Chemistry - Graduate

Chair: Dean E. Wilcox

Professors: I. Aprahamian, R. S. Cantor, D. S. Glueck, F. J. Kull,  J. E. G. Lipson, G. C. Micalizio, D. F. Mierke, E. V. Pletneva, D. E. Wilcox, J. Wu; Associate Professor: K. A. Mirica; Assistant Professors: C. Ke, M. J. Ragusa, P. J. Robustelli, C. Sandford, W. Zhang; Senior Lecturer: C. O. Welder; Adjunct Professors: M. E. Ackerman, P. Kuppusamy, D. R. Madden, H. M. Swartz; Adjunct Associate Professors: G. Grigoryan, K. E. Griswold, C. Ramanathan, D. W. Van Citters; Adjunct Assistant Professors: W. D. Leavitt, W. Li, J. D. Whitfield; Adjunct Research Professor: B. P. Jackson;  Research Professors: J. J. BelBruno, R. Ditchfield, G. W. Gribble, R. P. Hughes, P. A. Jacobi, M. Pellegrini, T. A. Spencer, J. W. Winn; Research Assistant Professors: C. R. Midgett, J. A. Read.

To view Chemistry Graduate courses, click here.

To view Chemistry Undergraduate requirements, click here.

To view Chemistry Undergraduate courses, click here.

Integrated 4+1 AB/MS Program in Biophysical Chemistry

Objective and Overview: A 4+1 program to provide Dartmouth undergraduate students an opportunity to acquire a broader and deeper education in modern techniques of biophysical chemistry through a combination of coursework and independent research under the direction of one of the program faculty. With integration of the courses and a substantial effort in the independent research carried out during the senior year, the MS can be obtained in one year directly after completing the AB at Dartmouth.

Participating Faculty: Robert S. Cantor, Computational biophysics of cell membranes, protein-lipid interactions, ion channel kinetics, anesthetic mechanisms; F. Jon Kull, Protein crystallography, molecular motors, cellular transport mechanisms, enzyme mechanisms; transcription factors; bacterial virulence; cholera; Dale F. Mierke, Biophysical chemistry, high resolution NMR, peptide/compound library screening, structure-based drug-design; Ekaterina V. Pletneva, Biophysical and bioinorganic chemistry, heme proteins, fluorescence studies of protein conformational dynamics, redox chemistry; Michael J. Ragusa, Protein crystallography, small angle X-ray scattering, autophagy, vesicle biogenesis, protein degradation; Paul J. Robustelli, Computational biophysical chemistry, intrinsic disordered proteins; Dean E. Wilcox, Thermodynamics of metal-protein interactions, metalloenzymes, nitric oxide biochemistry.

Prerequisite Courses: Students wishing to enter the program must demonstrate proficiency in each of the following areas: biochemistry, chemistry, calculus and physics. Such proficiency will normally be demonstrated by completing the following Dartmouth College courses with at least a B grade prior to entering the Master’s Program: MATH 8 (or equivalent), PHYS 13-14 (or PHYS 15-16 or, by permission, PHYS 3-4), CHEM 51-52 (or equivalent), CHEM 41 (or, by permission, BIOL 40), CHEM 40 or CHEM 75 and CHEM 76.

It is anticipated that the student will begin an independent research project with one of the participating faculty no later than the summer before senior year. An interim evaluation will be made after each term and continuation within the Master’s Program will be recommended for those students whose work demonstrates the capacity for satisfactory independent research.

Admission: Students must apply for admission to the program no later than May 1 of their junior year, although interested students are strongly encouraged to contact the Program Director (Mierke) earlier for advice on prerequisites, and on the scheduling of required courses for the degree. Having explored research opportunities with members of the faculty listed above, the applicant is expected to reach an agreement on a specific project with one of the faculty. The program Admissions Committee (Cantor, Kull, Mierke) will be responsible for reviewing applications and making offers of admission, to be completed by June 30.

A complete application includes: i. A current transcript. ii. Anticipated schedule of courses for senior and fifth year. iii. The name of the research advisor and a brief description of the research project, including a timeline of research effort.

Specific Requirements for the Master’s in Biophysical Chemistry are as follows:
1. Course Distribution Requirements: In addition to the prerequisite courses described above, each student must pass the following courses, either prior to beginning the Master’s Program or as part of the coursework required for the program: CHEM 42, and two offerings of CHEM 161: (CHEM 161.1, CHEM 161.2, CHEM 161.3, CHEM 161.4, CHEM 161.5, CHEM 161.6).
2. Required Course Credits: During the Master’s Program, each student must pass with a grade of P or better at least eight courses from the offerings in biophysical chemistry. Two terms of Graduate Research Colloquium and up to four courses in graduate-level research may count in the eight-course total. Note: Courses taken as an undergraduate can fulfill the “Course Distribution Requirements” described above, but do not count toward the eight courses required for the Master’s degree.
3. Competency Requirement: The student must demonstrate competency in the fundamentals of biophysical chemistry methodology, including X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy/FRET, experimental characterization of binding processes, or biomolecular computer simulations. This requirement will be satisfied by successful defense of the topic in an oral examination that must be completed before the end of winter term.

