Chemistry

Master’s and Doctoral Programs

Graduate opportunities

The Department of Chemistry at the University of North Texas offers you an opportunity to change the world.

Cutting-edge course work leading to a Master of Science degree in Chemistry or a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Chemistry makes UNT an ideal place to pursue your research endeavors. From designing new pharmaceuticals and materials to reducing emissions of toxic substances or producing higher-value products from natural gas, our combination of internationally recognized faculty members and state-of-the-art facilities will provide you the tools you need to thrive.

Our faculty members are committed to excellence and your success. They have been recognized in their fields by winning major awards, serving as editors or on editorial boards of major journals, and receiving extensive citations for their research endeavors.

The master’s degree program includes concentrations in analytical, industrial, inorganic, organic or physical chemistry, and chemistry education. You may conduct a thesis or dissertation research in any concentration except industrial chemistry.

We recognize that new frontiers in chemistry often incorporate two or more traditional areas. Your advisors can assist you in designing unique interdisciplinary study opportunities. You may choose from a wide variety of research programs including:

• Catalysis
• Mass spectrometry
• Materials chemistry
• Molecular dynamics and kinetics
• Novel instrument design and development
• Nuclear magnetic resonance
• Spectroscopy
• Thermochemistry

Research interests of the faculty members span analytical, inorganic, organic and physical chemistry, and chemistry education. Our chemistry education and industrial chemistry specializations are targeted to teachers and industrial employees. Classroom-based and online programs are offered in both areas, and many evening classes are available

Research and laboratories

Department research to solve many of chemistry’s complex issues is supported by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Departments of Energy and Education, the U.S. Air Force, the Semiconductor Research Corp., the Welch Foundation, the American Chemical Society’s Petroleum Research Fund, and many other federal and industrial sources.

Research laboratories are housed in the Chemistry Building and the Science Research Building. Our department possesses more than $6.3 million of equipment and maintains a wide range of instrumentation to facilitate graduate research in:

• Chemical analysis
• Computational chemistry
• Mass spectral analysis
• Materials and surface characterization
• Nuclear magnetic resonance
• UV-vis-IR and laser spectroscopy
• X-ray structure determination

The department houses the U.S. Department of Education-supported Center for Advanced Scientific Computing and Modeling (CASCaM), which is one of the nation’s most comprehensive computational chemistry programs. The computers are used for extensive quantum chemistry and molecular modeling applications. The department also maintains many other state-of-the-art facilities and resources including:

• The Computational Chemistry Instructional Laboratory, which provides hardware and software resources to predict the physical and chemical properties of compounds
• The Laboratory of Imaging Mass Spectrometry, a service facility for the local, national and international academic and commercial research communities
• An extensive range of modern instrumentation including a 500 MHz Varian NMR spectrometer, APEX II CCD-based X-ray diffractometer, and mass spectrometers with MALDI, ESI and APCI capabilities
• A comprehensive inventory of chemicals and laboratory supplies
• A forensics lab with instrumentation used to process crime scene evidence and trace evidence identification
• A full-time master glassblower who repairs and fabricates specialized glassware for research
• An electronics shop containing electrical items and equipment including oscilloscopes, voltmeters and amplifiers

Attending UNT

Admission requirements

You must meet the admission requirements for the Toulouse Graduate School and the program’s specific requirements.The program requirements are:

• Minimum GRE score of 146 (verbal) and 146 (quantitative)
• Two letters of recommendation
• Statement of purpose
• Curriculum vitae

Because program admission is competitive, achieving minimum scores does not guarantee admission. Generally, higher scores are required for financial assistance.

International students are required to take the TOEFL exam and score at least 550 (paper-based exam) or 213 (computer-based exam). UNT also accepts the IELTS exam.

U.S. applicants may apply directly to the Toulouse Graduate School. International applicants should apply to the Office of International Admissions. To speed up the application process, you are encouraged to send a copy of your application materials to the chair of the chemistry department’s Graduate Affairs Committee.

Degree requirements

M.S. degrees

Analytical, inorganic, organic or physical chemistry

You will plan your program with an advisory professor and the advisory committee. You must finish 30 semester hours and maintain a B average in all formal chemistry course work. The program requires completion of three of the four core courses, one of which must be in your research area. You also will write a thesis describing the research and defend the thesis at an oral examination administered by the advisory committee.

Chemistry education

This program is designed for pre-service or in-service education professionals. With the aid of your advisor, you will choose a 30-semester-hour program with thesis or a 36-semester-hour program without thesis. A minimum of 18 semester hours of formal course work in chemistry is required. Teaching certification is required before obtaining the degree. For those not certified, the required certification courses can apply toward the 18 semester hours needed for the degree.

Professional Science Master’s degree

(Industrial Chemistry)

This concentration is available if you have a specific interest in a selected area of applied chemistry. Degree requirements are determined in consultation with the Graduate Affairs Committee. The program leads to a nonthesis degree requiring 36 semester hours of formal course work, including at least 18 semester hours in chemistry. At least 12 semester hours of nonchemistry courses must be included and approved by your committee. You also are required to hold an industrial position to receive on-the-job training, which fulfills 3 to 6 semester hours.

Ph.D. degree

You are required to complete core courses in three of the four traditional areas of chemistry, including your research area. You must also complete three additional advanced courses. Research culminates in a written dissertation of demonstrable scientific merit. The department requires that at least one paper from your Ph.D. work be accepted or submitted to a refereed journal by the time of the oral defense. Also, you must fulfill a foreign language or computer science requirement.

Financial assistance

You may apply for teaching assistantships and research fellowships. Teaching assistants receive a monthly stipend and a health insurance package. In some cases, health insurance is provided to research assistants. The department also employs graduate students as preppers, graders and personnel in the Chemistry Resource Center or Computational Chemistry Instructional Lab. All students employed in these positions pay in-state tuition. You may be considered for a graduate school competitive fellowship. New graduate students who have participated in Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate programs are eligible for McNair Fellowships.