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Survey of Ph.D. Programs in Chemistry

By Joel Shulman

How does your chemistry Ph.D. program compare to others in terms of department size and student demographics? Requirements for the degree? Graduate student progression and support? Developing skills that go beyond knowledge of chemistry? Answers to these questions and many others can be gleaned from the Survey of Ph.D. Programs in Chemistry recently reported by the ACS Committee on Professional Training (CPT) . Highlights of the survey are given here.

View the full report

The primary objective of the CPT is to facilitate the maintenance and improvement of the quality of chemical education at the postsecondary level. Not only does the Committee develop and administer the guidelines that define high-quality undergraduate education, but it also produces resources such as the ACS Directory of Graduate Education and publishes data on undergraduate and graduate education. Approximately every ten years, CPT fields a survey of Ph.D. programs. The latest survey solicited data from all 196 Ph.D. programs in chemistry and received usable information (base year, 2007) from 139 of these programs.

Figure 1. Size Distribution of Ph.D. Programs

Program size and demographics of students

The 139 reporting Ph.D. programs are divided for purposes of comparison into three groups of approximately equal size according to the total number of graduate students in the program: 44 small (defined as 0 to 40 total graduate students), 46 medium (41 to 105 graduate students), and 49 large programs (106+ graduate students). The number of students in Ph.D. programs ranges from 0 to 394 (see Figure 1) with a total of 13,280 students. Eighteen departments have more than 200 students, accounting for more than one-third (4,460) of the total graduate students in chemistry. The 30 largest programs account for almost 50% of graduate students. The average program size is 96 students (and 23 faculty), while the median program size is 67 students.

Of the doctoral students in responding programs, 27.4% are women, 5.2% are underrepresented minorities, and 42.3% are international students (Table 1). Small programs tend to have a higher percentage of underrepresented minority students (averaging 7.8%), while large programs have a higher percentage of women (28.5%) and a lower percentage of international students (37.3%).

Table 1. Demographics of Graduate Students by Program Size

Requirements for degree (table 2).

Of course, a doctoral dissertation is required by all Ph.D. programs. Most (71%) graduate programs require entering graduate students to take placement exams, although this requirement tends to be less prevalent as program size increases. The average program requires a minimum of 20 credits (semester hours, corrected for programs on the quarter system) of coursework, a number that does not vary significantly by program size. In addition to course work and dissertation, 96% of programs require at least one of the following: cumulative examinations (58%), an oral preliminary exam (54%), a comprehensive oral exam (50%), and/or a comprehensive written exam (31%). All four of these exams are required by 7% of programs; 17% of programs require three; 43% of programs require two; and 28% require only one. Large programs require cumulative exams less often and oral exams more often than small or medium programs. Only four programs (3%) require students to pass a language exam for the Ph.D.

Table 2. Requirement in Ph.D. Program

Graduate student progression and support (table 3).

The mean time to the Ph.D. is 5.1 years, a number that varies neither by program size nor by public vs. private institution (data not shown). Most programs place a limit on the amount of time allowed to achieve a Ph.D. (average of 7.8 years) as well as on the number of years of departmental support allowed a student (average of 5.9 years). More than 80% of students choose a research advisor within six months of entering graduate school. A significant number of programs either require or permit laboratory rotations before a final advisor is selected.

Monetary support for Ph.D. students comes from teaching assistantships more often than from research assistantships at small and medium programs, while the reverse is true in large programs. There is wide variation in TA stipends, depending on both program size and geographic location. Most programs have a range of stipends, which on average run from $18,000 to about $20,000 per year. Teaching assistants at larger programs are more likely to teach discussion (recitation) sections than those in small or medium programs.

Table 3. Student Progression and Support in Ph.D. Programs

Developing student skills.

In addition to chemistry knowledge and laboratory skills, it is important that all Ph.D. chemists develop skills in areas such as critical thinking, oral and written communication, and teamwork. Toward this end, 74% of all programs require students to create and defend an original research proposal (Table 2). All but six programs require students to make presentations (exclusive of the thesis defense) to audiences other than their research group; the average number of required presentations is 2.4, with little variation by program size. When asked whether any graduate students receive student-skills training outside of formal course work, 67% responded that at least some students receive specific training in communications; 59% in ethics/scientific integrity; 43% in grant writing; 37% in mentoring; 37% in intellectual property/patents; and 18% in business/economics. Students in large programs are more likely to receive some training in these skill areas than are students in other programs.

