{"id":1155,"date":"2023-01-18T21:31:03","date_gmt":"2023-01-18T21:31:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/chemistry\/?page_id=1155"},"modified":"2025-08-01T09:25:39","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T16:25:39","slug":"graduate-school-path","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/chemistry\/graduate-program\/graduate-school-path\/","title":{"rendered":"Graduate School Path"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n  \n  \n    \n    \n  \n    \n    \n  \n    \n    \n  \n    \n    \n  \n    \n  \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--interactive-content-pane \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--interactive-content-pane\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n  <div class=\"left\">\n      \n    <div class=\"pagination-wrapper\">\n      <ul class=\"interactive-content-pane-pagination\"><\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"right\">\n          <div class=\"swiper\">\n        <div class=\"swiper-wrapper\">\n                      <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n              <h3 class=\"pane-title\">\n                First Year\n              <\/h3>\n                                  \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  <p><em>August:<\/em><strong>\u00a0Arrive on Campus<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>August:\u00a0<\/em><strong>Attend Research Symposium<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This symposium offers students an introduction to the Department and helps them select their preferred research immersions. Research groups present their current projects and future research goals.<\/p>\n<p><em>September-November:<\/em>\u00a0<strong>Do Two Laboratory Immersions<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ph.D. students complete 4\u20135-week immersions in at least two labs to help3 choose a research advisor. Matches are based on shared interests and coordinated by the Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Associate Committee (GSPAC).<\/p>\n<p><em>August-December:<\/em><strong>\u00a0Serve as a TA for Fall Semester<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Graduate students gain valuable teaching experience during a minimum requirement of two semesters. Most complete this by the end of their first year, with many teaching three to four semesters depending on funding. Teaching is a core part of professional development and a highly valued skill.<\/p>\n<p><em>January:<\/em> <strong>Join a Research Laboratory<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Students may officially join a research group once fall semester grades are finalized. Selecting a research mentor is a collaborative decision made between the student and advisor.<\/p>\n<p><em>January-May:\u00a0<\/em><strong>Serve as a TA for Spring Semester<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Typically, students will complete their required teaching in the spring semester of their first year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n                          \n  \n                          <\/div>\n                      <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n              <h3 class=\"pane-title\">\n                Second Year\n              <\/h3>\n                                  \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  <p>August-May: <strong>Complete Required Classwork<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Graduate students must complete 24 units with an overall GPA of at least 3.00 to be in good standing. Some of these units may be fulfilled by graduate courses taken prior to entering the program.<\/p>\n<p><em>May:<\/em> <strong>Appoint Screening and Qualifying Exam Committee<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After coursework is complete, the research advisor and the Department appoint a five-member screening and qualifying exam committee. This includes one faculty member from outside the advisor\u2019s section and one from outside the Department of Chemistry. The committee oversees exam timelines and ensures all university and departmental requirements are met.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/chemistry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2023\/10\/Appointment_Change_of_Committee_Form_Qualifying-3.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Download Qualifying Exam Committee Form<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Contact the Chemistry Graduate Student Advisor with screening exam date.<\/p>\n<p><em>May-August:<\/em> <strong>Screening Exam<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ph.D. students are required to complete their screening exam before the start of the 5th semester. This exam involves an oral presentation detailing the student\u2019s research progress and future plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n                          \n  \n                          <\/div>\n                      <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n              <h3 class=\"pane-title\">\n                Third Year\n              <\/h3>\n                                  \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  <p><em>August-December:<\/em> <strong>Qualifying Exam<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Before the end of the 6th semester, Ph.D. students are required to attempt their qualifying exam. This exam has both a written and oral component. The written component involves the preparation of an original research proposal in an area not directly related to their own thesis topic and a response to a separate question posed by the committee. The oral portion of the exam involves the defense of the written documents to the thesis committee.<\/p>\n<p>Students should contact the Chemistry Graduate Student Advisor to obtain a Report on Qualifying Exam Form at least a week before their scheduled qualifying exam date.<\/p>\n<p>After passing their qualifying exam, Ph.D. students should make sure they are enrolled in the CHEM 794 series every semester until they graduate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n                          \n  \n                          <\/div>\n                      <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n              <h3 class=\"pane-title\">\n                Fourth Year\n              <\/h3>\n                          \n  \n                          <\/div>\n                      <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n              <h3 class=\"pane-title\">\n                Beyond\n              <\/h3>\n                                  \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  <p><strong>Continue Research and Publishing<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"grad-path-date\">\n<p><em>End of Ph.D.:<\/em> <strong>Form Dissertation Committee and Dissertation Defense<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The student is required to present their Ph.D. thesis to their Dissertation Committee in a seminar that is open to the public and advertised to the department. At the conclusion of the seminar, the student is required to defend the work in a closed-door session.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"\/chemistry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2023\/10\/Appointment_Change_of_Committee_Form_Doctoral.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Download Dissertation Committee Form<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Contact the <a href=\"mailto:chemgrad@usc.edu\">Chemistry Graduate Student Advisor<\/a> for detailed deadlines and instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n                          \n  \n                          <\/div>\n                  <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n  \n<\/div>\n\n\n\n  <div class=\"background-images\">\n          <div class=\"swiper swiper-background-images\">\n        <div class=\"swiper-wrapper\">\n                      <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n                                                                  \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img decoding=\"async\"\n        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class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img decoding=\"async\"\n                            src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/chemistry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2023\/10\/ICP_Chem_Building-768x432.jpg\"\n          srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/chemistry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2023\/10\/ICP_Chem_Building-1920x1080.jpg 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/chemistry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2023\/10\/ICP_Chem_Building-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/chemistry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2023\/10\/ICP_Chem_Building-768x432.jpg 768w\"          sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"\n        \n                  alt=\"USC building\"\n        \n        role=\"presentation\"\n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n                          <\/div>\n\n                      <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n                                 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    <\/div>\n\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":0,"parent":1141,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1155","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Graduate School Path - Department of Chemistry<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/chemistry\/graduate-program\/graduate-school-path\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Graduate School Path - Department of Chemistry\" \/>\n<meta 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