Requirements
Guide for First-Year Students (PDF format)
Cumulative Exams and Second-Year Oral Exams
Thesis Preparation
Current Student Information (Certificates Required)

Cumulative Exams are the written component of the General Examination for the Ph.D. degree. The cumulative exams are written by the faculty on a rotating basis, and examine general knowledge in each area of chemistry, including recent developments as reported in the current literature and in Departmental Colloquia. Copies of previous exams are available to current grduate students (certificates required). You must pass a total of six exams to complete the requirement. To pass an exam you must receive a grade of A or B; however, a grade of C will be paired with a grade of A to yield two "passes". Students are encouraged to begin taking cumulative exams in the fall term, however it is possible to postpone taking the exams until the second semester. The exams are given once each month and eight times during the academic year. At each session four exams are available (in biological, organic, inorganic, and physical chemistry), and you are free to choose which exam to take. Although you need only take one exam per session, you are welcome to attempt more than one exam during the 90-minute examination period. Note, however, that at least three of the six cumulative exams you pass to satisfy the requirement must be in your principal area of study.

The Cumulative Exam Schedule for the 2009-2010 academic year is listed below. Exams are given in Room 6-120 from 7:00-8:30 pm. Graded exams can be picked up at Susan Brighton's office (2-204), usually after two weeks of the exam date.

Monday, October 5, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Monday, January 11, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010

The oral part of the General Examination for the Ph.D. in Chemistry must be passed by the end of the fourth semester of graduate study. Students who have not satisfied the oral examination requirement by the beginning of their third year will be denied further registration as a graduate student in the department. This component of the general exam, required by MIT for all Ph.D. candidates, focuses on general knowledge in your field of study. Consult the appropriate Graduate Registration Officer for information on the specific format and scheduling of the oral examination in your research area since there are differences in timing and format for the exam in each area of chemistry.