Thank you for your interest in the MIT Chemistry Graduate Program! We are very proud of our program, and are pleased you are interested in us.

Chemistry is the study of a micro world comprising atoms and molecules, from simple diatomics such as N₂ to proteins and nucleic acids. Chemists are the molecular architects, the builders, and the surveyors of the natural landscape in this world which has nanometer dimensions. This work often has profound practical consequences; for example, the development of the metathesis method in organic synthesis which led to the awarding of the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Professor Richard Schrock of our department.

In learning how to do research, you not only will experience the exhilaration that comes with discovery but you will also prepare yourself for a variety of career paths. Our graduates are sought by recruiters from the chemical, petroleum, materials science and pharmaceuticals industries, by academic departments of chemistry, biology, physics and materials science, and by government laboratories and agencies. Moreover, through your Ph.D. thesis research you will have become an independent scientist, capable of identifying areas of significance, and developing approaches to solving the major problems in chemistry. These accomplishments will prepare you for positions of leadership world-wide, not only in the above, more traditional arenas, but also in other developing fields as well.

We believe our graduate program in chemistry is among the best, and there are many reasons for this, perhaps the most important being that our current and former students are among the most talented young scientists anywhere! The opportunity to work with individuals as excited about chemistry and as capable as you are is rare, and our ability to attract the best students is the most convincing evidence I can offer that we are doing the most exciting, innovative chemical research.

This section of our home page is intended to introduce you to the graduate program in chemistry at MIT. Students accepted into this program work directly toward a Ph.D. degree, undertaking what is primarily a research-oriented experience. In our graduate program you will be engaged mainly in research, the most stimulating part of chemistry: the synthesis of new compounds, discovery of new reactions, elucidation of reaction mechanisms, uncovering of new principles, understanding naturally occurring substances, or working out theories of chemical bonding or reactivity, providing knowledge that will be written into the textbooks for your successors to learn about.

We look forward to welcoming you to this select group!

Timothy M. Swager
Department Head