Education

Harvard University: Arts & Sciences: Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Category Art and Social Sciences, Biological Sciences, Chemistry & Biological Chemistry, Harvard University, USA, Undergraduate
Tags Arts, Biology, Chemical, Chemistry, Harvard University, Sciences

The Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology offers a program of study leading to the degree of doctor of philosophy in chemistry, in the special fields of biological, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry. An interdepartmental PhD program in chemical physics is also available.

The entering graduate student at Harvard joins an active research center as a co-worker at the start of or during the student’s second term. The research, based on the student’s own interests and those of the chosen faculty supervisor, is concerned with problems of intrinsic interest and importance at the frontiers of chemical science. The student joins a community composed of about 210 graduate students, 180 postdoctoral fellows, and 30 faculty members.

Regular seminars are held by most faculty members for their research groups. The exchange of views, the solution of problems, and the discussion of recent developments have made this setting an important component of the graduate program. Colloquia in special fields of chemistry and frequent lectures by visiting chemists are continual catalysts for creative research. Considerable opportunity exists for participation in other departments and groups inside Harvard University, at MIT, and at other research centers in the Boston area.

Departmental research facilities are located in seven buildings: Mallinckrodt, Conant, Converse, Naito, Bauer, Connors Infill, and the Mallinckrodt/Hoffman “Link.” These laboratories are adjacent to the Departments of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Physics, Earth and Planetary Sciences, the Center for Genomic Research and to the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Also nearby is the Science Center, housing Mathematics, Statistics, and History of Science, but devoted primarily to undergraduate teaching facilities. In addition to the faculty research labs, the Chemistry and Chemical Biology complex contains facilities for analytical instrumentation (NMR, Mass Spectroscopy, and X-ray Crystallography), a library, a stockroom for lab supplies and computer workstations for molecular modeling and chemical information retrieval. A machine shop, electronics shop, a microchemistry laboratory for protein structure determination, and a variety of other specialized instrumentation are available in adjacent departments.

Admission

We encourage prospective students to submit their applications online whenever possible at https://apply.embark.com/grad/Harvard/GSAS .

If necessary, students may also request a paper application from:
Office of Admissions and Financial Aid
Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Holyoke Center, 3rd floor,
1350 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138

Applications for admission to study for the PhD degree in chemistry are accepted from students who have received the bachelor’s degree or have had equivalent preparation. These applications should be initiated during the fall of the year preceding the September when admission is desired. Normally, students are admitted only for September.

The Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology does not require an interview. Applicants must take the GRE general and chemistry examinations. These must be taken no later than November of the year prior to admission, and preferably earlier. TOEFL is required of all foreign applicants other than those whose native language is English.

Financial Support

The Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology meets the financial needs of its graduate students through Department Scholarships, Department Fellowships, Teaching Fellowships, Research Assistantships, and independent outside fellowships. Financial support is awarded on a 12-month basis, enabling students to pursue their research throughout the year. Tuition support is provided to all graduate students in good standing.

Generally, students in their first year are supported by a departmental fellowship that covers tuition and living expenses. Beginning in the second semester, all students not supported by independent fellowships are expected to teach for two semesters. Teaching fellowships are term-long jobs typically available on a quarter-time or half-time basis. A quarter-time assignment involves about ten hours per week of preparation and instruction. With the research advisor’s concurrence, a student may teach in subsequent years.

Research assistantships provide an opportunity for students to devote more time to research. The 12-month research assistantship is the major vehicle for student support within a research group. Research assistantships typically start in July after the student has completed the first year of the graduate program.

Independent fellowships are outside awards (e.g., NSF, Hertz Foundation) covering a significant portion of a student’s stipend and tuition throughout his or her tenure in the PhD program. Information on major graduate fellowships is available at www.gsas. harvard.edu/financial/fellowship.html , or can be obtained by writing to the respective agencies directly, or by inquiring at your college career counseling office. A limited number of corporate fellowships are available to meritorious students after the first year.

Departmental Requirements

Qualifying Requirements. Students must pass four advanced half-courses in chemistry and/or related fields (e.g., biochemistry, physics, etc.) with average grades of B or higher. Grades of B- will count as a pass if balanced by a B+ or better on a one-for-one basis. An advanced course is one designated in the announcement of courses as “for undergraduates and graduates” or “primarily for graduates” with the exception of the following courses that cannot be used for credit toward the PhD degree in Chemistry: Chemistry 135 and 165. Courses numbered 301 or above do not count toward this requirement.

During the orientation week (generally the first week before classes), students will formulate a plan of study in consultation with a member of the Cirriculum Advising Committee (CAC). The CAC may withhold approval for courses deemed inappropriate for the PhD degree in Chemistry. It is expected that required coursework be completed no later than the end of the third term in residence.

In consultation with the CAC, special arrangements may also be made in the following circumstances:

(a) Advanced courses passed with honor grades by a Harvard undergraduate, who
is subsequently admitted to the Graduate School, may be counted in fulfillment of the departmental course requirement. They may be counted for residence requirements only if in excess of the courses required for the AB degree (see The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Handbook).

(b) Students who have taken elsewhere the equivalent of a Harvard advanced course may, by arrangement with the Advisory Committee, meet the requirement with respect to that course without enrollment by fulfilling such requirements as the instructor in the course stipulates. (See The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Handbook, Credit for Work Done Elsewhere.)

Rotations. Each entering student will participate in three eight-week lab rotations during the fall semester of his or her first year. However, students may join a research group upon completion of the second eight-week rotation. The goal of the rotations is to broaden a student’s scientific perspective by exposing him or her to the science and environment of different laboratories in the department.

Continuance. Continuation in the degree program is contingent on the following: (1) satisfactory completion of required coursework, (2) successful presentation and defense of a research proposal in the student’s second year of residence, (3) admission to a research group during the second term in residence, unless extension of time has been approved by the Director of Graduate Studies, and (4) satisfactory progress in 300-level research courses.