Year One

Graduate Coursework

• Students meet with their Faculty Area Advisor during New Grad Training to plan course selection

  • Biochemistry: CHEM 226, 234, 241-256, 259, 261, 262AB, 281, and other select BMSE courses

  • Inorganic: CHEM 268AB and 270-279

  • Materials: CHEM 240, 265, 274, 282ABC, 285, and other select CHEM and MATRL courses

  • Organic: CHEM 224, 226-233, 239, 240, 258, and CHEM 263

    • Students are also expected to participate in CHEM 223 regularly, though it does not apply toward the 18 required units

  • Physical: CHEM 217-222, 225, and other select CHEM courses

• Most students take all of their courses in their first year

• This requirement must be met before advancing to candidacy

Research Area and Advisor Selection

Explore Research Groups

• Participation in at least three (3) research groups is required before selecting a Primary Research Advisor

• A “rotation” is defined by the DCB as any one of the following:

  • Attendance at a minimum of 3 group meetings

  • A multi-week lab rotation including collaboration on a project

  • A series of interviews and lab tours with at least 3 students and/or postdocs from the same research group

  • Or other forms of active exploration as agreed upon by the student and PI

Join a Research Group

• In order to remain in good academic standing, students are required to formally join a research group by the end of their second quarter

  • Must be after December 1st of their first year

  • Must be after rotations are completed (even if a student has worked for and been paid by a professor during the preceding summer)

• In order to officially join a research group, you will fill out an Advisor Selection Form. This requires:

  • 2-3 sentences of detail regarding the content of each rotation

  • Signatures from your Primary Advisor, Co-Advisor (if applicable), and Area Advisor

Teaching Requirement

• Students are required to enroll in Chemistry 501A-B-C or 502A-B-C, as appropriate, during each term in which they are employed as Teaching Assistants

• Satisfactory evaluation of your teaching performance is required to remain in good standing as a graduate student

First Year Chair’s Meeting

• All new students must meet with the Department Chair individually at the end of winter or spring quarter

• You will be asked to prepare or collect:

  • Updated Resume/CV

  • Questionnaire

  • Statement from your Advisor

Establishing a Candidacy and Thesis Committee

• By the end of the first year, students should choose their thesis committee

• The student, with the advice of their Research Advisor, is responsible for proposing a committee and asking those faculty members if they are willing to serve on the committee

• Ph.D. committees require a minimum of 3 UC ladder faculty:

  • 2 faculty members (including your Chair) must be in your home department

  • At least 1 faculty member must be independent of the thesis project

• The Research Advisor (or joint advisors) may serve on the candidacy committee, but their presence is not counted in the required number of faculty members described above

• The Research Advisor will serve as Chair of the final defense and thesis/dissertation committee

• When appropriate, a member from another department may be appointed to the committee

• The student will meet with all committee members at least once a year to discuss progress, receive input and feedback, and discuss any concerns they might have

Statement of Legal Residency (SLR)

• By the end of the first year, all domestic students are expected to establish California residency

• Submit your SLR with the Office of the Registrar at this link