Chemical Science Program
The chemical science program at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology offers Master in Science degrees (thesis and coursework M.S.) and Ph.D. degrees.
Students with B.Sc. degrees can enroll directly into the Ph.D. degree program without having to obtain a M.S. degree. However, under the discretion of the admission committee students applying for Ph.D. degree might be required to obtain M.S. degree first before enrolling into the Ph.D. program.
Upon successful completion of the M.S. degree, students will have acquired a sound foundation that enables them to pursue a successful career in chemical research or to proceed further for advanced graduate studies. The Ph.D. program heavily emphasizes on student’s ability to undertake independent original research projects. The program leading to the Ph.D. degree requires the development of a broad knowledge through additional coursework beyond that required for a M.S. degree. Upon completion of the Ph.D. degree, the student is expected to be capable of designing and executing independent research projects.
General Requirements for All Graduate Degrees
Entrance Exam Requirements:
Students accepted in the graduate program with a Bachelor degree as the highest earned degree must take 4 ACS entrance exams (with an option to take Biochemistry or Analytical and a requirement to take Organic, Inorganic, and Physical Chemistry exams). Student’s performance on those exams will be used by his/her committee to determine the recommended classes’ coursework to remediate for any deficiency.
Minimum Grades in Courses
Graduate students must maintain an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.33 (B+) in all courses. Any graduate student who falls below a 3.33 GPA at the end of any given semester will be placed on academic probation and has the next two semesters to remedy the situation before being dismissed from the program. No grade below "C" will be accepted toward a graduate degree, but will be used in the computation of the overall GPA.
Master of Science (M.S.) in Chemical Science
There are two M.S. degree programs in ChemS, thesis and coursework M.S.
Students enrolled in coursework M.S. program are expected to complete their coursework requirements within three semesters (12 months). Students enrolled in thesis M.S. program are typically expected to satisfy the program requirements for graduation within four semesters (16 months).The coursework requirements for the two M.S. programs are listed below. Students accepted in the M.S. program will be required to take four entry ACS exams
Coursework M.S. degree:
- Students are required to take at least 3 out of the 6 offered core courses (9 credits).
- Students are required to take at least 3 elective courses in the chemical science program (9 credits).
- Students are required to take at least 2 elective courses out of the chemical science program and not cross listed with it (6 credits).
- Students are not required to take any math requirements. (the need for a math course is at the discretion of the student committee).
- Students are required to successfully complete six credits of directed research (6 credits).
Total credits required: 30
Typically, a student will enroll in four courses (12 credits) in the Fall semester, four courses (12 credits) in the Spring semester, and six credits of directed research or coursework during the Summer session.
Thesis M.S. degree:
- Students are required to take at least 3 out of the 6 offered core courses (9 credits).
- Students are required to take at least 3 elective courses offered by the chemical science program (9 credits).
- Students are required to take at least 2 elective courses offered by one of the programs other than the chemical science program and not cross listed with it (6 credits).
- Students are not required to take any math requirements.
- Students are required to successfully complete twelve credit hours in directed research (12 credits). The research conducted will be presented in the student’s thesis and presentation.
Total credits required: 36
The M.S. thesis reports on research conducted under the supervision a ChemS faculty member. Typically, students in this program complete their coursework during the first two semesters of study, although additional courses may be taken during the second year. By the end of the first year of study, an M.S. with thesis student is required to choose a faculty member as his/her advisor. During the third semester of the program, the student must form a committee that includes the student’s advisor and at least two other faculty members, including one from outside of the ChemS program. Students shall submit their thesis for approval by their committee members prior to final defense.
Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Science
Students studying for a Ph.D. must first satisfy the coursework requirements for the M.S. program. Some or all of the M.S. coursework requirements may be waived, at the discretion of the student’s advisor and with the approval of the dean, when a student is admitted to the program after obtaining a Master’s degree from a nationally or internationally accredited university or institute other than KAUST. The Ph.D. degree requires (in addition to the M.S. coursework requirements) a minimum of 6 credit hours of coursework and 60 credit hours of dissertation research. In special cases, these minimum requirements may be reduced with the approval of the dean. Ph.D. students must enroll in a minimum of two courses at the 300 level or above as a part of their degree work. If a student admitted to the Ph.D. program does not have a research advisor, an interim advisor will be assigned. The student must identify a permanent research advisor by the end of the first year in the program. Typically, completing the Ph.D. program takes minimum 7 to 8 semesters (2.5 years) beyond the completion of the M.S. program requirements.
In accordance with KAUST regulations, the Ph.D. program includes the following requirements:
- Successfully completing Ph.D. coursework and designating a research advisor by the end the second semester.
- Promotion to candidacy: The PhD pre-candidate will present an overview of his/her proposed PhD research project. The pre-candidacy meeting will also serve as the program oral subject-comprehensive exam.
- Successful defense of the original research proposal.
- Preparing a dissertation and successfully defending it.
Promotion to Ph.D. Candidacy
To be promoted to Ph.D. candidacy, the student must:
- Successfully complete all coursework requirements.
- Identify an advisor and form a dissertation committee.
