Applying to Graduate Schools
in Chemistry & Biochemistry

Finding out about graduate schools
Planning for graduate school
Applying to graduate school
GRE: Graduate Record Examination
Applying and choosing a graduate school
The Top 25 Chemistry & Biochemistry Graduate Programs

Graduate work is for those who enjoy going to school, like an unstructured, open-ended research environment, and who wish to follow career paths that require an advanced degree.
Many graduate programs are available for chemistry students:

chemistry polymer science chemical physics
biotechnologylibrary sciencechemical education
biochemistrymaterials scienceenvironmental chemistry
food sciencegeochemistrycomputational chemistry
chemical engineeringpharmaceutical chemistryclinical chemistry

You should figure on two years for a masters degree, and four-to-six years for a Ph.D.
For a Ph.D., you will take courses and written and oral exams, do lots of research, write a thesis, and defend your work at a final oral presentation.

There is always a demand for good graduate students. C of C students with chemistry grades in the "B" range should not have difficulty being accepted to the schools of their choice. In recent years C of C students have been accepted to many regional and nationally respected programs including:

Clemson U of South Carolina Emory
Georgia Tech Duke University UNC-Chapel Hill
University of Florida University of Georgia University of Tennessee-Knoxville
UC-Berkeley U of Chicago Virginia
MUSC UNC-Wilmington UNC-Charlotte
NC State

Graduate students in chemistry are almost always supported by teaching or research fellowships and receive (directly or indirectly) stipends for tuition throughout their Ph.D. program. Be careful when comparing schools in terms of regional cost of living and tuition wavers. Usually students net $12-14,000 after tuition. Expect to teach two to three labs your first year and to do 40 hours or more of lab research work in later years in exchange for your stipend. Graduate programs in chemistry are heavily research oriented.

Finding out about graduate schools

Speak to your professors, current and recent graduate students, and seminar speakers. Even if their area of interest does not appeal to you that can tell you much about their institution. Get up-to-date information; reputations take a long time to get established or lost.
Attend graduate school fairs at ACS national and regional meetings.
Request and read the brochures from different schools; visit, if possible. Many schools have preadmission travel funds (don't be afraid to ask). They will pay for transportation, room, & board for your trip.
Check the chemical literature for references to the research work of professors with whom you might want to study. Be sure to look up the most recent work.
Consult graduate school directories, for example:
  • ACS Directory of Graduate Research
  • ACS Chemical Sciences Graduate School Finder
  • ACS College Chemistry Faculties
  • Peterson's Guide to Graduate Programs
  • US News & World Report Graduate School Report
    Use the World Wide Web.

    Planning for graduate school

    The earlier you start thinking about graduate school and gathering information, the better.
    Observe the application deadlines (typically January or February, but often later), but the earlier you apply, the better. Fellowships may be awarded early. Acceptances are usually rolling, sometimes right up to the start of classes.
    Applications consist of forms, requests for financial aid (teaching and research fellowships), essays, letters of recommendations (generally three), GRE scores, transcripts, and fees.

    Applying to graduate school

    Essay
  • Why you are interested in going to graduate school (evidence of motivation)
  • Area of interest within chemistry (name a professor if appropriate)
  • Discussion of career goals (direction in life)
  • Previous research experience (very important)
    GRE
    Nearly always required (verbal and quantitative skills, subject test)
    Application fees (typically $25-$50)
    Line up several professors or employers who can write letters of reference for you. Be sure to give them plenty of time before deadlines to write and mail the letters.

    GRE: Graduate Record Examination

  • General test ($64): verbal and quantitative skills
  • Subject test ($64): chemistry
    Subject tests are also given in biology, geology, physics, computer science, engineering, biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, mathematics.
    For applications, see the graduate school or undergraduate advising office at your institution or contact:     Graduate Record Examination, Educational Testing Service P.O. Box 6000, Princeton, NJ 08541-6000 (609) 771-7670 Princeton, NJ or (510) 873-8100 Oakland, CA

    Applying and choosing a graduate school

    Apply to as many schools as you can afford (fees, postage, time), but be realistic about your expectations; about three to four schools would be safe but would not present you with too many choices to make. Remember: The more schools you apply to, the more acceptances you will likely get, and the harder will be your choice.

