| Graduate Application Information
Graduate Admission Requirements:
Prospective students are invited to apply for entry in either the fall or spring semesters. Only applicants wishing to study full-time will be considered. Applicants for graduate studies must have received, or be candidates for, a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution (or comparable degree from an international institution). Candidates may apply for either the M.S. or Ph.D. program; however, those admitted to the Ph.D. program generally have a strong record of achievement that is higher than the minimum requirements. While all admissions decisions are made by the Chemistry Graduate Admissions Committee, official notification of acceptance or denial will come from FAU's Graduate College.
Minimum requirements (fulfilling requirements does not guarantee admission)
1. GRE (Graduate Record Examination) Quantitative-Verbal combined score of 1000 or higher on the general aptitude exam. The average GRE score for doctoral applicants in recent years is approximately 1200.
2. Overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.00 in the undergraduate degree coursework. The average GPA of doctoral applicants in recent years is approximately 3.5.
3. International applicants for which English is not the primary language of instruction for the baccalaureate degree: a minimum TOEFL score of 500 Paper-based (173 Computer-based, 61 Internet-based), or minimum IELTS score of 6.0 (band score).
Preliminary Review and Formal Application Process
In order to be admitted to a graduate degree program at Florida Atlantic University, all students must apply online through the Graduate College and submit official documents (transcripts, test scores, etc.). Applicants to graduate degree programs in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry may wish to undergo a preliminary review of their application materials. This optional step requires only an unofficial documentation review and occurs prior to formal application through the Graduate College. The preliminary review is unofficial and only serves to give the applicant an indication of his or her suitability for a particular graduate program before going through the formal application process.
Formal Application Deadlines: Applications are accepted for both the fall and spring semester admission cycles. Completed applications must be received by July 1 (Domestic) and February 15 (International) for fall semester entry, and November 1 (Domestic) and July 15 (International) for spring semester entry.
Preliminary Review Deadlines: Applicants are encouraged to submit preliminary review materials one month prior to the formal application deadlines given above. Applicants who opt to submit materials for preliminary review will be informed via email (by the department) of their suitability for admission to the program. Applicants who do not wish to undergo preliminary review should proceed directly to the formal online application at: http://www.fau.edu/graduate/applynow.php.
Detailed information and instructions about the preliminary review and formal application processes are given below.
Step 1: Submit for Preliminary Review (Optional and Unofficial)
1. Unofficial copies of undergraduate and graduate transcripts. If not in English, the transcripts must be translated into English (a scanned email attachment is acceptable).
2. Unofficial GRE scores (a scanned email attachment is acceptable): Although not required, applicants are encouraged to submit scores from the GRE Chemistry Subject Test. High scores on this Subject Test will greatly strengthen a student's portfolio in the case of deficiencies in GPA or General Test scores.
3. Unofficial TOEFL or IELTS scores (International applicants only; a scanned email attachment is acceptable).
Please send by mail, fax or email to:
Florida Atlantic University
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Attn: Graduate Admissions Committee (c/o Evelyn Hall)
777 Glades Road, PS 110
Boca Raton, Florida 33431
FAX: (561)297-2759
E-mail: ehall@fau.edu
Applicants who opt to submit materials for preliminary review will be informed via email (by the department) of their suitability for admission to the program. If the review is positive, applicants will receive notification that they should apply online through the Graduate College using the formal application process as outlined in Step 2 below.
Step 2: Submit for Formal Application (Required and Official)
1. Online application, which can be found at http://www.fau.edu/graduate/. Paper applications are not accepted.
2. Payment of $30 application fee using a credit card online (recommended) or by mail. If you choose not to pay by credit card, the fee may be submitted in the form of a check, money order, or U.S. traveler's check. All checks must be drawn on a U.S. bank.
3. Official undergraduate and graduate transcripts (in English). Applicants whose transcripts are from foreign institutions must have their credentials evaluated by a professional evaluation service. (A list of approved evaluation service providers can be found at http://www.naces.org/members.htm). A course-by-course evaluation is not required; only the program evaluation is necessary.
4. Official GRE scores (Florida Atlantic University school code is 5229). Although not required, applicants are encouraged to submit scores from the GRE Chemistry Subject Test
5. Official TOEFL or IELTS scores (International applicants only).
Please send official documents (items 3-5 above) to:
Florida Atlantic University
Graduate College
SU-80, Rm 101
777 Glades Road, PO Box 3091
Boca Raton, Florida 33431
6. A brief Statement of Purpose outlining your research interests (submit this directly to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry).
7. Letters of Recommendation. Two letters of recommendation are required and must be received by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry by the application deadline. Applicants may submit three or more letters if they choose. The letters must be sent by persons who are familiar with the applicant's potential for graduate study in chemistry. Click here to access the evaluation form.
Please send documents (items 6-7 above) to:
Florida Atlantic University
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Attn: Graduate Admissions Committee (c/o Evelyn Hall)
777 Glades Road, PS 110
Boca Raton, Florida 33431
FAX: (561)297-2759
Shortly after the published application deadlines, the Graduate Admissions Committee will meet to make their admission decisions. Therefore it is of primary importance that all application materials are received by the formal application deadlines given above. Official notification of acceptance or denial will come from the Graduate College.
Financial Support
All accepted graduate students receive financial support in the form of teaching and research assistantships. Continuous funding is provided to students who remain in good academic standing - up to five years for Ph.D. students and two years for M.S. students.
For academic year 2009-2010, graduate teaching assistantships at the Ph.D. level will receive $20,000, and at the M.S. level, $12,000 (12 months of support for both levels). In addition, students on an assistantship receive a full tuition waiver. This accounts for approximately 80% of the fees that are assessed for typical 9 credit-hour course load per semester. Graduate teaching assistantships typically work 20 hours per week. Additional financial support may be available through FAU's Financial Aid.
Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any additional questions about our graduate programs. For administrative/financial questions contact Evelyn Hall (ehall@fau.edu), for admissions-related issues contact Dr. Predrag Cudic (pcudic@fau.edu), for teaching assistant related issues contact Dr. Jerry Haky (hakij@fau.edu), and for programmatic issues contact Dr. R. Narayanan (rnarayan@fau.edu). To contact an individual faculty member in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, please visit the faculty pages on our website at http://www.science.fau.edu/chemistry/.
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