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The Department of Chemistry at the University of North Texas offers you an opportunity to change the world.
Cutting-edge research and innovative course work make UNT an ideal place to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy or Master of Science degree in Chemistry.
From designing new optoelectronic or pharmaceutical materials to reducing toxic emissions and the invention of new clean fuels, our combination of internationally recognized faculty members and state-of-the-art facilities have provided alumni with the tools needed to thrive and succeed in the job market.
Our faculty members are committed to excellence and your success. They’ve been recognized in their fields by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Science Foundation, the Inter-American Photochemical Society and the American Chemical Society, among others. They also serve as editors or on editorial boards of major journals and receive extensive citations for their research endeavors.
The Ph.D. program includes the four traditional fields of analytical, inorganic, organic and physical chemistry. Students can pursue concentrations in emerging contemporary research fields such as computational chemistry, materials chemistry, and homogeneous or heterogeneous catalysis. Our M.S. program also offers industrial chemistry in addition to the areas above.
New frontiers in chemistry often incorporate two or more traditional areas, and your advisors can help you design unique interdisciplinary study opportunities. A wide variety of research programs are available including:
Our research is supported by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the Office of Naval Research, the Department of Defense Battlefield Forensic Program, the Welch Foundation, and other federal and industrial sources.
Research laboratories are housed in the Chemistry Building and the Science Research Building with access to university-wide shared facilities, including those at Discovery Park. Our department possesses numerous modern equipment and instruments for research in:
The department also houses the Center for Advanced Scientific Computing and Modeling, one of the nation’s foremost computational chemistry programs. The state-of-the-art computers are used for extensive quantum chemistry and molecular modeling applications by both computational and experimental research groups in chemistry. The department also maintains:
You must meet the admission requirements for the Toulouse Graduate School and submit specific materials to the program. A holistic approach is used that considers the following factors and documents:
International students are required to submit a TOEFL score of at least 79 (Internet based). UNT also accepts the IELTS exam (overall band score of 6.5 or higher required).
U.S. applicants may apply directly to the graduate school. International applicants should apply to the International Admissions office. To speed up the application process, you’re encouraged to send copies of your application materials to the department’s Student Services Office.
Ph.D.
You’re required to complete core courses in three of the four traditional areas of chemistry (analytical, inorganic, organic or physical chemistry), including your research area. You must also finish three additional advanced courses and maintain a B average in all formal chemistry course work.
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.
M.S.
Analytical, inorganic, organic or physical chemistry
You’ll plan your program with an advisory professor and the advisory committee. You must complete 30 credit hours and maintain a B average in all formal chemistry course work.
The program requires completing three of the four core courses, one of which must be in your research area. You’ll also write a thesis describing the research and defend the thesis at an oral exam administered by the advisory committee.
Professional Science Master’s (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 non-thesis degree requiring 36 credit hours of formal course work, including at least 18 credit hours in chemistry. At least 12 credit hours of non-chemistry courses must be included and approved by your committee. You’re also required to hold an industrial position to receive on-the-job training, which fulfills 3 to 6 credit hours.
You may apply for teaching or research assistantships and research fellowships through the department. Teaching or research assistants receive a monthly stipend and a health insurance package.
The department also employs graduate students as preppers, graders and tutoring 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 and tuition scholarships. New graduate students who have participated in Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate programs are eligible for McNair Fellowships.
William E. Acree Jr., Professor and Department Chair; Ph.D., Missouri University of Science and Technology. Analytical and physical application of gas-liquid chromatography; solubility in complex systems; thermodynamics of organic functional groups in aqueous and nonaqueous solutions; spectroscopic properties of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; lyotropic liquid crystals.
Weston Thatcher Borden, Distinguished University Research Professor and Welch Chair; Ph.D., Harvard University. Application of quantitative electronic structure calculations and qualitative molecular orbital theory to the understanding and prediction of the structures and reactivities of organic and organometallic compounds.
Oliver Chyan, Professor; Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Interfacial electrochemistry; electroanalytical chemistry; kinetics and thermodynamics of the electron transfer processes; plasma assist functional thin-film materials; semiconductor photoelectrochemistry.
Thomas R. Cundari, Regents Professor; Ph.D., University of Florida. Computational chemistry; inorganic chemistry; organometallic chemistry; computer-aided catalyst design; modeling of metal-containing enzymes and advanced materials; catalyst informatics.
Francis D’Souza, Professor; Ph.D., Indian Institute of Science (India). Chemistry and supramolecular chemistry of metal macrocycles and carbon nanomaterials; photoelectrochemistry and photovoltaics; electrochemical and photochemical sensors and catalysts; fluorescent chemosensors and biosensors.
Teresa D. Golden, Professor; Ph.D., New Mexico State University. Materials and bioanalytical chemistry; electrodeposition of nanomaterials; chromatography; corrosion protection coatings; forensic investigations.
Jeffry A. Kelber, Regents Professor; Ph.D., University of Illinois. Deposition and electronic properties of carbon-based and boron-carbide-based electronic materials; plasma/surface interactions; chemical vapor deposition of thin films; free radical interactions with surfaces.
Paul Marshall, Regents Professor; Ph.D., University of Cambridge (United Kingdom). Physical/computational chemistry; gas-phase kinetics of atoms and small molecules; atmospheric and combustion chemistry.
Mohammad A. Omary, Professor; Ph.D., University of Maine. Luminescent materials; molecular electronics including organic light-emitting diodes, photovoltaics and thin film transistors; metal-organic frameworks for clean energy storage and gas separation; biological imaging and sensing; toxin-free noble metal nanoparticles for photothermal therapy and drug delivery.
Robby Petros, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Columbia University. Impact of nano-topography and surface chemistry at the biotic/abiotic interface; targeted drug delivery.
Michael G. Richmond, Professor; Ph.D., University of Alabama. Ligand substitution processes in metal clusters, inorganic photochemistry and photocatalysis; redox catalysis; inorganic reaction mechanisms; thermal catalysis using CO, CO2, SO2 and alkanes as chemical feedstocks.
LeGrande M. Slaughter, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Cornell University. Inorganic and organometallic synthesis applied to the design of catalysts and novel materials; homogeneous catalysis of organic reactions of medicinal or industrial importance; catalysis for energy conversion.
Guido Verbeck, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Texas A&M University. Development of novel applications and portable instrumentation to elucidate new materials; characterize illicit chemistries and further gas phase interaction chemistry.
Angela K. Wilson, Regents Professor; Ph.D., University of Minnesota. Computational/physical chemistry; development of methodology and the use of this methodology in numerous areas including transition metal chemistry and atmospheric chemistry.
W. Justin Youngblood, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., North Carolina State University. Organic chemistry; materials chemistry; photochemistry; photoelectrochemistry; photovoltaics.
University of North Texas
Department of Chemistry Student Services Office
940-565-3554
Chemistry Building, Room 207
940-565-2383