JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION

GRADUATE CHEMISTRY COURSE OFFERINGS IN AMERICAN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

ALFRED P. MILLS University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida

M o m rhemistry departments awarding the Ph.1). degree face the continuing problem of reevaluating their graduate course offerings. In carrying out such a reevaluation i t might prove helpful to know what graduate chemistry courses are now being offered by nther American rolleges aud universities awarding the PI1.D. degree.

This analysis was based on data taken from grad- uate bulletins and some supplementary departmental pamphlets from 81 colleges. Each principal area covered (analytical, inorganic, organic, physical) was subdivided into from seven to 13 subareas, and the number of credits offered within each of these sub- areas was tabulated. The mechanics of delineating the subareas was, in many rases, somewhat arbitrary, and it was necessary to distribute some courses into more than one subarea.

A11 credits tabulated are semester credit hours. A quarter credit hour was considered to be equal to two-

thirds of a semester credit hour. Several special credit systems were converted according to the direc- tions given in the graduate bulletin.

The resulting tabulations are given in Tables 14. The values in the "average credits" column were found by dividing the total tabulated credits in the subarea by 81. The values in the "maximum credits" column are the largest number of credits offered within the subarea by any one college.

The credit distribution of course offeriugs within each of the four principal areas considered is shown in Table 5.

Table 5 indicates the very wide range in course offer- ings in American colleges and universities. This in turn indicates very wide differences in opinion as to what constitutes a proper balance between formal course work, learning via other channels, and the inculcation of research methods and attitudes through participation in graduate research.

SEPTEMBER, 1933 473

TABLE 1 Analytical Chemistry Graduate Coume Offerings

TABLE 2 Inorganic Chemistry Graduate Course Offerings

Au. Mm. credits credits

Av. Maz. credits credits

(1) Instrumental Analysis Electroanaly8is, optioal analysis, absorption spectrometry, emis- ~ i a n spectroscopy, polarography, radioanalysi~, X-ray diffract,ion analysis

(2) Analvticsl Theow

(1) Inorganic Reactionn; Periodio Rela- t~onships 2.7 12

(2) Inorganic Theory 2 . 6 - Atomio and molecular structure, bonding and valence, magnet* chemistrv. acid-base theorv. ervs- tal chemistry, inorganic e ~ t n l ~ i ~

(3) Advanced Laboratory (4) Microanalysis; Microsco y (51 Soecial Analvticd PProcerhes

'Gas analy&, rock analysis, rare- element anal,vsis, water analysis, general technical analysis, metal- lurgical analysis fluorine ansly- sis. oil analvsis: iron and steel

(7) Seminar; RecentAdvance.= in In- organic Chemistry 0 .4 4

(8) Miscellaneous Soecial T o ~ i c s 0 .4 21 . . Inorganic fl;orine c&npounds, inorganic nitrogen compounds, inorganic silicon compounds, sm- monia system of compounds, di- electrics

(9) Nonsqueous Solutions; Nonaqueous Solvents; Liquid Ammonia Salutiom 0.3 3

Average total inorganic credits 9 . 9

analysis, food analysis (6) Seminar; Recent Advances in .4na-

lytical Chemistry 0 . 5 6 ( i i Unassiened Snecial TOD~CR 0 . 2 6 "

Average total analytical credits 12.9

TABLE 3 Organic Chemistry Graduate Course Offerings

Av. Maz. credits credits

TABLE 4 Physical Chemistry Graduate Course Offerings

(1 ) Organic Theory 4 . 7 13 Electronic interpretations, xac-

Au. Me. credits credzts

(1) Atomic and Molecular Structure ' 5 . 1 1 6 . i Spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and cr.vsta1 structure, electron diffraction, electron microscopy

(2) Theoretied Chemistry 3.0 16 . i Statistical thermodvnamics. sta-

acids and ha'ses ' ' "

(2) Organic Analysis, Qualitative and Quantitative

(3) Organic Reactions; Organic Syn- theses

(41 Advanced Laboratory ( 5 ) Natural Products

Steroids, terpenes, carhaeyclic~, slicyclirs. alkaloids

tistical mechanics, quantum me- chanics, kinetic theory of gases

(3) Thermodynamios (Except Statis- tical); Gaaeoua State (Except Sta- tistical); Liquid State

(4) Surface Chemistry; Colloids; High Polymers; Chromatography; Ion Exchange

(5) Chemical Kinetics; Phatoehemis- try; Catalysis; Free Radicals

(6) Electrochemistry; Solutions: Cor-

(6) Heteiocyelica 1 .4 4 (7) Unassigned Special Topics 1 . 3 12 ( 8 ) I'olvrners; Textiles; Plasticfi;

Paints. Varnishes. Laeouera 1 . 1 12

Organophosphorus, organasili- con, organonitrogen, orgnno- sulfur, organofluorin~

(10) Carbohydrates 0 .8 10.3

roaion (7) Nuclear Chemistm: Radioisoto~e

Tracers (8) Advanced Laboratory (9) Physical Organic

(10) Phase Equilibria; Metals and Al- L..o

Sugars, starch, paper and wood Seminar; Recent Advances in Or- eanic Chemistrv Org&omet,a~lick Mixeellaneooa Special Topics

Dyer, petroleum chemistry, hy- droearhons, polycyelic hydroear- bons, organic rortgcnta

Average t o t d organic credits

.",," (11) Unassigned Special Topics (12) Seminar; Recent Advances in

Phvsieal Chemistn. Average total physical chem- istry credits 32.i

TABLE 5 Credit Dist~ibution Amona Colle=es

Anal. Inom. 070. Phvsieal Total

Minimum 75% of college^ above 50% of colleges above 25% of colleges above Maximum

Average t o t d wedits 80.2