Department of Chemistry

Main Departmental Office
Chemistry Building, Room 101

Mailing address:
1155 Union Circle #305070
Denton, TX 76203-5017
940-565-3525

Web site: chemistry.unt.edu
E-mail: chemistry@unt.edu

LeGrande M. Slaughter, Chair

Research

Research programs include analytical, computational, inorganic, organic, physical and forensic chemistry, as well as chemistry education. Specific areas of study include synthesis, properties and kinetic investigations of transition metal and organometallic compounds; synthesis and properties of porphyrins and macrocycles; porous organic and inorganic materials; gas phase kinetics; spectroelectrochemistry; ultrafast spectroscopy; materials analysis and synthesis; interfacial processes; fungal natural products chemistry; molecular optics and electronics; sensor technology; computational chemistry method development; computer-aided catalyst design; computational chemical biology; atomic layer deposition of materials; and reactivities of metal and oxide surfaces.

The department possesses more than $6.3 million of capital equipment, including 400 MHz and 500 MHz multinuclear FT-NMR with CP/MAS solids capability, Auger/ESCA, FT-IR, Raman, mass spectrometers, HPLC, GCs, GCMSs, Powder XRD, single crystal XRD, AA, UV-vis, electrochemical analyzers, stopped-flow kinetic analyzer, pulsed-laser flash photolysis, laser-induced fluorescence spectrometers, thermal analysis, ICP-MS. Within the chemistry department, there is a state-of-the-art computing facility, which houses several state-of-the-art high-performance computing clusters available for the department’s computational chemistry research endeavors.

Full-time PhD-level staff manage the X-ray diffraction laboratory, NMR facilities, high performance computing facilities and instrumentation laboratory. Other technical personnel include an instrument technician and a glassblower.

Financial support for research is provided by a diverse range of federal funding agencies and private foundations. For current and recent research projects, this has included the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Energy, the Robert A. Welch Foundation, Microsoft, Intel, and Exxon Mobil. In addition, graduate students have successfully competed for independent support through fellowships from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Justice, and other private and federal sources.

Degree programs

Advanced degrees in chemistry are available at both the master’s and doctoral levels (see degree list at bottom of page).

Concentrations are available at the master’s level in analytical, industrial, inorganic, organic or physical chemistry or chemistry education.

Concentrations are available at the doctoral level in analytical, inorganic, organic or physical chemistry or chemistry education.

Additional information regarding degree requirements is contained in the Department of Chemistry Graduate Policies. A copy can be obtained by visiting the Chemistry Department website or by emailing a request to the chair of the Graduate Affairs Committee at chemistry@unt.edu.

Admission requirements

Departmental forms for applying for teaching and research support may be obtained from the Student Services Office in the Department of Chemistry or from the department web site. Complete college transcripts, three letters of recommendation with at least two coming from faculty in chemistry or closely related fields, a statement of purpose, and a C.V. are required for admission.

New students should contact the Student Services Office immediately upon arriving on campus for information on departmental requirements. A departmental policy bulletin that delineates these requirements is available to (see Degree Programs, above).

Students must take placement examinations covering analytical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and chemical biology at the advanced undergraduate level. These examinations are given during registration week of each long term/semester. The results of these examinations are used for counseling purposes. The chemistry department employs a core course system that requires its students to take a number of graduate courses in traditional core areas of study, while also allowing students to pursue elective “Special Topics” courses that cover more specialized subjects.

Advisory program

The chair of the chemistry Graduate Affairs Committee serves as advisor to beginning graduate students. When a field of specialization and a major professor/research advisor have been selected, a Graduate Advisory Committee is then selected in consultation with the research advisor. The minimum number of committee members is three for the master’s and four for the doctoral advisory committee. The student interacts regularly with this committee for purposes of monitoring research progress reports and advising on future goals. PhD committees will also choose an individual from outside the university who is knowledgeable in the student’s area of research to serve as an external advisor for the committee.

Professional Science master’s degree option

The Professional Science Master’s (PSM) is an innovative graduate degree option designed to allow students to pursue advanced training in science while simultaneously developing workplace skills highly valued by employers. PSM degrees prepare students for science and technology careers in business, government and nonprofit organizations. PSM degrees are MS degrees in an emerging or interdisciplinary area of science, mathematics or technology and contain a set of professional skills courses selected from such areas as business, communication, policy, law and leadership. In contrast to a traditional master’s degree, a thesis is not required but a 3 or 6 semester credit hour internship is included within the degree requirements. The program leads to a non-thesis degree requiring 36 semester hours of formal course work, at least one-half of which (18 hours) must be in chemistry. Students must meet the normal proficiency requirements set forth by the departments. Supplemental non-chemistry courses must include at least 12 hours and must be approved by the student’s Graduate Advisory Committee. In addition to the formal courses, either 3 or 6 hours of the total 36 hours must comprise on-the-job research training in an industrial position (or equivalent on-the-job training).

The Department of Chemistry offers one PSM degree option:

Master of Science with a major in industrial chemistry.

Additional information about this degree can be found at www.sciencemasters.com.

Programs

Master’s Degree

Chemistry, MS

Doctorate

Chemistry, PhD

Courses

Chemistry

Quicklinks

Catalog