Chemistry Thesis Requirements

Thesis Requirements

Candidates for both the PhD and Master’s Degree in Chemistry must submit a thesis describing the results of their research. Policies regarding the preparation of the thesis are described on the Office of Graduate Students' Thesis and Dissertation Office

Before filing for candidacy, a student must fulfill all of the following degree requirements:

For Ph.D Candidates:

• Cumulative GPA of at least 2.8
• Presentation of one departmental seminar
• Have an approved Plan of Study (POS). Update coursework and/or committee members if necessary by submitting a Request to Change the Plan of Study through myPurdue. If you are filing for candidacy but have changed your degree objective, please see additional provisions on the second page.
• At least five cumulative exams passed (for those admitted prior to Fall 2023)
• Passed the one of the required foundational courses for your DRG (for those admitted Fall 2023 or later)
• Oral preliminary exam passed. At least two full sessions of active registration are required between the OP and the final examinations. 
• Minimum of 90 combined hours of graduate courses and research hours completed

For MS Candidates:

• Cumulative GPA of at least 2.5
• Have an approved Master's objective Plan of Study (POS). Update coursework and/or committee members if necessary by submitting a Request to Change the Plan of Study through myPurdue. Credit used to earn a MS degree at a previous university may not be used as part of a Purdue MS Plan of Study. If you are filing for candidacy but have changed your degree objective, please see additional provisions below.
• Minimum of 30 combined hours of graduate courses and research hours completed. At least 12 research credit hours of CHM 69800 must be completed by the final semester.  

Understanding Candidacy Types

There are two types of candidacy to choose from when registering to graduate, regular or degree-only.

• CAND 991 [Regular Candidacy]:This is the candidacy to register for if you are currently taking any courses and/or research; most students will register using this candidate registration type.  Thesis-option MS students and doctoral students must register for 12 credits of CHM 69000/69800 in this semester (9 credits if registering as a summer candidate).  Students may still hold an RA or TA appointment as determined by their advisor so long as they are registered as a full time student.
• CAND 992[Degree-Only Candidacy]: Candidacy for those that ONLY need to defend AND deposit their thesis. Earlier defend and deposit deadlines apply. Cannot be registered for any other research or coursework and typically do not hold a GA appointment. Please note that there is an approximately $200 fee to register as CAND 992, but you do not need to register for research credits and are not liable for tuition costs. This can potentially allow a student to move on to post-graduate employment mid-semester.

The benefit of degree-only is that students do not need to register for research credits and therefore are not liable for tuition costs (there is a fee of approximately $200). This can potentially allow students to move on to post-graduate employment mid-semester. The cost is an accelerated schedule for exam and thesis deposit.

To qualify for degree-only registration, students must be registered for at least one credit in the previous semester. Students are allowed to hold a Graduate Staff appointment while on degree-only registration, but must resign the position on or before the date they deposit the thesis; most TA positions are incompatible with degree-onyl candidacy. Because of implications for funding, insurance, and visa/immigration status (for international students), students should individually consult the Main Office for details and planning if they are considering a degree-only registration.

Registering as a Candidate

Once you have decided on regular or degree-only, you need to register as a candidate. When the Main Office announces that registration has opened for the next semester email DD, dhryan@purdue.edu, and provide the following info:

• Your advisor's name
• Your division
• The type of candidacy you'd like to be regisitered for
• MS candidates: If your advisor is requiring a defense or not

DD will register the student in Banner or by submitting a paper form. Do not try to register yourself for candidacy in the Scheduling Assistant. After registration, Jordan will follow-up with you on the deadlines for that semester.

Deadlines and Preparation for the Thesis Defense

For students with regular candidate registration in the final semester, two deadlines are fixed by the OGSPS. 

• The final oral examination results must be reported to the OGSPS using a Form 11 by 5pm on the Wednesday one week before the final day of classes. Note that this deadline refers to the reporting of the exam results, not to the holding of the oral exam.
• The thesis must be approved by the OGSPS no later than 5pm two workdays before the final day of classes. Submission is through HammerRR. Students will be allowed to submit their document to HammerRR after successful completion of the final oral defense.

For 2025-2026 graduation, the exact dates are:

There are other deadlines candidates are beholden to, but those are set by the Formatting Advisor, not the OGSPS. These deadlines are posted to the Thesis & Defense Homepage labeled as Candidate Timelines. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: 

Additional MS Thesis Requirements Information: The Chemistry Department does not offer “non-thesis” Masters degrees. MS students must submit an approved research thesis, following the typical guidelines and schedule of the OGSPS. Students should consult with their major advisor about the scope and length of the MS thesis. The requirement of a formal oral presentation and defense of the MS thesis is left to the discretion of the major advisor. However, both Ph.D and MS candidates must submit a Form 8: Request for Appointment of Graduate Committee, which contains information about dates and times for a defense.

Plan of Study—Change to Degree Objective: Students who have an approved PhD plan of study but wish to change to an MS objective must complete all of the following steps at least a month prior to the semester they plan to file for candidacy: submit a Form GS-17B to the OGSPS; have their PhD plan of study archived by the OGSPS (request to be made by the Chemistry Main Office); and submit and receive OGSPS  approval on an MS Plan of Study.

PhDs: Fourth Committee Member: PhD candidates should choose their fourth committee member well in advance. However, you do not need to submit a Request to Change the Plan of Study in order to add that individual to your POS. Please contact the Main Office as early as possible if you plan to include a non-Purdue professor as your fourth member.

Fees for Missed Deadlines: $200 late fees will be assessed for the following missed deadlines: declaring candidacy; having an approved plan of study; and thesis depositing. A memo must be issued by the Chemistry Department in all three cases and candidates must receive OGSPS approval for an extension if they have missed the thesis deposit deadline.

Withdrawing from Candidacy: A student can withdraw from candidacy at any point during the semester they had planned to graduate upon notifying the Chemistry Main Office. A $200 fee will only be assessed to students after they withdraw from candidacy a third time.