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Programs of Study, 1997-1999
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
CHEMICAL SCIENCES
(IncludingBiochemistry, Chemical Engineering, and Chemistry)
Director of the School: Stephen G. Sligar
Associate Director of the School: Howard R. Guenther
Correspondence and Information: Director of the School
of Chemical Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 106 Noyes Laboratory,
505 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801.
URL: http://www.scs.uiuc.edu
Prospective students may contact: Howard Guenther, (217)
244-3739.
E-mail: hguenthe@uiuc.edu.
The School of Chemical Sciences includes the Departments of Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, and Chemistry. Study programs leading to the degrees of master of science and doctor of philosophy are offered in each of the departments as described in the following sections. The school structure is designed to meet the differing needs of the three departments and yet retain the advantages of a common approach to overlapping concerns. Service facilities, technical shops, and a placement office are provided by the school. Support for graduate training is available in the form of assistantships, traineeships, and fellowships. Prospective students may obtain application forms and information relevant to their interests from the head of the appropriate department or from the director of the school.
BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY SPECIALIZATION
The development of molecular and structural biology now enables complex biological molecules to be studied using the methods and techniques of chemistry, to the extent that the interface between chemistry and biology has now become almost seemless. For this reason, an interdisciplinary graduate specialization is available for students enrolled in doctoral degree programs in the participating departments listed above. All students must become proficient in core areas of biomolecular chemistry, including biochemistry, molecular and structural biology, spectroscopy and physical chemistry of macromolecules, and molecular modeling. The specific courses and program emphasis will vary by department because of the broad nature of research in biomolecular chemistry.
The biomolecular chemistry program does not independently admit students or confer graduate degrees. Prospective students should address inquiries to the program office of any of the three participating departments. Students are admitted to the program after their acceptance by one of the participating departments and review by the biomolecular chemistry programming committee in the School of Chemical Sciences. Students admitted to the program must have completed minimal course work sufficient for admission to the department granting admission, preferably with some concentration at the chemistry-biology interface. All degree applicants must complete the requirements of the biomolecular chemistry program, as well as certain specified requirements of the department in which they are enrolled.
BIOCHEMISTRY
Head of the Department: John A. Gerlt
Correspondence and Information: Head, Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 419 Roger Adams Laboratory, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801; (217) 333-2013. URL: http://www.scs.uiuc.edu/~bioch
Prospective students may contact: Louise Cox, assistant to the head, 420A Roger Adams Laboratory, (217) 333-7149; E-mail: l-cox1@uiuc.edu.
GRADUATE FACULTY
Professors: J. E. Cronan, R. B. Gennis, J. A. Gerlt, M. Glaser, R. I. Gumport, L. P. Hager, A. F. Horwitz, A. M. Jonas, G. W. Ordal, M.A. Schuler, D. J. Shapiro, S. G. Sligar, R. L. Switzer
Associate Professors: D. M. Kranz
Assistant Professor: J. T. Campanelli, C-M. Chiang, M. Churchill, P. Orlean
GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS
The Department of Biochemistry offers graduate work leading to the master of science and the doctor of philosophy degrees. For an application and departmental materials that provide greater detail on programs, offerings, admission, degree requirements, and financial aid, write to the graduate coordinator at the above address.
ADMISSION
Candidates for admission to the M.S. and Ph.D. programs must have bachelor's degrees from accredited institutions equivalent to those from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Courses required for admission are organic and physical chemistry, biology, a year of physics, and mathematics through calculus. Students with a weakness in any of these areas may be required to make up deficiencies during their graduate study. A grade point average of 3.0 or higher (A = 4.0) for the last 60 hours of undergraduate work and for any graduate study is required for admission. Applicants are required to take the Graduate Record Examination (both the aptitude test and the advanced test in biochemistry, chemistry, or biology). Emphasis is placed on a student's interest and ability in research as demonstrated by previous work and letters of recommendation. International applicants from non-English speaking countries are required to submit a TOEFL score (minimum 600) and a TSE score (minimum 55).
