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Original Proposal

After achieving candidacy status, a student is eligible to present and defend an original research proposal.  The proposition must demonstrate originality and independence on the part of the student.   Therefore, the proposal should contain original contributions from the student. This presentation will be presented in the appropriate CHEM 796 section and can be amended by anyone in the department. The proposal must be completed before the end of the fourth year in residence.

  • Written Proposal

A written proposal must be provided to the student’s Graduate Research Committee (GRC) and faculty associated with the appropriate CHEM 796 sec8on 4 weeks before they are scheduled to present. Your proposal must be original, novel, and represent an area of research that may be connected to but not the same as your doctoral research. Your proposal should be between 2000-3000 words with 3–5 figures/schemes (~4-7 pages) not including the abstract or references. Graphics should be yours and prepared with ChemDraw (or an equivalent drawing/rendering program) using the ACS 1996 format with Arial font sizes in your proposal figures between 6-7 pt. Any single standard journal reference format may be used, and references should include both 8tle and DOI information. You are encouraged to seek the help of faculty and fellow students; however, all work should be your own. Proposal preparation is bound by the academic policies set forth by the university. Please see the policies on the following website with a special emphasis on Academic Integrity. 

The proposal must be written using the writing template.

  • Oral Examination

Approval of the written document is not required to schedule the presentation. The written document must be sent to the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies at least a week before the presentation date for announcement to the department.

The oral examination presented during the appropriate CHEM 796 section will be evaluated by the present graduate faculty. Under special circumstances, a student will be allowed to present outside of regular seminar 8me (Contact the instructor in charge of the seminar). At least three faculty members must be present (the responsibility of the seminar instructor). It is not required that all members of the student’s GRC are present. External members may be invited but are not required to attend.

There are two possible outcomes for the original proposal: (1) pass or (2) fail. If the student fails the original proposal, the GRC will recommend an appropriate course of action. The student may have no more than three months after the date of the oral examination to satisfy the conditions stipulated by the GRC. However, the committee may set a shorter deadline for satisfying the conditions.