Chemistry Graduate Program Handbook
LAST REVISED TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2024
I. PROGRAM BASICS
Article 1.1: Graduate Program Administration
Article 1.2: How to Use This Handbook
- How do I know which handbook policies apply to me?
- How do I know if the handbook is up to date?
- Two handbooks
- Examples of LGS versus Chemistry policies
- When the handbook doesn’t cover it
Article 1.3: Goals for Graduates
Article 1.4: Communication Guidance
- Basic safety guidelines
- What to do when there is a fire alarm
- Responsibility for reporting safety incidents
- Support for community well-being
- Emergency Contact List
II. First Year
Article 2.2: Research Rotation Program
Article 2.3: Research Group Selection and Assignment
- Advising before you join a group
- Finalizing group selection
- Options for scholars who do not match with a group
- Chemistry mentoring agreement
- Role of the primary research mentor
- Post-Rotation request to change groups
- Group placement requirement
Article 2.4: First Year Course Selection
- Required courses for all scholars
- Grading
- Understanding course levels
- New scholar enrollment
- ELSP scholars
- Registering for external (non-Chemistsry) courses
- First year research credit
Article 2.5: First Year Teaching Assignments
- Teaching requirements for candidacy
- First Year TA assignments
- First Year TA responsibilities
- TA grading procedures
- TA probation procedures
III. Core Requirements
Article 3.1: Coursework for Continuing Scholars
- Reminder of requirements
- Course registration for continuing scholars
- Milestone course guidance
- Registering for external courses
- Coursework residency requirement and research credit
- Research credit guidance
Article 3.2: Teaching for Advanced Scholars
- Advanced graduate scholar TA commitment request form
- TA requests for students supported by bridge funding
- Availability of advanced TA assignments
- Changes to TA commitment request
- Advanced opportunities within chemistry
- Advanced opportunities outside chemistry
Article 3.3: Midsemester Evaluation and Annual Committee Evaluation
Article 3.5: Committee Selection and Management
- Role of the research committee
- Committee composition
- Expectations for committee members
- Expectations for scholars
- Committee selection timeline
- Formalizing the committee with Laney Graduate School
- Changes to committee membership
Article 3.6: Milestones
- 3.6-A: Second Year Qualifying Exam
- 3.6-B: Third Year Milestone: Pre-Proposals
- 3.6-C: Fourth Year Milestone: Original Research Proposal
- 3.6-D: Fifth Year + Degree Completion Timeline
- 3.6-E: Degree Completion
IV. Finance
- Stipend basics
- Understanding faculty bridge funding
- Leave guidance
- Additional funding
- Stipend termination
- Quayle Outstanding Dissertation Award
- Quayle Excellence in Research Awards
- Quayle Early Innovator Award
- Quayle Citizen Scholar Award
- Quayle Teacher Scholar Award
- Quayle Spectrum Scholar Award
Article 4.3: External Funding
- Topics
V. Academic Progress
- Causes of probationary status
- Review process
- Scholars in probationary status
- Appeal of probationary status
- Termination
- Options for filing a grievance
- Understanding feedback versus grievances
- Providing anonymous feedback
- Recording a formal grievance
- Limits of the grievance process
- Help for scholars considering a formal grievance
- What are petitions?
- Reasons to submit a petition
- Submitting a petition
- Supporting documents for a petition
- Response to a petition