Degree Programs

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Chemistry
Highest degree awarded in chemistry. There are 7 areas of research specialization, but much of the novel research occurs at the interfaces. The 50+ faculty provide a wide variety of research opportunities. Graduate students are fully supported by the Department of Chemistry.

Master of Science (M.S.) in Chemistry
Two-year program focuses either on coursework or research. Most of the M.S. candidates are from local companies, the military, or UW-Madison undergraduate students. Students need their own funding; in some cases, funding may be available as a teaching or research assistant.

UW Bridge to the Chemistry Doctorate Program
The UW Bridge to the Chemistry Doctorate Program is a post-baccalaureate program aimed at increasing the number of students from under-represented minority groups who complete the Ph.D. degree in chemistry.
Student Programs
Chemistry Opportunities (CHOPS)
The Chemistry Opportunities (CHOPS) program invites approximately 20 highly qualified prospective students to the UW-Madison Chemistry Department for an all-expense-paid weekend to explore the chemistry Ph.D. graduate program.

Catalyst
The Catalyst program is designed to help first-year graduate students from underserved populations succeed in the chemistry graduate program at UW-Madison.

Graduate Program News
Bertram and Bain Receive James W. Taylor Excellence Teaching Awards
By Meranda M. Masse Department Communications & Graduate Student (Cavagnero) The Department of Chemistry has chosen two recipients for the James W. Taylor Excellence Teaching Award – Professor Timothy Bertram and senior instructional technology specialist …
Prof. Susanna Widicus Weaver brings a love of chemistry and expertise in astronomy
Vozza Professor of Chemistry Susanna Widicus Weaver arrived at UW–Madison in May to conduct research in prebiotic astrochemistry and on how life may form with the evolution of stars and planets. Weaver received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Illinois Wesleyan University (2000) and her Ph.D. in chemistry at California Institute of Technology (2005). She most recently was a professor of chemistry at Emory University.
Chemistry students win numerous awards
It was a busy year for awards, despite the constraints of a pandemic. In May, the Department of Chemistry celebrated students, faculty and staff with an online awards and graduation event called Celebrating Student Success. Because of generous donors, the department was able to give almost $500,000 in student support. See the winners of department and other awards below.
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Graduate Student Spotlight
Grad Spotlight: Princess Merenini
Princess Merenini, a first-year graduate student in the Department of Chemistry, was one of the 2019 Pei Wang Fellowship award recipients. The Pei Wang Fellowship honors the late Pei Wang (Ph.D. 1952, chemistry) by gifting this award to honorable graduate students at UW–Madison. Merenini is an international student from Nigeria. She moved to the United States in 2016 to pursue her undergraduate education at Savannah State University (SSU). Growing up in Nigeria, Merenini was taught that there were only four “prestigious” career paths: medicine, law, engineering and pharmacy.
Grad Spotlight: Nicholas M. Riley
Nicholas M. Riley is a graduate student from Louisville, KY, who attended the University of South Carolina as an undergraduate. He currently works with the Coon Research Group. Tell us about your research. My graduate research …
Summer Research Snapshot: Graduate Student Steven Chapman
The weather in Madison is slowly cooling down, undergraduates are moving in, and the first football game of the season is one week away. We are nearing the end of summertime in Madison. Today marks …
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