Coursework for Continuing Scholars

section III, article 1

Coursework is an opportunity to delve deeper into the science of your chosen research area as well as the discipline of chemistry more broadly. Required skills-based coursework in proposal preparation, pedagogy, and ethics, among others, will help prepare you for your thesis work and for the job market.

Reminder of requirements

“Continuing” coursework refers to course effort after the first year of graduate school.

Review the First Year Coursework article for a list of courses required for all scholars and an overview of grading policy and expectations.

The Course Plan Guidance provides an at-a-glance view of requirements by semester:

Course registration for continuing scholars

All scholars should meet with their primary research mentor to decide on necessary coursework. First year scholars are encouraged to consult their rotation advisors and/or the DGS. Scholars must register themselves online via OPUS. The Graduate Program Coordinator can provide assistance but is not responsible for enrollment. Scholars are responsible for ensuring that they are enrolled prior to the enrollment deadline each semester. 

Milestone course guidance

Scholars must enroll in a specific course to properly record and receive credit for chemistry milestones. Scholars should enroll in these courses in the semester in which they plan to complete a milestone. Scholars are also required to re-enroll if they are approved to re-test a milestone in a given semester.

  • CHEM 798B: Second Year Qualifying Exam (3 credits)
  • CHEM 798C: Third Year Milestone (1 credit)
  • CHEM 798D: Fourth Year Milestone (1 credit)

Registering for external courses

Coursework residency requirement and research credit

All scholars in the graduate program are required to maintain a full course load consisting of at least 9 units during the fall, spring and summer semesters. In most semesters, scholars will need to enroll in CHEM 599R (Pre-Candidacy) or CHEM 799R (Post-Candidacy) to properly reflect their research effort. Scholars should refer to the table below to determine the appropriate research credit to reflect their effort in a given semester.

Research credit guidance

First Year, First Semester0
First Year, Second Semester6
First Year, Summer12
Second Year, First Semester9
Second Year, Second Semester9
Second Year Summer and Above12
Note: In any given semester, if a scholar calculates that their full credit load will fall below 9 credits or rise above 18 credits, the scholar must contact the Director of Graduate studies to discuss prior to the beginning of add/drop.

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