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Detailed Information

Programs of Study

The Department of Chemistry offers a Ph.D. degree with programs of study in traditional areas of chemistry as well as in atmospheric, biological, catalytic, environmental, materials and surface science, nuclear, polymer, solid-state, spectroscopy, and theoretical chemistry.

Graduate students pursuing the Ph.D. degree select a research supervisor and formulate a plan of study during their first semester. The majority of a student’s time is spent on independent research. Students present and defend a research proposal in their third year. Upon conclusion of their research, a dissertation suitable for publication is defended before their faculty advisory committee. The average time required to complete the Ph.D. degree is four to five years.

Research Facilities

The chemistry complex has 224,000 net square feet of new or recently renovated space for teaching and research in five contiguous buildings, with major institutes and additional research facilities housed in four other buildings. It maintains professionally staffed laboratories for high-resolution mass spectrometry; solution and solid-state NMR; CCD-equipped, single-crystal, and powder X-ray diffractometers; a SQUID magnetometer; and Departmental computing. Departmental instrumentation includes SIMS, Auger, and other surface-science instruments; a PerSeptive Biosystems, high-performance MALDI-TOF; two Extrel FTMS 2001 systems; an XPS; and a variety of EPR, ENDOR infrared, Raman, UV-visible, fluorescence, atomic absorption, gamma-ray, and photoelectron spectrometers. Other campus facilities include the Nuclear Science Center (1-MW reactor) and the Cyclotron Institute, which includes a superconducting cyclotron. In addition, there are a number of specialized facilities, including the Center for Biological Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, the Laboratory for Molecular Structure and Bonding, the Center for Chemical Characterization and Analysis, the Laboratory for Biological Mass Spectrometry, the Laboratory for Protein Chemistry, the Laboratory for Molecular Simulation, the Center for Integrated Microchemical Systems, and the Center for Catalysis and Surface Science.

The University’s Library houses 1.6 million volumes and maintains subscriptions to approximately 8,000 scientific and technical journals in both printed and online electronic versions.

Financial Aid

Graduate students in good standing receive full financial support for the duration of their studies. The 2007–08 stipend for twelve-month research or teaching assistantships was $22,200. All graduate assistants receive the same health-care benefits as faculty and staff members. Additional fellowships are available for outstanding applicants.

Cost of Study

Tuition and all mandatory fees are paid for up to five years of graduate study for domestic students in good standing pursuing Ph.D. degrees.

Living and Housing Costs

The cost of living in the area is low: 93 percent of the national average. University apartments are available; applications for them should be made early. Their costs range from $399 to $600 per month. Private apartments and houses for rent are available close to the campus, with prices ranging from $400 to $850 per month.

Student Group

Students in the program come from all fifty states and a dozen other countries.

Location

As a university town, College Station has a high proportion of professional people and enjoys many of the advantages of a cosmopolitan center without the disadvantages of a congested urban environment. The crime rate is very low, and students feel safe on campus. There are many film series, a symphony, chamber music, and choral groups. College Station is situated in the middle of a triangle formed by Dallas, Houston, and Austin, and the symphonies, ballets, sporting events, museums, and concerts of these cities are within easy day-trip distance.

Mild, sunny winters make the region eminently suitable for year-round activities, from fishing and hiking in the beautiful piney woods of eastern Texas to boating, bicycling, and camping in the Texas hill country. There are more than 100 state parks within a day’s drive of College Station.

The University and The Department

Texas A&M University was founded in 1876 as the state’s first public institution of higher education. The University’s enrollment includes approximately 46,000 students studying for degrees in ten academic colleges, of whom about 8,280 are in graduate or professional programs. Vigorous research programs in biochemistry, engineering, physics, mathematics, medicine, and veterinary medicine provide chemists with supplementary facilities and intellectual resources.

The Department of Chemistry is among the top ten in the country of those at public universities and is tenth in the nation in spending on chemical research and development. The internationally known faculty members include several holders of international medals in a variety of chemistry subdisciplines. The 42 members of the graduate faculty generated approximately 430 publications and more than $13.8 million in external grant funding in 2006. More than 100 research fellows and visiting scientists and a graduate student body of about 260 support their efforts. Although the Department is large, most research groups have 3 to 10 students and thus provide an intensive, personalized learning environment.

Applying

There is no application fee for domestic applicants. Online application forms and a more detailed description of requirements are available at the Department’s Web site. Admission decisions are made on a continuous basis beginning in December. Departmental fellowship awards are made in February for the next academic year. Domestic applications for fall admission should arrive by March 1 for preferential consideration. International applications must be received by January 31. Applications and all supporting material should be filed no later than six weeks prior to the opening of the preferred semester of entrance.