MASTER OF SCIENCE
Specific degree requirements for the course work M.S. and the thesis M.S. in Biochemistry include the successful completion of 4.5 units of biochemistry courses. A course work master's degree requires a minimum of two full-time semesters and involves eight total units of formal lecture and laboratory course work. At least three units must be in 400-level courses, and two of these three units must be in the major field. A thesis master's degree usually requires a minimum of three semesters; up to three of the eight required units may be thesis research.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Specific degree requirements for the Ph.D. in Biochemistry include the successful completion of 4.5 units of biochemistry courses. An additional 3.5 units of advanced elective courses are also required for a minimum of 24 units including thesis credit. Students must also pass an oral research qualifying examination within the first eighteen months of residence and must successfully complete a series of written cumulative examinations. A thesis based on original research must be presented to a review committee at least two weeks before the final oral examination. The final examination is limited to a defense of the thesis research. Experience in teaching is considered a vital part of the graduate program and is required as part of the academic work of all Ph.D. candidates in this department. There is no foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. degree in biochemistry.
SPECIALIZATION IN BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
Jointly sponsored by the three departments in the School of Chemical Sciences-biochemistry, chemistry, and chemical engineering-this program involves a rigorous set of graduate level courses that cover topics in chemical and biochemical specialties, a seminar/tutorial, and a multitude of opportunities for research in the biomolecular chemistry area with any faculty member in the School of Chemical Sciences. The program emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach to research, in which the structure and function of biomolecules arae probed using a combination of organic and inorganic chemical synthesis, spectroscopic and analytical techniques, physical and computational modeling, biochemical and genetic engineering methods, and structure prediction and design. The goal of this program is to develop scientists who have both the in-depth knowledge of specialized methods that is required to be effective in research, together with the appreciation and understandingof the complementing methodologies that are essential for making significant advances on complex, challenging problems in the biomolecular chemistry area.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
The Department of Biochemistry is composed of faculty members whose research interests cover the major areas of current biochemical research and are united by a shared interest in biochemical regulatory mechanisms and structure-function relationships of biological macromolecules. The department offers major research programs in biophysics, protein chemistry, enzymology, nucleic acid structure, gene organization and expression, protein synthesis and degradation, molecular immunology, membranes, lipoproteins, cell surfaces, and hormone action.
FINANCIAL AID
Financial aid for graduate students in biochemistry is available in the form of fellowships, teaching and research assistantships, and tuition and partial fee waivers. In addition, interdepartmental training grants from the National Institutes of Health support multidisciplinary training programs. Qualified candidates are considered for financial support upon application. Graduate students making satisfactory progress toward their degree generally receive a stipend, as well as a full tuition waiver and a partial fee waiver.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
Head of the Department: C. F. Zukoski
Correspondence and Information: Head, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 114 Roger Adams Laboratory, 600 South Mathews, Urbana, IL 61801; (217) 333—3640. E-mail: d-jay@uiuc.edu.
URL: http://www.scs.uiuc.edu/chem_eng/
GRADUATE FACULTY
Professors: R. C. Alkire, T. J. Hanratty, R. I. Masel, A. J. McHugh,W. R. Schowalter, C. F. Zukoski
Associate Professors: J. J. L. Higdon, E. G. Seebauer, K.D. Wittrup
Assistant Professors: R. D. Braatz, V. K. Gupta, D. E. Leckband
GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS
The Department of Chemical Engineering offers graduate work leading to the master of science and the doctor of philosophy degrees. Those interested should write to the address above for application materials and a departmental brochure, which gives greater detail on programs, offerings, admission, degree requirements, and financial aid.
ADMISSION
Candidates for advanced degrees in chemical engineering should have a background in chemistry and chemical engineering comparable to the training offered in the undergraduate chemical engineering curriculum at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Students whose prior training is deficient in one or more basic areas of chemistry or chemical engineering will be admitted with the understanding that their deficiencies will be removed to the extent prescribed by their advisers. Graduate College admission requirements also apply.
MASTER OF SCIENCE
Requirements for the master of science include eight units of graduate credit and a thesis. At least five of these units must be in courses other than thesis research; two of the three required 400-level units must be in chemical engineering courses.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Requirements include 24 units of graduate credit, satisfactory performance on qualifying and certification examinations, and a thesis. The credit requirement includes a minimum of four graduate-level courses in chemical engineering and a coherent program of at least four courses in one or two other departments. The qualifying examination is a written test usually taken after one year of study. The certification examination is an individual oral examination taken after the student has satisfied the course requirements. It focuses on the student's proposed thesis research.
CHEMISTRY
Head of the Department: Paul W. Bohn
Correspondence and Information: Head, Department of
Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 106 Noyes Laboratory, 505
South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801; (217) 333-0711.
E-mail: chemadm@aries.scs.uiuc.edu.
URL: http://www.scs.uiuc.edu/chem
Prospective students may contact: Karen York, (217) 244-6245.
