FAQs for Graduate Study in Chemistry
- I have to be registered full-time because I am receiving a tuition scholarship. How
many credits should I register for in order to be considered full-time?
If you entered with a Bachelor's degree, you must register for 12 credits for each of your first two semesters to be considered full-time. Earning 24 credits satisfies the residency requirement, and you then register for only nine credits a semester to be considered full-time. After you reach Course Complete (CC) status you are considered full-time if you register each semester for only one credit of pre-dissertation research (Chemistry 698). After you reach ABD status and are admitted to candidacy, you are considered full-time if you register each semester for only one credit of or dissertation research (Chemistry 699) (more details in the answer of question #3).
The same applies if you entered with a Master's degree or have earned a Master's degree at Binghamton and are continuing for a Ph.D. degree.
- Under what circumstances should I register for Chemistry 597?
Chemistry 597 is used when a graduate student takes a course to satisfy a placement requirement. It is also sometimes used for an Independent Study course in the first year to fill a schedule of 12 credits. - When do I register for Chemistry 698 or 699?
Chemistry 698 (Pre-Dissertation Research) and 699 (Dissertation Research) do not count toward the residency requirement of 24 credits, so graduate students should not register for them until the residency requirement is fulfilled. (The same applies to Chemistry 598 and 599 in a Master's program.)
You can register for one credit of Chemistry 698 once the residency requirement is met and when you reach Course Complete (CC) status. As defined by the graduate school at Binghamton University, to qualify for "CC" status, a graduate student must have completed all coursework required for the degree by the first day of classes of the semester in which the student is to be designated as "CC." Coursework can be considered complete only when a grade has been assigned for each course; coursework is not complete when the grade recorded is "Incomplete."
In order to qualify for one credit of Chemistry 698 registration and yet be certified as full time for loan or visa purposes, the graduate school requires also following criteria to be met: The student's supervisor and program director must certify that the student is making a full-time investment in work toward their degree. Domestic PhD students must be within one academic year. International PhD students must have reached CC-status.
Ph.D. students may not register for Chemistry 699 until they have been admitted to candidacy and have ABD status. Once ABD status is reached, students register for one credit of Chemistry 699. Until that time they should register for Chemistry 698 (Pre-Dissertation Research).
- Is attending Colloquium expected beyond CHEM 593?
Yes. More specifically, 100% attendance is mandatory for all non-ABD students, and 50% attendance is expected from all ABD ones. - Should all students take graduate seminar (CHEM 592) in the first year?
Yes, CHEM 592 must be taken in the spring semester of the first year. - When should I take the comprehensive literature review (CLR) exam and the oral exam?
- CLR Exam: at the end of the first academic year or in the first semester of the second year;
- Oral Exam: after passing the CLR exam, the preliminary oral examination must be completed before the beginning of the fifth semester.
- When is the dissertation prospectus due?
Within one (1) month of successful completion of the oral exam, or before the start of the next semester, whichever comes first.