- The student is required to be officially accepted in one of the research groups in the ChemS department and present an outline of his/her PhD research project before the dissertation committee. This presentation will include an oral exam by the committee members in areas closely related to the student’s proposed research project.
Dissertation committee
The dissertation committee is formed by the student under the guidance of the advisor. The committee is chaired by the advisor, including at least three other faculty members, one of whom is external to the program. The committee may additionally include one or more members external to KAUST. Students are required to maintain active contacts with their committee members to discuss the student’s progress all committee members must be designated as dissertation readers.
Research proposal defense
At the end of the second year into the program, a Ph.D. candidate student must submit a written research proposal to the dissertation committee two weeks prior to an oral defense of the proposal. The oral defense consists of an oral presentation by the student followed by a question and answer session. The oral defense must be attended by a minimum of three members of the dissertation committee. The committee will determine if the proposal is novel and overall merit of funding from major funding agencies. The committee’s decision can take the form of pass, conditional pass, fail with retake, or fail. In the case of fail with retake, the committee will provide feedback to the student, who must prepare and pass a repeat examination within one semester. Each student is expected to defend the research proposal by the end of the second year from the start of the program.
Research Data Presentation and Dissertation
By the end of the third year, a research data presentation must be made to thesis committee and the committee formally advises the candidate on research milestones that need to be met before permission to write the dissertation is granted.
A peer-reviewed publication based upon the dissertation research is required to obtain the degree of Ph.D. This requirement could be waived under extenuating circumstances and at the discretion of the student’s dissertation committee.
Dissertation Defense
The student must schedule a dissertation defense after the doctoral research project and dissertation are completed. The dissertation defense will include a defense of the doctoral dissertation and a test of the candidate’s knowledge in the specialized field of research. The format of the dissertation defense will be a public seminar presented by the candidate, with an open question period, followed by a private examination by the dissertation committee. The possible outcomes of the exam are pass, conditional pass, or fail. After a successful defense, the final written dissertation approved by the committee must be submitted within two months and must be signed by the supervisor and all dissertation committee members.
Chemical Science Program
ChemS Program Courses
Core Courses (choose at least 3):
| ChemS 320 | - | Advanced Organic Chemistry I |
| ChemS 340 | - | Advanced Organic Chemistry II |
| ChemS 330 | - | Advanced Inorganic Chemistry I |
| ChemS 350 | - | Advanced Inorganic Chemistry II |
| ChemS 360 | - | Theoretical Chemistry |
| ChemS 370 | - | Thermodynamics and Kinetics |
Elective Courses (choose at least 3):
| ChemS 210 /CBE 210 | - | Material Chemistry I |
| ChemS 250 | - | Material Chemistry II |
| ChemS 215 / CBE 215 | - | Polymers and Polymerization Proceses |
| ChemS 226 / CBE 226 | - | Biocatalysis |
| ChemS 220 | - | Organometallic Chemistry |
| ChemS 230 / CBE 230 | - | Physical Chemistry of Macromolecules |
| ChemS 212 | - | Spectroscopy Analysis |
| ChemS 218 | - | Photo and Electro Catalysis |
| ChemS 219 / CBE 219 | - | Bioinorganic Chemistry |
| ChemS 213 / CBE 213 | - | Interface Science, Engineering, & Technology |
Directed Research and Seminar Courses:
| ChemS 298 | - | Special Seminar |
| ChemS 299 | - | MS Thesis Research |
| ChemS 398 | - | Graduate Seminar |
| ChemS 399 | - | Directed Research for PhD Students |
In addition to the above, a number of courses from other programs (CBE, B, MSE, EnSE) may serve as appropriate electives for students in ChemS. Those courses could be taken upon approval by graduate advisor.
Course Description
ChemS 210 Material Chemistry I "CBE 210" 3 Luc. 0Lb 3Cr.
Prerequisite An understanding of the material covered in basic inorganic and organic chemistry
The course is designed to present students with a descriptive overview of Materials Chemistry with particular emphasis on the correlation between materials structure and their properties. This course will cover the following topics: molecular symmetry; basic crystallography; band theory; porous materials; nano-structured materials and some material characterization techniques including powder X-ray diffraction and physical adsorption.
ChemS 212 Spectroscopy Analysis 3Luc. 0Lb 3Cr.
This course covers surface tension and surface free energy (theory and measurement methods), surface films on liquid substrates (surface potential, monomolecular films, Langmuir-Blodgett layers), electrical aspects of surface chemistry (electrical double layer, zeta potential, DLVO theory), solid-liquid interface, stability of dispersions, stabilization of suspensions, Contact angle (theory and measurement methods)
Emulsions, foams and aerosols, wetting of surfaces by liquids, Lotus effect, Flotation, aggregation and flocculation, Detergency, surfactants, self-assembly, micelles and Vesicles, Friction, lubrication, and Characterization of colloidal particles
Applications of colloid and surface science in petroleum recovery, coating and painting, food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry
ChemS 215 Polymers and Polymerization Processes "CBE 215" 3Luc. 0Lb 3Cr.
