Ph.D. and M.S. progams in chemistry with an emphasis in chemical education
The Ph.D. program in chemistry with an empahsis in chemical education specifies a minimum of 18 credits of graduate level chemistry courses. Eight credits of graduate level courses in curriculum & instruction, six credits of graduate level psychology courses, eight credits of statistics & research design, 2 credits of seminar, 36 credits in Chem 699 research, and 24 credits of Curr 699/Chem 699 (chemical education/science education) research.
Pass the Chemistry Diagnostic Exams (Entrance Exams)
Have a minimum of two semesters of satisfactory teaching experience as a teaching assistant or temporary instructor in the Department of Chemistry.
There is no foreign language requirement for this program.
Plan of Study (POS) Committee shall consist of six faculty members. One-half of the committee shall be faculty members of the Chemistry Department, as well as members of the graduate college. Two faculty members are from the Curriculum and Instruction department. One member shall have expertise in chemical education.
Research [minimum credit]
Curriculum & Instruction C&I 699. 24 credits
Total minimum research credits: 60 credits
Course Work
Chemistry: 18 credits
C&I: (i.e., Instructional design, curriculum, computer instruction, instructional tech.) 8 credits
Psych: (i.e., Adv. Ed. Psych., psych. of computer-based instr.) 6 credits
ResEv or Stat: statistics, nonparametric statistics, research design & evaluation. 8 credits
Chemical Education Research Group 1 credit
C&I: One seminar presentation of the student's research. CI 615C 1 credit
Total minimum course credits: 42 credits
Written Preliminary Examination (Two Options)
Option a: Pass the written preliminary exam(s) in one of the five traditional areas of chemistry or pass the prelimanry examination in chemistry. *Note: students choosing this option must pass the statistics & education research design and the curriculum & instruciton/science education component of the chemical education preliminary examination.
Option b: Pass the chemical education written preliminary exam. Thie questions for this examiantion will be written by each member of the student's POS committee. The examiantion will consist of questions from chemistry, chemical education/science education, curriclum & instsruciton, statistics & education research design, and educational psychology.
Oral Preliminary Examination (Two Parts)
Part One - Chemistry: Present a written document, comparable in quality to an M.S. thesis, on the student's chemistry research and defend it. Alternatively, the student may present his or her M.S. degree and thesis to satisfy this requirement. Present a written original chemistry research proposal and defend it.
Part Two - Chemical Education: Present a written report on athe student's chemical education research to-date and defend it. Present a written dissertation proposal and defend it.
Public Presentation of Research
Present the results of the research project at a national meeting of the American Chemical Society or Biennial Conference on Chemical Education. Alternatively, the student may choose to present the results of his or her research at a Chemistry Department seminar.
Pass the Final Ph.D. Oral Examination
1. M.S. candidates must demonstrate proficiency in chemistry (one area), curriculum & instruction, statistics and research design, and English (Form M Section I.B.).
2. M.S. candidates must complete all requirements stated in the Graduate College Catalog. These include the following:
a. Complete at least 30 semester hours of graduate credit.
b. Pass courses required by the Program of Study.
c. Pass a final oral exam defending the thesis.
3. M.S. degree candidates (interdisciplinary in chemistry and curriculum & instruction) must adhere to the following program guidelines.
a. The graduate credit hours should be distributed as follows:
(1) At least twenty (20) semester hours should be basic course work exclusive of seminars, special topics and research. A minimum of ten (10) semester hours will be chemistry courses (exclusive of remedial courses).
(2) At least six (6) semester hours of the basic course work should be in a major chemistry discipline. At least six (6) semester hours should be in curriculum and instruction or curriculum and instructional technology.
(3) At least four (4) semester hours should be in Statistics, Research Design & Evaluation (ResEv).
(4) Students must receive a grade of B- or better in Curr 615 ( Science Education Seminar).
(5) At least eight (8) semester hours in research.
b. Although other courses may be elected, the courses listed under Section III., A., 3. b. of Form M should be used to satisfy the chemistry course requirements of the M.S. degree.
4. M.S. candidates must have had at least two semesters of half-time teaching experience prior to receiving the M.S. degree. Normally such experience is gained within the context of a teaching assistantship in the department of chemistry. However corresponding prior experience can be accepted in its place subject to the conditions specified in Section III., A., 4. a-c. of Form M.
5. No foreign language is required for the M.S. degree.