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 PhD degree; a General Examination, with both an oral and written part, is required by MIT. 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. However, if a faculty member does write a question on the subject of a recent seminar, the faculty member must provide enough information so that students whose TA responsibilities prevented attendance at the seminar do not suffer any disadvantage. Copies of previous exams are available on the chemistry website. Students 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."

The exams are given once each month, totaling eight exams each 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 that you pass to satisfy the requirement must be in your principal area of study. The department expects a demonstrated passing performance in cumulative exams before students take their second year oral exams, it is normal to pass at least four exams by that time.

Effective the Fall 2012 term, first-year students are expected to begin taking cumulative exams by February of their first year. You may take as many cumulative exams as you would like to during your first term. However, once the second term has started (February) students are expected to take cumulative exams every month (8 exams per year) until they have passed the required amount. If for some reason you begin a cumulative exam but do not turn it in, you must turn in a written note to the proctor that indicates you attempted the exam but are not submitting it.

The Cumulative Exam Schedule for the 2012-2013 academic year is listed below. Exams are generally given in Room 6-120 from 7:00-8:30 pm. Graded exams can be picked up in the Chemistry Education Office; email notifications are sent out when the exams are returned.

Monday, October 1, 2012
Monday, November 5, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
Monday, January 14, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
Monday, March 11, 2013
Monday, April 8, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013

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.