    Your final choice will be based on some combination of the following factors:

  • size of department (small, medium, large, extremely large)
  • intellectual climate (low key, active, intensely competitive)
  • range of research activities (a few specialized areas, broad coverage, everything)
  • reputations (young & aggressive, established & secure)
  • university setting (urban, college town)
  • stipends
  • personal reasons (family, love, travel)
  • geography (water skiing vs. snow skiing vs. backpacking vs. beach combing)
    Masters Programs

    Masters programs prepare you for the chemical industry. They are typically two year programs. Regional schools that you might find of interest include:

    East Carolina University
    UNC-Charlotte
    UNC-Greensboro
    UNC-Wilmington

    Chemistry and Biochemistry

    THE TOP SCHOOLS

    © Copyright U.S. News & World Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

    1999

    Overall Rankings

    Analytical | Bioorganic, Biophysical | Inorganic | Organic | Physical | Polymer

    Rank/School Average reputation score (5 = highest)
    1. University of California–Berkeley 5.0
    2. California Institute of Technology 4.9
    2. Harvard University (MA) 4.9
    2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 4.9
    2. Stanford University (CA) 4.9
    6. Cornell University (NY) 4.6
    6. University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign 4.6
    8. Columbia University (NY) 4.5
    8. Scripps Research Institute (CA) 4.5
    10. University of Wisconsin–Madison 4.4
    11. Northwestern University (IL) 4.3
    11. University of California–Los Angeles 4.3
    11. University of Chicago 4.3
    11. University of Texas–Austin 4.3
    15. University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill 4.2
    15. Yale University (CT) 4.2
    17. Princeton University (NJ) 4.1
    18. Purdue University–West Lafayette (IN) 4.0
    18. Texas A&M University–College Station 4.0
    20. Indiana University–Bloomington 3.9
    20. Ohio State University 3.9
    20. Penn State University–University Park 3.9
    20. University of Colorado–Boulder 3.9
    20. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor 3.9
    20. University of Minnesota–Minneapolis 3.9
    20. University of Pennsylvania 3.9

    ANALYTICAL

    1. California Institute of Technology
    1. Scripps Research Institute (CA)
    3. Harvard University (MA)
    4. University of California–Berkeley
    5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    6. University of California–San Francisco
    6. Yale University (CT)
    8. Stanford University (CA)
    9. University of Wisconsin–Madison
    10. Columbia University (NY)

    BIO-ORGANIC, BIOPHYSICAL

    1. California Institute of Technology
    1. Scripps Research Institute (CA)
    3. Harvard University (MA)
    4. University of California–Berkeley
    5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    6. University of California–San Francisco
    6. Yale University (CT)
    8. Stanford University (CA)
    9. University of Wisconsin–Madison
    10. Columbia University (NY)

    INORGANIC

    1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    2. California Institute of Technology
    3. University of California–Berkeley
    4. Northwestern University (IL)
    5. University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign
    6. Stanford University (CA)
    7. Texas A&M University–College Station
    8. University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill
    9. University of Wisconsin–Madison
    10. Harvard University (MA)

    ORGANIC

    1. Harvard University (MA)
    2. Stanford University (CA)
    3. University of California–Berkeley
    4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    5. California Institute of Technology
    6. Columbia University (NY)
    7. Scripps Research Institute (CA)
    8. University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign
    9. University of California–Irvine
    10. University of Wisconsin–Madison

    PHYSICAL

    1. University of California–Berkeley
    2. California Institute of Technology
    2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    4. Stanford University (CA)
    5. University of Chicago
    6. Harvard University (MA)
    7. University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign
    7. University of Wisconsin–Madison
    9. University of Colorado–Boulder
    10. Cornell University (NY)

    POLYMER

    1. University of Massachusetts–Amherst
    2. University of Akron (OH)
    3. California Institute of Technology
    4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    5. Virginia Tech
    6. Case Western Reserve University (OH)
    7. University of Southern Mississippi
    8. University of Minnesota–Minneapolis
    9. Penn State University–University Park
    10. University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill

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