Graduate Program
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The Program
Program Description
The Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials offers graduate studies leading to an M.S. degree or PhD. degree in Coatings and Polymeric Materials, the M.S. degree or PhD. Degree in Chemistry with an option in Coatings and Polymeric Materials. The mission of the departmental research is to ridge a gap between basic and applied research in the field of Coatings and Polymeric Materials. Such philosophy provides a unique atmosphere and opportunities for cross-disciplinary research experience, which is often accomplished by the multi-disciplinary research activities with other departments, for example, chemistry or engineering. Advanced research work involves specialized training in the following areas: colloidal and interfacial chemistry of Coatings and Polymeric Materials, polymer synthesis, adhesion, surface and interfacial spectroscopy of Coatings and Polymeric Materials, rheology, nanomaterials design and synthesis, and surface chemistry. The department has an industrial advisory board consisting of leading industrial scientists and/or former graduates who often help provide new directions to the program.
First-year students who enter the program take qualifying examinations, which are used by the graduate committee primarily for advisory purposes. During the fall semester, the faculty meets with new students to acquaint them with the research programs in the department. Students are strongly urged to visit faculty members to discuss research opportunities because by the end of the first semester in residence, students are required to select an advisory and examining committee. Programs are individually tailored to the needs of each student.
Research Facilities and Equipment
The Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials is housed in a new facility in the Research and Technology Park of NDSU. In keeping with modern practice, many journals and research sources are easily assessable on-line. The department has a computer to graduate student ratio of approximately 1:1. Additionally, access to the holding in the Klosteman Chemistry Library (second floor of Ladd Hall) is available which includes current subscriptions to more than 200 journals, monographs, and other reference materials. Graduate students and faculty have round-the-clock access, seven days a week.
Modern equipment and instrumentation have profoundly influenced the development of instruction and are the cornerstones of research in the chemical sciences. The Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials offers instrumentation ranging from coatings and paint making and testing equipment to state-of-the-art instrumentation for polymer characterization. Additional research equipment, for example, state-of-the-art electron and optical microscopy laboratories are readily available to all researchers on the NDSU campus. Some noteworthy facilities in the Chemistry Department include 500 MHZ, 400 MHZ and 300 MHZ multinuclear NMR spectrometers, computational chemistry software, single crystal, powder diffraction, w-ray fluorescence and thin film diffraction capabilities. Also on hand are elemental C, H, and N analysis and standard polymer characterization (e.g. TGA) equipments. Coatings and Polymeric Materials has considerable facilities for chemical and physical characterization of coatings and materials including atomic force microscopes, state of the art electrochemical equipments, Fourier transform infrared spectrometers with all necessary surface accessories and step-scan capabilities, Raman microscopy, color measuring apparatus, and other optical hardware. Other equipment includes differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, mechanical testing, gel permeation chromatography, rheometry, UV visible spectroscopy, fluorescence, static/dynamic surface tension apparatus, and Langmuir film systems for surface chemistry studies.
Degree Requirements
The Master of Science programs require the completion of 20 credits of letter-graded course work with an overall GPA of 3.0 or better. The PhD. option requires the completion of 27 credits of letter-graded course work with an overall GPA of 3.0 or better.
Each student must choose a thesis advisor within three to six months of beginning the graduate program. By the end of the first semester in residence, students select a research advisor, and by the end of the first year must select an examining committee. This committee advises students and administers oral examinations.
Candidates for the M.S. program normally satisfy course requirements within one year of study. PhD. candidates typically take about two years to complete courses, leaving later years for full-time dissertation research.
Cumulative examinations are administered eight times during each academic year. All PhD. candidates are required to defend an original written research proposal at least eight months prior to the final dissertation examination. The proposal topic must be approved by the student's advisory committee, which administers the oral exam. Following completion of dissertation research and the presentation of an acceptable written dissertation, the candidate defends before the advisory committee.
Financial Assistance
The student must first be accepted in full or conditional status before he/she is eligible for an assistantship in the Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials. Graduate students are supported during both the academic year and summer months by either teaching or research assistantships. The stipend is a minimum of $1300 - $1700+ per month, or $15,600 - $20,400+ annually . University tuition is waived for all qualified TAs and RAs.
To be considered for an assistantship, a completed Graduate School application, official transcripts, and three letters of recommendation must be submitted no later than April 15. International applicants also must submit a TOEFL score, as well as the general and subject GRE scores. General and subject GRE scores are preferred, but not required, of domestic applicants.
Last Updated: July 9, 2007