Applying to our Department

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Graduate Programs offers primarily Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Chemistry and Biochemistry.  However, we are accepting applications into the MS degrees in Chemistry and Biochemistry.  Our twenty faculty members are research active in the areas of analytical, biochemistry, computational, inorganic, organic, materials, and physical chemistry. Faculty have a broad and complimentary expertise in a range of specialty areas including chemical synthesis, microbiological manipulations, chemical structure, spectroscopic techniques, and mechanism at the molecular level.  The research at our department is highly collaborative with interdisciplinary research opportunities for the student across campus and abroad. 

March 1, 2023 ALL applications for fall 2023 are closed.  

Spring applications will be accepted on a case by case basis.  Please contact Doreen Brown if you are planning to apply for spring admission.     

Priority is given to applications that are in our office by January 15th, 2023.  Applications received after January 15th, are eligible for acceptance if spaces are available. Filling out and submitting an application form is the first step toward becoming a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.  

To be considered for an application fee waiver, you must send the following;  a short, professional paragraph, (not your personal statement) on why our department is a good fit for your long term professional goals, a transcript, and an English test score (for international students not on the language exception list, see below). 

All applicants - your transcript must contain a legend on your grading system (point scale and what each grade means) to be considered for a waiver (no exceptions).  

  • Waivers will be considered when all of the information is provided. 
  • A Certificate of English is not a substitute for the English exam requirement. 
  • No waivers will be distributed after January 1, 2023, but you can still submit an application. 
  • No waivers are provided for MS applications. 
  • Exceptions of the English language proficiencey can be found here.
  • GREs are not reqiured.
  • Send ALL required documents (in one email) to doreen.brown@montana.edu.

Important Information

Admission decisions are determined by review of applicant's transcripts, personal statement, letters of recommendation, research experience, and strength of chemistry/biochemistry undergraduate background (including general, analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry courses; mathematics through calculus; and college level physics). Although applications are accepted throughout the year, most offers are made for admission in the fall semester.  

The following criteria should be used as a guide to help you as you apply to our graduate programs. 

  • Undergraduate GPA must be 3.0 or above on a 4.0 point scale.  
  • GRE scores are NOT required. 
  • All international students must show English proficiency.  You can submit the IELTS or the iBT form of the TOEFL exam and provide a report.  A TOEFL total score of 90 is required with a minimum speaking score of 26 to qualify for admission to our programs and for a teaching assistantship. A total minimum score of 7.0 is required on the IELTS exam and a speaking component score of 8.0 to qualify for a teaching assistantship. Some exceptions apply (see Graduate School website.)  
  • Your personal statement should include your short term academic goals and long term professional goals and why our department is a good fit for you.  Include in your statement, any research you experienced as an undergraduate and the names of 3 professors in our department you would like to research with and why.  Faculty who accept graduate students can be found at the following website.
  • In additon your your personal statement, there are 3 additional questions in the application that you must respond to. 
  • You do not need to contact faculty to apply or be accepted into the program.
  • You do not need to hold an MS degree to apply to our PhD programs.
  • Review of applications begin in early January and continues until our class is full. Priority is given to early applicants.
  • Applicants will be notified about acceptance and financial awards no later than April 1st. Completed applications should be in our office by January 15th. Applications received after January 15th are still eligible for acceptance if space is available, however, no waivers will be provided.
  • If accepted into the PhD program, support in the first year for a PhD student will be in the form of a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) and a tuition waiver.  Subsequent support will be determined in consultation with your research advisor as either a GTA or Graduate Research Assistant.

To apply, click here. 

If you have any questions, email doreen.brown@montana.edu.