The Faculty And Their Research

• David Barondeau, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Texas A&M, 1996. Bioinorganic chemistry.
• James Batteas, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Berkeley, 1995. Physical/analytical chemistry.
• David Bergbreiter, Professor; Ph.D., MIT, 1974. Organic chemistry.
• John Bevan, Professor; Ph.D., London, 1975. Physical chemistry.
• Kevin Burgess, Professor; Ph.D., Cambridge, 1983. Organic chemistry.
• Abraham Clearfield, Professor; Ph.D., Rutgers, 1954. Inorganic chemistry.
• Brian Connell, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Harvard, 2002. Organic chemistry.
• Paul Cremer, Professor; Ph.D., Berkeley, 1996. Surface science.
• Donald J. Darensbourg, Professor; Ph.D., Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1968. Organometallic chemistry.
• Marcetta Y. Darensbourg, Professor; Ph.D., Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1967. Organometallic chemistry.
• Kim R. Dunbar, Professor; Ph.D., Purdue, 1984. Inorganic chemistry.
• John P. Fackler Jr., Distinguished Professor; Ph.D., MIT, 1960. Inorganic chemistry.
• Paul F. Fitzpatrick, Professor; Ph.D., Michigan, 1981. Biochemistry.
• Francois Gabbai, Professor; Ph.D., Texas at Austin, 1994. Inorganic chemistry.
• Yi-Qin Gao, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Caltech, 2001. Theoretical chemistry.
• D. Wayne Goodman, Distinguished Professor and Robert A. Welch Chair; Ph.D., Texas at Austin, 1974. Physical chemistry.
• Michael B. Hall, Professor; Ph.D., Wisconsin–Madison, 1971. Inorganic chemistry.
• Kenn E. Harding, Professor; Ph.D., Stanford, 1968. Organic chemistry.
• Christian Hilty, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, 2004. Biophysical chemistry.
• John L. Hogg, Professor; Ph.D., Kansas, 1974. Bioorganic chemistry.
• Timothy Hughbanks, Professor; Ph.D., Cornell, 1983. Inorganic chemistry.
• Arthur Johnson, Professor and Wehner-Welch Chair; Ph.D., Oregon, 1973. Biochemistry.
• Jaan Laane, Professor; Ph.D., MIT, 1967. Physical chemistry.
• Paul Lindahl, Professor; Ph.D., MIT, 1985. Inorganic chemistry.
• Wenshe Liu, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., California, Davis, 2005. Biological chemistry.
• Robert R. Lucchese, Professor; Ph.D., Caltech, 1982. Theoretical chemistry.
• Jack H. Lunsford, Distinguished Professor Emeritus; Ph.D., Rice, 1962. Physical chemistry.
• Ronald D. Macfarlane, Professor; Ph.D., Carnegie Tech, 1959. Bioanalytical chemistry.
• Joseph B. Natowitz, Distinguished Professor; Ph.D., Pittsburgh, 1965. Nuclear chemistry.
• Simon North, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Berkeley, 1995. Physical chemistry.
• Frank M. Raushel, Professor; Ph.D., Wisconsin–Madison, 1976. Biochemistry.
• Daniel Romo, Professor; Ph.D., Colorado State, 1991. Organic chemistry.
• Michael P. Rosynek, Professor and Associate Head; Ph.D., Rice, 1972. Physical chemistry.
• Marvin W. Rowe, Professor; Ph.D., Arkansas, 1966. Analytical cosmochemistry.
• David H. Russell, Professor and Head; Ph.D., Nebraska–Lincoln, 1978. Analytical chemistry.
• James C. Sacchettini, Professor; Ph.D., Washington (St. Louis), 1987. Biochemistry.
• Emile A. Schweikert, Professor; Ph.D., Paris IV (Sorbonne), 1964. Activation analysis and analytical chemistry.
• Eric E. Simanek, Professor; Ph.D., Harvard, 1996. Organic chemistry.
• Daniel A. Singleton, Professor; Ph.D., Minnesota, 1986. Organic chemistry.
• Dong Hee Son, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Texas at Austin, 2002. Physical/analytical/materials chemistry.
• Manual P. Soriaga, Professor; Ph.D., Hawaii, 1978. Analytical chemistry.
• Gyula Vigh, Professor; Ph.D., Veszperm (Hungary), 1975. Analytical chemistry.
• Coran Watanabe, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins, 1998. Biological chemistry.
• Rand L. Watson, Professor; Ph.D., Berkeley, 1966. Nuclear chemistry.
• Robert D. Wells, Professor; Ph.D., Pittsburgh, 1964. Biochemistry.
• Jiong Yang, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Ohio State, 2003. Organic chemistry.
• Danny L. Yeager, Professor; Ph.D., Caltech, 1975. Theoretical chemistry.
• Sherry J. Yennello, Professor; Ph.D., Indiana, 1990. Nuclear chemistry.

Correspondence and Information

Texas A&M University
Graduate Student Office
Department of Chemistry
P.O. Box 30012
College Station, Texas 77842-3012
Telephone: 979-845-5345
800-334-1082 (toll-free)
Fax: 979-845-5211
Email: gradmail@mail.chem.tamu.edu