Thesis Requirement: The student must complete a satisfactory thesis based on independent-original research. The thesis must be approved by three program members and successfully defended in an oral examination.

Integrated 4+1 AB/MS Program in Chemistry

Participating Faculty: Ivan Aprahamian, adaptive functional materials; David S. Glueck, asymmetric catalysis; Chenfeng Ke, functional materials for device fabrication, energy related applications, and biological sensors; Jane E. G. Lipson, physical properties of polymers and glasses; Glenn C. Micalizio, organic synthesis; Katherine A. Mirica, materials, organic, and analytical chemistry, sensors; Christopher Sandford, organic chemistry, catalysis, computational organic chemistry; Jimmy Wu, organic synthesis; Wenlin Zhang, theory and computationally guided design of high-performance polymers and soft matter.

Prerequisite Courses: Students wishing to enter the program must demonstrate proficiency in chemistry or materials science. Such proficiency will normally be demonstrated by completing the Dartmouth College chemistry major with at least a B average prior to entering the Master’s Program. Students with appropriate experience in chemistry from other majors, such as engineering, biology or physics, may also request consideration.

It is anticipated that the student will begin an independent research project with one of the participating faculty no later than the summer before senior year. An interim evaluation will be made after each term and continuation within the Master’s Program will be recommended for those students whose work demonstrates the capacity for satisfactory independent research.

Admission: Students must apply for admission to the program no later than May 1 of their junior year, although interested students are strongly encouraged to contact the Program Director (Glueck) earlier for advice on prerequisites, and on the scheduling of required courses for the degree. Having explored research opportunities with members of the faculty listed above, the applicant is expected to reach an agreement on a specific project with one of the faculty. The program Admissions Committee (Aprahamian, Glueck, Micalizio) will be responsible for reviewing applications and making offers of admission, to be completed by June 30.

A complete application includes:

1. A current transcript.

2. Anticipated schedule of courses for senior and fifth year.

3. The name of the research advisor and a brief description of the research project, including a timeline of research effort.

Requirements for the Master’s Degree (M.S.) in Chemistry

The general requirements for the Master’s degree, together with the specific requirements of the Department of Chemistry normally allow completion of the degree in two years.

The specific requirements are as follows:

1. Each student must pass with a grade of P or better eight courses from the graduate offerings in Chemistry and allied areas that have been chosen in consultation with the adviser and approved by the Graduate Student Advisory Committee (GSAC). CHEM 256 and one term of CHEM 257 may count. Up to four courses may be in graduate-level research, but they may not include the Colloquium course CHEM 140 or any course in the CHEM 260 series, nor may courses numbered below 100 count in the eight-course total.
2. The student must complete a satisfactory thesis based on independent, original research and pass creditably an oral examination upon this thesis.
3. In the course of this training, the student must gain experience in teaching, including completion of CHEM 256.

Requirements for the Doctor’s Degree (Ph.D.) in Chemistry

A student will be admitted to candidacy for the doctorate after satisfying the following requirements:

1. Completion, by the start of the Fall term of the student’s second year in the program, through an appropriate combination of Dartmouth courses or performance on diagnostic entrance examinations, of a breadth requirement in three of the four topical areas of biological, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry.
2. Passing a Ph.D. qualifying examination consisting of a written proposal on the student's Ph.D. research and an oral defense of that proposal by the end of the spring term of the second year.
3. Submission and oral defense of an original research proposal in an area removed from the student's own thesis research by the end of the student's third year.
4. Presentation before the Department of a lecture on the thesis topic during the student's fourth year.

The candidate will receive the doctorate upon:

1. Satisfactory completion of an original thesis project of high quality and substantial significance, and approval of the thesis embodying the results of this research.
2. Successful defense of this thesis in an oral examination.

A candidate for the doctorate will take various courses in chemistry and allied fields that are pertinent to their area of study. He or she will also participate actively in undergraduate teaching, including completion of CHEM 256. It is anticipated that a graduate student will normally complete all of the requirements for the doctorate in approximately five years. It is not necessary to earn a master’s degree as a prerequisite to the doctorate.

More complete information can be obtained from the brochure, Graduate Study in Chemistry at Dartmouth, that can be obtained from the Department of Chemistry.