1. Do I need an undergraduate degree in chemistry to be accepted in your program?
No. Although an undergraduate degree in chemistry is recommended we accept students who have obtained degrees in other disciplines. If you do not have an undergraduate degree in chemistry we require that applicants have taken several core undergraduate chemistry courses prior to applying to our program. These courses include General Chemistry and lab (2 semesters), Organic Chemistry and lab (2 semesters), Quantitative Analysis and lab (other analytical chemistry courses may also be acceptable), and Physical Chemistry and lab (at least one semester). These courses should prepare a non-major for our 1st year graduate level work.

2. I work full time; can I enter the M.S. or Ph.D. program as a part-time student?
We do not usually accept part-time students. Our training program assumes that students will have the ability to be on campus at least 40 hours per week between the hours of 9 AM to 5 PM. There are several reasons for this requirement. First, most of the courses required for our MS ad PhD degrees are not offered at night or on the weekend. Second, we strongly encourage our students to teach undergraduate lab courses as part of their TA assignment (generally during business hours) for a semester or two. We believe that this experience is a useful part of their graduate training. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, our graduate degree programs are heavily research-oriented and require full time effort to complete in a timely manner (2 years for MS and 5 years for PhD).

3. Is it possible to be admitted in the Spring?
Yes. We admit in the spring as well as the fall. The deadline for spring admission for international students is September 1 and for domestic students November 1.

4. How do I apply to the Chemistry and Biochemistry graduate degree programs and what do I need to submit?
Please visit our Application Information webpage for detailed information The general process is briefly described here:
A. All students applying for graduate admission to FAU must apply through the Office of Graduate Admissions and Studies. Here you will need to fill out and submit an online application form. Detailed instructions on how to do so are available at the site. Please note that there is a nonrefundable $30 application fee.

B. After submitting the online application form, you will need to mail to the Office of Graduate Admissions the following materials: fee payment (if not submitted online); two official transcripts for each college or university you have attended; and official records of all test scores (e.g., GRE score). If you are an international applicant you will also need to provide an official record of your TOEFL score and a professional transcript evaluation by a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) – see http://www.naces.org/members.htm. Once all your application materials are received and processed by the Office of Graduate Admissions they will be forwarded to the selection committee for the Chemistry and Biochemistry graduate degree programs for assessment.

C. In addition, the following items should be mailed to our department: three letters of recommendation and accompanying evaluation forms; statement of purpose; and a detailed resume.

5. What are the most important factors that influence admission to the graduate program?
At least 3 major factors are taken into consideration. First, we take into account the candidate’s undergraduate GPA and, to a lesser extent, the GPA of any graduate degrees. The applicant’s performance in chemistry related coursework over the years is carefully evaluated. Good grades in upper level courses such as organic, analytical and physical chemistry are considered as positive indicators of future success in our graduate program. The applicant's GRE score (also TOEFL for international students) plays a role in the decision process. A strong performance (over 550) in the quantitative part of the GRE is considered essential. We also look for applicants with a strong grasp of the English language and good verbal reasoning skills. Finally, since our graduate degree programs are primarily designed to teach modern research skills and experimental design, we look for evidence of research aptitude and ability in the applicant. We consider as positive indicators application portfolios that describe significant research experience at the undergraduate and masters level, industrial experience involving chemical R&D, and scholarly publications.

6. I was not admitted into your graduate program this year. Can I enroll for graduate courses as a "non-degree-seeking" (NDS) student?
Some applicants enroll in graduate courses in the hopes of increasing their chances of acceptance in subsequent years. In a minority of the cases, this approach has been successful if the NDS coursework corrected earlier educational deficiencies of the applicant. However, there is no guarantee that NDS students will be accepted into the program. Also, bear in mind that, according to FAU policy, only 10 hours of upper level coursework taken by a NDS student may be applied to the graduate degree (if admitted).

7. I am interested in obtaining some additional information concerning the areas of interest of the faculty. How can I obtain this information?
We strongly encourage you to view our faculty research websites. These pages will provide detailed information on their background and research interests. Also, do not hesitate to contact individual faculty members with questions about their research programs.

8. Does the Department of Chemistry require the GRE subject area test scores in addition to the other Q/V GRE scores?
We do not require the GRE Chemistry subject test score. However, we encourage you to take this subject test and submit your score as part of your application. A strong performance on this sub-test would be considered a very positive indicator of the applicant’s potential for success as a graduate student.

9. I've taken graduate-level courses elsewhere. If I am admitted into your program will these course credits transfer to your graduate program?
This will depend on the coursework and its applicability to your thesis research at FAU. All course work used for either a MS or PhD degree must be approved by the student's thesis committee which is usually established at the end of the first year of graduate study. Therefore, the student must wait until accepted into our program to request that previous graduate course credit be applied to their program of study. The supervisory committee will then make a determination on the courses taken elsewhere. The program of study is the formal list of courses that will be used to partially satisfy the requirements of the graduate degree.

10. What financial support is available to graduate students?
All students accepted into our graduate program will receive a stipend. For fall 2006, the doctoral stipend is $20,000 per year. PhD students are guaranteed a Teaching Assistantship (TA) for a period of five years and MS students for three years. In addition, individual faculty advisors may support either doctoral and masters students as Research Assistants from research grant funds. All graduate students will receive waivers covering the cost of most of their tuition (approximately 80%). Various fellowships up to $5,000 in addition to the based TA salary are also available to qualified applicants.

11. If I am an international student, how can I get help in obtaining a visa as well as other immigration issues when moving to the United States?
FAU’s Office of International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) provides immigration and support services to international students. Here you will find important information for your move to the Unites States, including the attainment of a social security number, insurance coverage, accommodation, and obtaining a visa. As a graduate student you will need to obtain an F-1 visa. If you are accepted into one of our programs the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry will send you an official offer letter. The Office of Graduate Admissions will also send you an offer letter as well as an I-20 form. You will need to take these three things along with any other required documents to the local U.S. Consulate in your country of residence to obtain the visa. For further information please see the ISSS website or contact Ms. Cora Woodman in our department at +1-561-297-6915.

12. If I am admitted to the M.S. degree program can I transfer to the Ph.D. program before I complete my M.S. degree?
Generally, the answer is no. The selection criteria for entry into the Ph.D. degree program are more rigorous than for the M.S. degree. Therefore, if you applied to the Ph.D. program and instead were offered a place in the M.S. degree program, it means that your credentials were assessed as not strong enough for direct entry into the Ph.D. In this case you are required to complete the M.S. degree before reapplying to the Ph.D. program. A strong performance in the M.S. degree, particularly the completion of research work that results in one or more peer-reviewed publications, will be viewed favorably, and may be enough to offset any deficiencies perceived by the selection committee the first time you applied to the Ph.D. program. An exception to the above may be made if you originally applied to the M.S. program, even though your credentials were strong enough for direct entry into the Ph.D. program at the time of application. For example, you may have originally wanted to pursue a shorter, M.S.-level research project and then changed your mind, deciding that you would like to pursue a more extensive research project as part of a Ph.D. So long as your credentials at the time of your original application meet the necessary Ph.D. criteria you may be allowed to transfer.