The preparation, reactions and properties of high-molecular-weight polymeric materials of both natural and synthetic origin. Physical and organic chemistry of polymers for persons with a basic training in chemistry, physics, or engineering. The course is a survey of preparative methods of polymers; step growth polymerization, radical polymerization, ionic polymerization, ring-opening polymerization, polymerization by transition metal catalysts; and methods of characterization (nuclear magnetic resonance, Raman, infrared, intrinsic viscosity, differential scanning, calorimetry, gel permeation chromatography) and scattering (light, x-rays).
ChemS 218 Photo and Electro Catalysis 3Luc. 0Lb 3Cr.
Fundamentals of Photo and Electro catalysis presented with a novel approach for industrial applications
ChemS 219 Bioinorganic Chemistry "CBE 219" 3Luc. 0Lb 3Cr.
This course will introduce the principles of bioinorganic chemistry and its vast applications in industry and catalytical processes.
ChemS 220 Organometallic Chemistry 3Luc. 0Lb 3Cr.
Systematic consideration of modern aspects of organometallic chemistry including main group and transition metal complexes. The structure and binding in organometallic compounds is covered.
Particular emphasis is placed on applications of homogenous organometallic catalysis in polymer synthesis, industrial processes and synthetic organic chemistry.
ChemS 226 Biocatalysis "CBE 226" 3Luc. 0Lb 3Cr.
Prerequisite: ChemS 219 or consent of instructor.
This course aims to provide an understanding of fundamental aspects of biocatalysis, while the general focus is set on current applications of biocatalytic systems. It targets Students enrolled in chemical sciences, chemical engineering and biological engineering.
ChemS 230 Physical Chemistry of Macromolecules "CBE 230" 3Luc. 0Lb 3Cr.
Prerequisite: ChemS 215 or consent of instructor.
Physical chemistry of macromolecules, including the theory for the experimental methods used for the study of macromolecular solutions.
ChemS 250 Material Chemistry lI 3Luc. 0Lb 3Cr.
Prerequisite: ChemS 210 or consent of instructor.
This course will introduce electron microscopy based techniques: Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Electron diffraction (ED), Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), Energy-filtered TEM (EFTEM), Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). On-site demonstration of the electron microscope will be given.
ChemS 298 Special Seminar One Credit, Pass/Fail
Master-level seminar focusing on special topics within the field.
ChemS 299 MS Thesis Research Variable Credit, Pass/Fail
Prerequisite: Approval of Advisor
Master-level Thesis Research.
ChemS 320 Advanced Organic Chemistry I 3Luc. 0Lb 3Cr.
Prerequisite: Adequate Knowledge in general chemistry rules and concepts.
Reactivity and reactions of organic moieties including enolates, carbenes, radicals, carbonyl compounds, and transition metal organometallics; mechanisms of named reactions; multistep total synthesis techniques and reactions; advanced NMR and mass spectrometric techniques as applied to research efforts in organic chemistry and related fields, such as pharmaceuticals, materials science, supramolecular synthesis, and crystal engineering.
ChemS 330 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry I 3Luc. 0Lb 3Cr.
Prerequisite: Adequate Knowledge in general chemistry rules and concepts.
Generalizations of the periodic table and their relationship to classical and modern concepts of
atomic and molecular structure. Inorganic stereochemistry including concepts of crystal chemistry, silicate chemistry, coordination theory, ligand field theory, catalysis, acid-base theory, reaction mechanisms, organometallic chemistry and a detailed consideration of selected groups of the periodic table.
ChemS 340 Advanced Organic Chemistry II 3Luc. 0Lb 3Cr.
Prerequisite: ChemS 320 or consent of instructor.
This course will focus on a deeper understanding of the structure and reactivity of organic molecules with an emphasis on reaction mechanisms. It is a review of aspects of physical organic chemistry, covering structure and bonding, stereochemistry, and kinetics and thermodynamics, as well as molecular orbital theory with an introduction to the use of computational tools, such as Gaussian 09.
ChemS 350 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry II 3 Luc. 0Lb 3Cr.
Prerequisite: ChemS 330 or consent of instructor.
Emphasis on concepts and applications of homogenous and heterogeneous catalysis and the impact of such processes on the advancement of different industries.
ChemS 360 Theoretical Chemistry 3Luc. 0Lb 3Cr.
Prerequisite: Adequate Knowledge in general chemistry rules and concepts.
Review of quantum mechanics from a postulational viewpoint; variational and matrix methods; time
independent and time-dependent perturbation theory; applications to molecular systems including potential energy surfaces and reaction pathways.
ChemS 370 Thermodynamics and Kinetics 3Luc. 0Lb 3Cr.
Prerequisite: ChemS 360 or consent of instructor.
A discussion of chemical phase equilibria, the treatment of solutions and chemical reactions by classical thermodynamics, the applications of electrochemical cells in studying chemical reactivities, utilization of
molecular and atomic spectra in statistical-mechanical calculations.
ChemS 398 Graduate Seminar One Credit, Pass/Fail
Doctoral-level ChemS program seminar.
ChemS 399 Directed Research for PhD students Variable Credit, Pass/Fail
Prerequisite: Approval of Advisor.
Doctoral-level supervised research.