1. Course Requirements

A total of 72 semester hours of graduate credit must be earned. Of these, at least 36 semester hours must be course work, and the remainder (up to 36 hours) is thesis research and dissertation (including at least one hour of 205-600).

Of the course work (at least 36 hours), 24 hours must be earned at Howard University. Master's degree holders may transfer up to 24 hours from the Master's degree toward the Ph.D. program. Bachelor's degree holders with graduate credits may transfer up to 18 hours toward the Ph.D. program. Any proposed transfers must be requested before the student is admitted to candidacy and approved by the Department of Chemistry's Committee on Graduate Studies and by the Executive Committee of the Graduate School Education.

All students are required to complete the following "core" courses at Howard University's chemistry department with a grade of "B" or better.

• Chemistry 201 - Inorganic Chemistry
• Chemistry 231 - Advanced Analytical Chemistry
• Chemistry 243 - Advanced Organic Chemistry
• Chemistry 278 - Advanced Physical Chemistry I
• Chemistry 279 - Advanced Physical Chemistry II

Request for exemptions should be made in writing to the Chairman during the registration period. Criteria for exemption will be determined by the division concerned, usually by passing the comprehensive examination in that area.

Reading and Conference (205-293), and Special Laboratory Projects (205- 294) may not be counted towards the 36 hours of required courses. Seminar courses whose topics change may be taken multiple times for credit. Courses in another department may be taken after approval by the student's Advisory Committee (see later).

No course taken more than seven years prior to the term in which the student presents himself/herself for candidacy will be credited toward the degree. Courses may be recertified by recommendation of the Department Chairman, based up on special written examination of the candidate. PLEASE NOTE: A Graduate School regulation states that any course more than ten years old can only be recertified by retaking the course.

2. Residency Requirement

A minimum of six semesters of full-time study (at least 9 credit hours per semester) are required for the Ph.D. degree. At least four semesters of residence and full-time study shall be pursued in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Howard University. At least two of these four semesters of residence and full- time study shall be consecutive.

Students are expected to complete the Ph.D. degree within seven years from the date of initial registration in the program. They will be dropped from the program if they do not complete the degree within the specified time.

3. Qualifying Examinations

A. Divisional Comprehensive Examinations

Four divisional comprehensive written examinations in analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry are given three times a year (August, January and May). These examinations are at the level of the core courses, but not based specifically on their content. Topical outlines, as well as samples of previous examinations, are available in the Chemistry office. Only three (3) of the four (4) comprehensive exams need be passed, one of these being in the area of the students major. The exam will be uniformly administered by the several divisions. The exam will be treated as a unit and the scores from the various questions answered by the student will be totaled and averaged to determine if a passing score has been achieved.

An answer key will be provided to the student after each attempt at passing an examination and the score earned on each question will be indicated.

All students entering with B.S. or M.S. degrees will have six chances to pass three examinations (one in each of the four major areas) by the end of two years of study. Therefore, they have four chances to pass these examinations after they have completed their first year of core courses. When the comprehensive examination requirement is completed then they will take the Advanced Specialty Examination during the next year they are in residence. If they only want the M.S. degree, they need not take the Advanced Specialty Examination, and in fact, if they only want the M.S. degree, they need not pass any of the divisional comprehensive examinations.

A student who receives a Masters degree in this department and who passes at least three (3) comprehensive exams in the allotted six (6) attempts, may petition to be readmitted to the Ph.D. program.

If admitted, comprehensive exams would not have to be repeated. (Core courses would also not have to be repeated, since they must be passed before the Masters degree is awarded and would remain in force.)

A student receiving a Masters degree in this department but does not meet the requirement of passing three (3) comprehensive exams may petition to reenter the Ph.D. program as a new student one year after the date of receiving the Masters degree.

The August and January comprehensive examinations will be given during the first week of classes of the fall and spring semesters.

Copies of a previous set of comprehensive examinations will be sent to all new students prior to their arrival, well in advance of the examination dates. Students will apply for alternate comprehensive examinations at or before the date the examinations are offered according to the rules and procedures of the department dated 1977.

If a student passes only two divisional comprehensive examinations in the six attempts, the student will be dropped from the Ph.D. program and will enter the masters program.

Part-time students must pass three examinations by the time they have taken 36 credit hours. (A student who begins a semester as a full-time student but drops courses will be considered to be a full-time student for that semester. The student must then pass the three comprehensive examinations by the time he/she completes two years of full-time study or 36 credit hours, whichever comes first).

B. Advanced Comprehensive and Oral Examination .

After passing the three divisional comprehensive examinations, the students must pass an advanced examination in his/her field. This examination is administered by the particular division and is in two parts, written and oral. The written part will be general but at an advanced level. The oral part (to be given within two weeks after the written part) will be of a more specialized nature, and may include (but will not be limited to) the student's research project. No less than three faculty members shall examine the candidate. A general outline of topics to be covered in the written part and the nature of the oral part will be communicated in writing to each student at least two months in advance by the division concerned.