GRADUATE FACULTY
Professors: P. Beak, R. L. Belford, P. W. Bohn, T. L. Brown, R. M. Coates, S. E. Denmark, D. D. Dlott, L. R. Faulkner, R. B. Gennis, G. S. Girolami, H. S. Gutowsky, J. Jonas, J.A. Katzenellenbogen, W.G. Klemperer, P.C. Lauterbur, J. M. Lisy, J.D. McDonald, J. S. Moore, R. G. Nuzzo, E. Oldfield, I. C. Paul, W. H. Pirkle, T. B. Rauchfuss, K. L. Rinehart, K. Schulten, K. S. Schweizer, D. H. Secrest, J. R. Shapley, S. G. Sligar, S.G. Smith, S. I. Stupp, K. S. Suslick, A. J. Wang, A. Wieckowski, P. G. Wolynes, S. C. Zimmerman
Associate Professors: A. A. Gewirth, D. Y. Gin, N. Makri, T. S. Martinez, T.A. Nieman, A. Scheeline, P.A. Shapley, J.V. Sweedler
Assistant Professors: M. Gruebele, Yi Lu, P. A. Petillo
GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS
The degrees offered in chemistry are the master of arts or master of science in chemistry, master of science in the teaching of chemistry, and doctor of philosophy in chemistry. This catalog also provides information on a joint program leading to the doctor of philosophy in chemical physics (see page 214) and on programs in biophysics (see page 211).
ADMISSION
Students who have fulfilled the usual undergraduate course requirements, including at least 25 properly distributed semester hours in chemistry, may be considered for admission to the Graduate College in any of the programs offered by the Department of Chemistry. A student who has completed graduate work in chemistry at another institution may be considered for admission if grade point averages of 3.0 (A = 4.0) have been earned in both undergraduate and graduate work, or if a 3.25 GPA has been earned in at least eight units or a full year of graduate work at an accredited institution. Students applying for admission to the program in the teaching of chemistry are expected to have a valid secondary teaching certificate or to make arrangements for obtaining one before completing the requirements for the degree. The GRE and chemistry subject test are strongly recommended. A minimum TOEFL score of 550 is required. In addition, the University requires a satisfactory score on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) for a contact teaching assistant appointment. Applicants whose native language is not English are therefore expected to provide TSE scores in order to receive full consideration for admission and financial aid. Admission for the spring semester is possible.
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE TEACHING OF CHEMISTRY
Candidates for the master of science in the teaching of chemistry must earn four units of credit in chemistry, two units in education, and two units of electives in either education or physical science. The two units in education consist of courses in educational policy studies and educational psychology (see page 224). The courses in chemistry and the electives must be selected with the approval of the adviser. No thesis is required. Questions concerning the Teaching of Chemistry program should be addressed to Professor D.H. Secrest, 316 Noyes Laboratory.
MASTER'S PROGRAMS IN CHEMISTRY
Eight units of credit are required for the master's degrees. The programs leading to degrees of master of arts or master of science in chemistry are designed to be completed in one year of full-time study by students entering without deficiencies. A research thesis is optional. If a thesis is elected, five units of formal courses are required. If a thesis is not elected, an additional three units of formal courses are required. The course program in that case must include three units of 400-level courses, two of which must be in chemistry.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Doctoral programs are offered in a wide range of specialties, including the traditional areas of analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry. Students usually require from three to five years to complete the requirements. A total of 24 units including thesis credit is required. The formal course requirements involve 2.5 to 3.5 units of 400-level courses in the major area of interest and two to three units in allied areas or fields. Besides completing formal course work, students are required to pass a series of written cumulative examinations, pass an oral preliminary examination on research preparation, and submit a thesis on original research, which is defended at a final oral examination. (Majors in organic chemistry must also demonstrate a reading knowledge of German.) Although teaching is not a general Graduate College requirement, this department requires Ph.D. candidates to do some teaching as part of their academic work, such experience being considered a vital part of the graduate program.
PROGRAM IN BIOPHYSICAL CHEMISTRY
The Department of Chemistry offers an area of specialization in biophysical chemistry. The program is flexible and provides the student with basic training in physical chemistry, physical biochemistry, and biology. Students electing this area should have a solid background in physics and mathematics. Details of the curriculum are decided individually. Interested students should direct inquiries and applications to the head of the Department of Chemistry.
FINANCIAL AID
Support for graduate students is available through fellowships and assistantships. All candidates are considered for these upon application. Graduate students making normal progress toward their degree generally receive a tuition waiver as well as a stipend.
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