Candidacy

section III, article 5

Candidacy status is an indication that a doctoral scholar has developed sufficient mastery of a discipline to advance towards the PhD. The scholar will rely on this foundation to produce an original research contribution in their field in the form of the dissertation.

Eligibility

PhD scholars are eligible for candidacy when they have earned at least 54 credit hours at the 500 level or above. All incomplete (I) and In Progress (IP) grades must be resolved. Candidates must be in good standing with the program. Scholars must also complete the following before entering candidacy:

  • Rotations
  • JPE: LGS Ethics course JPE 600 (JPE 610 may be completed after entering candidacy) 
  • Chemistry JPE Requirements
  • Second Year Qualifying Exam
  • TATTO: TATT 600 & TATT 605 (x 2 semesters)
  • Six chemistry courses (or equivalent course release based on transfer coursework) with a minimum G.P.A. of 2.7

Timing

Scholars should enter candidacy as soon as all requirements have been completed. Scholars must reach candidacy by September 15 of their fourth year. Scholars who do not meet this deadline will be placed on academic probation, will not be eligible for PDS funds, and may forfeit financial support. These sanctions will be lifted when the scholar enters candidacy.

How to Apply

Scholars enter candidacy by submitting the application to enter candidacy, available on the LGS website. Chemistry will confirm that all program requirements have been met and LGS will confirm that remaining requirements have been met. Scholars are considered “in candidacy” when the Dean has approved the application to enter candidacy.

Share Your Thoughts

Please rate this handbook entry on a scale of 1-5. If you would like to provide detailed feedback, we invite you to submit this form.

Rating: 1 out of 5.
Next: IV: Milestones

Coursework

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.

Required Courses for All Scholars

In addition to the course requirements listed below, all scholars must enroll in research credit as defined in the Coursework Residency Requirement and Research Credit section below.

  • six chemistry graduate courses (or approved external courses)
  • TATT 600 + 605
  • JPE 600 + 605 + 610
  • CHEM 597: Proposal/Library Course

New Scholar Enrollment

New scholars will meet with faculty during orientation to select coursework for the first semester.  A signed Course Selection Form is required for the first semester only. Enrollment in two courses is considered a full load during rotations. Scholars wishing to take a third course should request DGS permission prior to enrollment.

Course Registration for Continuing Scholars

All scholars should meet with their advisor to decide on necessary coursework. Scholars must register themselves online via OPUS with assistance, as needed, from the Graduate Program Coordinator. Scholars are responsible for ensuring that they are enrolled prior to the enrollment deadline each semester. 

Registering for Non-Chemistry Courses

Scholars who wish to register for courses outside of the Department of Chemistry must complete the External Coursework Petition. This form requires signatures from the advisor, the Instructor of Record for the requested course, and the graduate committee. If a scholar wishes to apply a non-chemistry course towards the six chemistry courses required for candidacy, they should indicate this on the petition.

Grading

Courses are graded as Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) or on a letter grade basis (A, A-, B+, B, B-, C, or F). Courses that offer a letter grade must be taken for a grade if they will be applied towards the requirements for candidacy.

Petitioning for Course Credit or a Course Waiver

Scholars may petition to receive course credit for graduate courses taken at another institution or a course waiver for a maximum of 9 credit hours. The scholar should submit the Petition for Course Credit and/or Waiver form to the Graduate Program Coordinator. Petitions will be forwarded to the Graduate Committee for review. Transfer credit requests must also be approved by the Laney Graduate School Dean (see Box 8.A).

Coursework petitions must be submitted by the end of the first semester of coursework and will be accepted as early as the first graduate committee meeting of the semester.​​​​​​​

What is the difference between transfer credit and a waiver?

Course credit may be given only for courses that were not used to satisfy the requirements of any previous degree. Transfer credit may also reduce the number of courses required at Emory by an equivalent amount—a waiver. A course waiver alone may be requested to reduce the usual six-credit course load required for candidacy but the courses themselves will not be reflected on the Emory transcript.

Scholars wishing to use non-chemistry coursework as part of a transfer or waiver request should include a rationale from their advisor indicating the relevance of the course to the chemistry degree. This should be signed by the advisor.

All requested waivers and petitions will be reviewed. However, scholars should be advised that in most cases, it benefits the scholar to take a full slate of courses at Emory.​​​​​​​

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. Scholars should carefully review the Research section of the handbook to understand how to pair required coursework with research credit to fulfill this minimum.

Share Your Thoughts

Please rate this handbook entry on a scale of 1-5. If you would like to provide detailed feedback, we invite you to submit this form.

Rating: 1 out of 5.
Next: Research

Orientation

section II, article 1

Orientation activities always begin on the start date indicated in your Emory offer letter – this is quite a bit earlier than the first day of classes! In Fall 2021, orientation starts on August 13th.

​​​​​​

Orientation Overview

New scholars are required to attend orientation for both the chemistry graduate program and the Laney Graduate School before the start of classes.

Advanced students may be required to attend orientation activities to complete program requirements that were missed or not offered during their own orientation.

​​​​​​​All orientation activities are mandatory. Scholars who do not participate may forfeit their August stipend payment and/or be excluded from rotation activities.

Orientation Content

Orientation will include the following:

  • program requirements, including rotations
  • mail and keys
  • Emory ID cards and building access
  • payroll and compensation
  • facilities and stockroom
  • safety training
  • TA training
  • course selection/academic advising with faculty
  • cohort team building
  • strategies for success in graduate school
  • peer mentoring and graduate organizations

Orientation Schedule

An orientation schedule will be provided to scholars by the graduate program coordinator prior to the start date in their Emory offer letter. In turn, scholars are asked to submit a photo and short bio to the graduate program coordinator before orientation begins.

For more information about the schedule for Laney Graduate School orientation activities, please visit their website.

Share Your Thoughts

Please rate this handbook entry on a scale of 1-5. If you would like to provide detailed feedback, we invite you to submit this form.

Rating: 1 out of 5.
Next: Research Rotation Program