2013–2014 UNIVERSITY CATALOG - Florida Institute of Technology

selects a faculty member to serve as research advisor. During the
same semester and with the assistance of the advisor, the student
selects an advisory committee, prepares a program plan and defines
a research topic. The student then progressively continues through
the stages of research proposal, research, thesis and oral examination.
Throughout this period, the advisory committee provides assistance
and direction to the student and serves as the review board for the
research proposal, thesis and oral examination.
Nonthesis Option
The nonthesis option requires advisor guidance in selection of six
credit hours of coursework relevant to the student’s area of interest
and Chemical Research Projects (CHM 5095) in lieu of the thesis.
Research will be primarily literature-based and includes successful
completion of a final program examination.
Curriculum
Each student follows an individual program plan. The program plan
must have a minimum of 30 credit hours including four core chemistry
courses, three additional chemistry courses (may include a technical
elective), and nine credit hours of thesis for the thesis option or
six credit hours of relevant coursework and CHM 5095 for the nonthesis
option. Students in either option must register for Chemistry
Graduate Seminar (CHM 5900) each semester offered. All courses
selected for inclusion on the program plan are subject to approval by
the department head.
Core Courses (12 credit hours)
CHM 5002 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry
CHM 5111 Advanced Physical Chemistry
CHM 5304 Advanced Analytical Chemistry
CHM 5500 Advanced Organic Chemistry
Chemistry Electives
The thesis option completes nine credit hours from the following list;
the nonthesis option completes 15 credit hours. The courses must be
from different areas of specialization.
CHM 5017 Physical Methods in Inorganic Chemistry
CHM 5018 Special Topics in Inorganic Chemistry
CHM 5112 Special Topics in Physical Chemistry
CHM 5114 Applied Optical Spectroscopy
CHM 5119 Chemical Dynamics
CHM 5501 Interpretation of Chemical Spectra
CHM 5503 Organic Synthesis
CHM 5504 Theoretical Organic Chemistry
CHM 5507 Natural Products
CHM 5508 Bioorganic Chemistry
CHM 5550 Polymer Chemistry
Technical Elective
The technical elective may be selected from other courses offered
within the chemistry department or other academic departments.
The nonthesis option requires successful completion of Chemical
Research Projects (CHM 5095), which focuses on conducting literature
research.
Chemistry, Ph.D. ___________________________
Major Code: 9031 Degree Awarded: Doctor of Philosophy
Age Restriction: N Admission status: graduate
Delivery Mode/s: classroom only Location/s: main campus
Admission Materials: 3 letters of
recommendation, résumé, objectives
A candidate for the doctoral program will typically have a bachelor’s or
master’s degree in chemistry with outstanding performance. Students
enrolled in the master’s program can apply to change their status to
work directly toward the doctorate after completing 14 credit hours
of graduate coursework at Florida Tech with a cumulative grade point
average of at least 3.3.
198 Florida Tech 2013–2014
General admission requirements and the process for applying are
presented in the Academic Overview section.
Degree Requirements
The doctoral degree is primarily a research degree and is conferred in
part in recognition of research accomplishments. Each student must
complete an approved program of coursework, pass the cumulative
written examinations, pass the comprehensive oral examination, write
an acceptable research proposal and file a petition for admission to
candidacy, complete a significant original research study, prepare and
defend a dissertation concerning the research, and present a seminar
on the dissertation research. The dissertation research is expected to
be of publishable quality, according to the standards of peer-reviewed
national or international journals.
Each new doctoral student is required to pass six cumulative examinations.
At least four must be in the chosen area of concentration and
up to two can be in an additional area. Students must begin these
examinations in their second semester in residence. Four examinations
are offered each semester. A maximum of 11 attempts is allowed.
A doctoral student must have a program of study approved by the
department head by the end of the first semester in residence. This
program is based on the student’s goals and background.
The proposal presents the research plan to be followed in the dissertation
work. It is developed under close supervision of the advisor.
Areas of specialization are included under research activities. The
proposal is presented to and approved by the student’s committee
and department head.
After the research project is completed and approved by the advisor,
the dissertation is submitted to the advisory committee for critical
evaluation. The student then orally defends the dissertation.
General degree requirements are presented in the Academic Overview
section.
Curriculum
In developing a program of study for the doctoral degree, considerable
latitude is allowed to accommodate research interests. The following
guidelines apply to students entering with a bachelor’s degree:
Coursework and Dissertation Summary
Approved Chemistry Courses (minimum) ................................................. 24
Additional Coursework................................................................................. 9
Chemistry Research ............................................................................... 0–18
Dissertation (maximum) ............................................................................ 30
MINIMUM REQUIRED BEYOND BACHELOR’S DEGREE ............... 81
For students entering with a master’s degree, coursework completed
for the master’s degree can fulfill a significant proportion of the 33
credit hours of required doctoral coursework. The student should be
prepared to complete some additional coursework.
RESEARCH
Research areas presently of interest to chemistry department faculty
include biophysical chemistry, bioorganic chemistry, chemical education,
environmental chemistry, geochemistry, molecular spectroscopy,
nanotechnology, natural products, organometallic chemistry, pharmaceutical
chemistry, physical organic chemistry, polymer chemistry,
molecular modeling, renewable energy applications, solid-phase
reaction kinetics, surface phenomena, synthetic organic chemistry,
and thermal methods of analysis.