The passing or failing of these two parts is considered as a unit. If the student fails the examination, a second written examination may be attempted (with no oral part) within two months. The advanced specialty examination must be passed by the end of the student's third year (sixth semester) of full-time study.

Students who do not pass the divisional comprehensive examinations and the advanced specialty examination within the designated time frame will not be allowed to continue in (or enter) the Ph.D. program, but will be allowed to complete the M.S. degree.

4. Foreign Language/Computer Requirements

     a. There is no language requirement for the Ph.D. program.

     b. A departmental approved course or exemption by examination in computer programming is required   for the Ph.D. degree.

5. English Competency and Expository Writing Requirement

All incoming graduate students are given an English Proficiency Examination. Students who fail are required to take and pass a no-credit expository writing workshop course administered by the Graduate School.

6. Selection of a Research Project

Students should begin interviewing individual faculty members near the end of the first year of full-time study in order to identify common areas of interest and to select a research project. Each student is required to consult at least five faculty members, but are encouraged to interview even more. After a research advisor is selected and a research project agreed upon, the student must prepare an outline of the proposed research which will include the nature, scope, significance of the program, and methodology with a tentative title. A copy of the plan must be submitted to the Graduate School with the application for candidacy.

7. Admission to Candidacy

After completing the requirements listed in item 3-6, the student should apply for admission to candidacy. The student must apply no later than the first semester of the academic year he or she expects to graduate. A minimum of 12 credits of work toward the degree shall be pursued after admission to candidacy. One or three credits of this total must be 205-600, Ph.D. Dissertation. Candidacy for the Ph.D. degree shall be valid for no more than five years.

8. Scholastic Requirements

A cumulative average of 3.00 (B) is required for graduation. A student will be permitted only two grades below "B". After the student receives a third grade below "B" in the Ph.D. program, he/she will be dropped from the Ph.D. Program. A student who falls below the 3.00 average will be warned and informed that he/she must raise his/her quality point index to 3.00 by the end of his/her next two terms in residence. If the student fails to do this, he/she will be dropped from Graduate School.

9. Teaching Requirements

All students pursuing the Ph.D. degree must participate in some form of teaching activity. Financial aid is available from several sources. Inquire at the Chemistry office.

10. Advisory Committee

The Associate Chairman will serve as advisor to all entering students. Before the end of the student's second semester, the Chairman or Associate Chairman, in consultation with the faculty advisor and the student, will select an academic advisory committee for each student consisting of two faculty members (one from the student's division and one from another division). When the student chooses a research advisor, this faculty member will replace the divisional member (unless it happens to be the same person).

After the student's second year, an additional faculty member will be selected in consultation with the research advisor and the student. The committee will now consist of three members (major advisor, one from the student's division, and one from another division). This committee will meet once at the end of each year (starting at the end of the student's third year). At such time the student will give a one-half hour presentation of his/her research activities of the past year. These presentations will be announced to the faculty and graduate students for voluntary attendance.

11. Dissertation

The candidate must present four copies of a dissertation that have been critically examined by five readers appointed by the Graduate School upon recommendation of the department. The form of the dissertation shall follow the requirements as prescribed by the Graduate School.

12. Final Oral Examination

The final oral examination shall be based primarily upon the student's research, the field of his/her research and areas related to the study. The examination committee shall consist of a minimum of five examiners and one of whom shall be from outside the University. The examiners shall be appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School upon recommendation of the Department of Chemistry. The unanimous passing of this oral and the unanimous acceptance of the dissertation by the Graduate School fulfills all the requirements for the Ph.D. degree in Chemistry.

Additional material was made available in the "Rules and Regulations for the Pursuit of Academic Degrees" published by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, October 1, 1979.,

M.D./Ph.D

The College of Medicine and the Graduate School jointly offer an integrated program that leads to both the M.D. and Ph.D. degrees without compromise in the customary substance of each of these degrees individually. Additionally, the curricular emphasis develops in the trainee the unique professional role perspective of the clinician/scientist/scholar. It also develops a particular appreciation for the urgent and unsolved health problems that are present in the population served by the Howard University Hospital and its affiliated clinical programs.

Application Process

Graduate departments that currently invite applications for Ph.D. study in this program are: Anatomy, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biology, Chemistry, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Genetics and Human Genetics, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Physiology and Biophysics.

The steps in the application process are as follows:

• Complete all aspects of the application for medical school.
• Submit a brief letter of interest in applying for the M.D. Ph.D. programs to the program director.
• The M.D./Ph.D. program committee will review the application to medical school. If a candidate meets the minimum eligibility criteria, he/she will receive a supplemental application for the combined program.
• The program committee may invite a candidate for a visit to the campus for an interview.
• Concurrent with the visit, a candidate will also be invited to apply to the graduate department of his/her choice through the Graduate School.

The application for the M.D./Ph.D. program should be returned to:
Verle Headings, M.D., Ph.D.
Director M.D./Ph.D. Program
Howard University College of Medicine
520 W Street, NW
Washington, DC 20059
vheadings@howard.edu
(202) 806-6381