项目介绍

2021年2月3日

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Chemistry

The PhD in Chemistry programme is a four-year programme that trains students to work in chemistry through a broad, flexible base of coursework and research experience. Our graduate students take advanced courses focusing on active research topics, and perform research under the supervision of a faculty member. The programme culminates in writing and defending a scientific thesis before a panel of scientific experts.

Our division boasts world-class experts in many fields of chemistry, contributing to NTU’s 13th place rank in Chemistry in the 2017 Nature Index, among academic institutions worldwide. We have specialists in biophysical chemistry, nanomaterials, femtosecond and attosecond spectroscopy, microfluidics, atmospheric chemistry, polymer science, chemical biology, pharmaceutical chemistry, organic synthesis, organometallic chemistry, and many other areas.

Many PhD students in our division are supported by scholarships, which cover tuition fees and provide a stipend and other forms of support. Some scholarships include certain teaching and service requirements; the exact terms and conditions are explained upon the offering of the scholarship.

To apply for the Chemistry PhD programme, please go to our Admission Requirements page, and read the instructions carefully.

General Requirements

Applicants to the PhD and MSc programmes must satisfy the following criteria:

• BSc in chemistry or a related discipline. If the university has an honours system, at least second-upper class honours, or the equivalent, is required.
• For the PhD programme, applicants may optionally have a MSc degree in chemistry or a related discipline, but this is not mandatory. If the university has an honours system, at least second-upper class honours in the MSc degree, or the equivalent, is required.
• International applicants must take and pass a Technical Proficiency Test (TPT) in Chemistry administered by the school. This test is exempted if the applicant submits an appropriate GRE score.
• All international applicants who are not native English speakers must have TOEFL scores, IETLS scores, or pass an English Proficiency Test (EPT) administrated by the School.

Details about the TPT/EPT will be announced to the applicants after the submission of their application. For enquiries about GRE/IELTS/TOFEL criteria, please contact the Division.

There are two application periods each year: October to January (for admission in August), and June to July (for admission in January). Most students are admitted during the first period. Applicants who have missed the application period, may contact the Division for advice.

For more information about admission procedures (including the list of required supporting documents and application fees), please visit the NTU Graduate Admissions page.

Nanyang President’s Graduate Scholarship

Applicants who are Singaporeans, Singapore Permanent Residents (PRs), and/or graduates from Singaporean universities are strongly encouraged to consider applying for the Nanyang President’s Graduate Scholarship (NPGS). The application period is usually October – November. See the NPGS website for more information.

Graduation Requirements

The general graduation requirements for SPMS graduate students are described below. Graduate students enrolled under the Interdisciplinary Graduate Programme (IGP) must fulfill additional requirements; please refer to the IGP site for more information.

Graduation Requirements for PhD Students

The PhD programme has a minimum candidature period of 2 years, and a maximum of 5 years. Most students complete the programme in 4 years.

GRADUATE-LEVEL COURSEWORK

PhD students must complete a total of 16 Academic Units (AU) of graduate-level coursework, comprising:

• CBC729 – Graduate Seminar (4 AU, offered in Semester 1).
• CBC736 – Advanced Chemical Instrumentation​ (2 AU, offered in Semester 1).
• At least another 10 AU of CBC7XX lecture-based graduate courses. 4 AU of these 10 AU may be substituted with another graduate course offered by a different School in NTU, subject to approval from the supervisor and the Division.

PhD students are expected to maintain a minimum CGPA of 3.5. We recommend finishing the coursework by the end of the first year, in order to sit for the Qualifying Examination on time.

COMMUNICATION COURSES

PhD students are also required to complete the following courses on communication and related topics. These courses do not carry any AU.

• Courses from the Transferable Skills Programme:
  • Residential Programme course (during first 12 months).
  • Scholarly Communication and Impact seminar (during first 12 months).
  • Three elective modules (to be completed at any time).
  • Career Preparation Workshop (during 3rd or 4th year).
  • Three Minute Thesis Presentation Symposium (for students admitted from Academic Year 2019/2020).
• HWG703 – Graduate English (during first 18 months; must be taken before HWG702; part-time students and students who qualify as native English speakers are exempt).
• HWG702 – University Teaching for Teaching Assistants (during first 18 months; part-time students are exempt).
• HWG704 – Research Communication for Graduate Studies (during first 24 months).

RESEARCH INTEGRITY

Research integrity is of the utmost importance to the university. As such, during the first year of the PhD programme, students are required to complete:

• The SPMS Research Integrity Course (during first semester).
• The online NTU Epigeum Research Integrity Course.

QUALIFYING EXAMINATION

PhD students must pass the qualifying examination (QE) within their first 18 months. Click here for more information about the QE.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• Graduate students must attend at least 5 seminars each semester.
• Most graduate students are enrolled in the Graduate Assistantship Programme (GAP), which requires them to participate in lab supervision, teaching tutorials, and/or other teaching-related activities.
• Each student must meet at least once a year with a Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC), who will provide advice to ensure that the thesis is on track for completion.
• Submission of regular progress reports, including list of publications, TAC reports, and degree audit.

THE PHD THESIS

PhD students must write a research thesis. Click here for NTU’s thesis formatting and submission policies.

Once the student and supervisor have agreed that the thesis is ready, it should be submitted online (via GSLink → Academic → Thesis → Thesis Submission). After being endorsed by the supervisor, the thesis is sent to three independent examiners for evaluation. After this evaluation, the student must defend the thesis in an oral examination scheduled by the school.

Completed theses must be posted to the NTU Digital Repository.