campus to discuss how our graduate program fits with your research interests and career goals.
Tulane's graduate in chemistry offers a balance between coursework and research. During the first two semesters, in addition to starting courses, students meet with individual faculty members and select a dissertation research advisor. After the first year, emphasis shifts towards research.
Some special areas of faculty research are bio-organic, biophysical, physical inorganic, organometallic, synthetic organic, polymer material, surface chemistry, as well as crystallography, spectroscopy, quantum theory and statistical mechanics.
Completion of the Ph.D. degree has the following requirements:
- Four core courses and two additional courses
- Successful completion of six cumulative examinations
- Presentation of a literature seminar and seminar attendance
- A dissertation research prospectus
- Progress in research
- Oral defense of the dissertation research
An advanced degree in chemistry can provide access to many different career possibilities. Most of the Tulane chemistry graduates either continue research with post-doctoral appointments at well-known universities or establish careers at leading chemical and pharmaceutical companies.
Ph.D. & M.S. Program
Transfer Credits
Graduate students desiring transfer of graduate credits earned at another school should submit their requests in writing to the Graduate Advisory Committee. A maximum of 18 hours transfer credit will be accepted in the case of student entering with a Master's degree. Students will not be excused from core courses unless they can demonstrate having taken for credit an equivalent course. University regulations state that courses cannot be transferred to Tulane until the student has been in residence at Tulane at least one semester.
To petition courses for transfer the student must present the following information to the Graduate Studies Committee:
- A copy of his/her transcript from the University where the course to be transferred was taken
- A syllabus from the course including information on the textbook(s) used
- Any additional information such as copies of tests given will be helpful
Leaves of Absence
Students may, on occasion, need to leave the university during the course of their degree program for extended periods. The student should, if able, submit a written petition for a leave to the Graduate Affairs Committee of the department. The statement should include an explanation of the need for taking the leave and state the duration of the requested leave. In general, teaching assistantship and Fellowship support will be discontinued during leaves of absence. Degree requirements and tenure requirements will be postponed by the length of the leave or by a period of time deemed appropriate by the Graduate Affairs Committee.
Honor System
Graduate students are expected to maintain the highest ethical standards while performing all course and laboratory work. Graduate students serve as a part of the academic core of the University; a high degree of integrity is required within the University in order for the information generated by its members to be of any use to the society it serves. The obligation of Graduate students includes, but it is not limited to the following:
- Completing examinations and other written coursework following the instructions of the professor. Unless explicitly instructed to do otherwise, students will work independently using only materials approved by the instructor. Cheating on coursework is a violation of the Honor Code and individuals accused of cheating will be subject to investigation and potential sanctions as outlined in the University Honor Code.
- Accurately citing the work of others in all written coursework, and all professional activities such as papers submitted to scientific journals. Knowingly plagiarizing the work of another individual is a violation of the Honor Code and will be penalized according to procedures outlined in the Tulane Graduate School Bulletin.
- Presenting only laboratory results which the student believes to be correct. Falsification of data is a serious violation of the Honor Code and is subject to sanctions by the Graduate School.