The data from this CPT survey provide a snapshot of graduate student demographics, requirements for the degree, and progression and support in chemistry Ph.D. programs. Survey results highlight similarities and differences among small, medium, and large programs across the country.

Dr. Joel I. Shulman retired as The Procter & Gamble Company's Manager of Doctoral Recruiting and University Relations in 2001 and is now an adjunct professor of chemistry at the University of Cincinnati. He serves the ACS as a consultant for the Office of Graduate Education and the Department of Career Management and Development and as a member of the Committee on Professional Training.

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2024 Best Chemistry Doctor's Degree Schools

College Factual reviewed 112 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for doctor's degree seekers in the field of chemistry. Combined, these schools handed out 2,721 doctor's degrees in chemistry to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Chemistry School for Your Doctor's Degree

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of doctorate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their doctor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on chemistry students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of chemistry students who choose to seek a doctor's degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How much debt chemistry students go into to obtain their doctor's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized chemistry related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for chemistry students working on their doctor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Chemistry Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Chemistry Doctor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings , to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Chemistry in the United States

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for chemistry students seeking a a doctor's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

16 Top Schools for a Doctorate in Chemistry

It is hard to beat Northwestern University if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in chemistry. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston.

Chemistry doctor's degree recipients from Northwestern University earn a boost of about $32,594 above the average income of chemistry majors.

Stanford University is a wonderful option for individuals pursuing a doctor's degree in chemistry. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Stanford. More information about a doctorate in chemistry from Stanford University

Every student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in chemistry needs to look into University of Chicago. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. More information about a doctorate in chemistry from University of Chicago

University of California - Berkeley is a wonderful decision for individuals pursuing a doctor's degree in chemistry. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley.

Those chemistry students who get their doctor's degree from University of California - Berkeley make $36,925 more than the typical chemistry graduate.

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population.

Those chemistry students who get their doctor's degree from University of California - Santa Barbara receive $33,709 more than the standard chemistry student.

U-M is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor. More information about a doctorate in chemistry from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population.

Chemistry doctor's degree recipients from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign earn a boost of around $21,466 over the typical earnings of chemistry majors.

UMCP is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of College Park. More information about a doctorate in chemistry from University of Maryland - College Park

Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Baltimore. More information about a doctorate in chemistry from Johns Hopkins University

Located in the large suburb of Storrs, UCONN is a public university with a very large student population. More information about a doctorate in chemistry from University of Connecticut

Cornell is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Ithaca. More information about a doctorate in chemistry from Cornell University

UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the city of La Jolla.

Chemistry doctor's degree recipients from University of California - San Diego get an earnings boost of around $3,546 above the average income of chemistry graduates.

Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population.

Doctorate graduates who receive their degree from the chemistry program earn around $57,938 in the first couple years of working.

Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a very large student population. More information about a doctorate in chemistry from Iowa State University

Located in the large suburb of Amherst, UMass Amherst is a public university with a very large student population. More information about a doctorate in chemistry from University of Massachusetts Amherst

Ohio State is a very large public university located in the large city of Columbus.

Chemistry doctor's degree recipients from Ohio State University - Main Campus earn a boost of approximately $14,928 over the typical earnings of chemistry majors.

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Chemistry Doctor's Degree Schools award.

Chemistry by Region

View the Best Chemistry Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Other Rankings

Best associate degrees in chemistry, best master's degrees in chemistry, best value in chemistry, best for non-traditional students in chemistry, best online in chemistry, most popular online in chemistry, best bachelor's degrees in chemistry, best overall in chemistry, highest paid grads in chemistry, best for veterans in chemistry, most popular in chemistry, most focused in chemistry.

View All Rankings >

Rankings in Majors Related to Chemistry

One of 8 majors within the Physical Sciences area of study, Chemistry has other similar majors worth exploring.

Chemistry Concentrations

Majors similar to chemistry, notes and references.

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System ( IPEDS ) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s ( College Scorecard ). More about our data sources and methodologies .

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10 Top PhD Programs in Chemistry in 2024

A PhD program in Chemistry can equip you with a range of professional skills and advanced knowledge in the field. With a doctorate in chemistry on your resume, you’ll be able to find prestigious jobs in research labs, industry, academia, or government.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary of chemists and material scientists is $79,760 , and jobs are estimated to grow by 6%  over the next decade, in line with growth prospects for all professions.

Which of the best PhD programs in Chemistry is right for you?

Read on to learn about the best programs, including essential information like tuition, acceptance rates, and whether you can get a degree online or not.

Table of Contents

Top PhD Programs in Chemistry

1. massachusetts institute of technology.

PhD in Chemistry

Massachusetts Institute of Technology has been ranked first in the nation  for Chemistry, so it’s no surprise that this is one of the best PhD in Chemistry programs. The program is flexible because students can choose courses based on their long-term research goals.

• Courses include: Principles of inorganic chemistry, crystal structure refinement, and heterocyclic chemistry.
• Credits: 48
• Duration: 4 years +
• Tuition:  Full funding
• Financial aid: Fellowships, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships.
• Delivery: On-campus
• Acceptance rate: 7.3%
• Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts

2. Stanford University, School of Humanities and Sciences

Stanford University is one of the world’s leading research institutions with innovative and flexible programs. This chemistry PhD program is world-class with a cross-disciplinary approach, collaborating with various other departments and institutes.

• Courses include: Advanced inorganic chemistry, organic polyfunctional compounds, and chemical principles.
• Duration: 5 years
• Tuition: Refer tuition page
• Financial aid: Research assistantship, teaching assistantship, fellowships, grants, and loans.
• Acceptance rate: 5.2%
• Location: Stanford, California

3. California Institute of Technology, Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Caltech’s Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering is renowned for its large number of faculty members conducting leading research in chemistry, biochemistry, and chemical engineering. This chemistry doctoral program aims to develop students’ creative and original research abilities.

• Courses include: Bioinorganic chemistry, organic reaction mechanisms, and advanced quantum chemistry.
• Duration: 5.5 years average
• Tuition : $56,364
• Financial aid: Scholarships, grants, work-study, fellowships, assistantships, and loans.
• Acceptance rate: 6.7%
• Location: Pasadena, California

4. Harvard University, The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

PhD in Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Harvard University’s faculty in the Chemistry and Chemical Biology division includes several Nobel and Welch Award laureates conducting research in various areas of interest in chemistry. In this PhD program for chemistry, students can pursue interdisciplinary research in various institutes and research centers in the Boston area.

• Courses include: Advanced organic chemistry, materials chemistry, and advanced inorganic chemistry.
• Duration: 5-6 years
• Tuition: Full funding
• Financial aid: Scholarships, research assistantships, and fellowships.
• Acceptance rate: 5%

5. Northwestern University, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences

Northwestern University’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences emphasizes interdisciplinary thinking that is adaptive, flexible, and practical in the context of the modern world. This chemistry PhD program aims to provide students with a strong foundation in chemistry and valuable exposure to research projects important to wider society.

• Courses include: Organic chemistry, physical/analytical chemistry, and biological chemistry.
• Financial aid: Fellowships, graduate assistantships, and loans.
• Acceptance rate: 9.3%
• Location: Evanston, Illinois

6. Yale University, Department of Chemistry

Yale is one of the most acclaimed universities in the world, with a diverse student population, including 22%  international students from a total of 115 different nations . This flexible PhD chemistry program allows students to choose their areas of study based on their research subjects rather than maintaining a rigid course list.

• Courses include: Fundamentals of transition metal chemistry, bioinorganic spectroscopy, and organic structures & energetics.
• Financial aid: Stipends, fellowships, and grants.
• Acceptance rate: 6.5%
• Location: New Haven, Connecticut

7. The University of Chicago, Department of Chemistry

The chemistry department was one of the University of Chicago’s first departments to be inaugurated and currently has a strong faculty in organic, inorganic, and physical chemistry, as well as interdisciplinary studies. This is also one of the most flexible Chemistry PhD programs in the country, allowing you to study from different departments as well as giving you the freedom to choose your areas of study.

• Courses include: Complex chemical systems, chemical biology, and chemical dynamics.
• Tuition : $63,936
• Financial aid: Fellowships, research assistantships, health insurance, grants, scholarships, work-study, and loans.
• Location: Chicago, Illinois

8. Princeton University, Department of Chemistry

Princeton University’s prestigious Frick Chemistry Laboratory encourages faculty and students to conduct collaborative and interdisciplinary research in the field. This doctorate degree in chemistry encourages students to pursue individualized studies and conduct original research in specific areas of chemistry.

• Courses include: Advanced quantum chemistry, biophysical chemistry, and synthetic organic chemistry.
• Tuition : $57,410
• Financial aid: Assistantships, fellowships, work-study, veteran benefits, and loans.
• Acceptance rate: 5.6%
• Location: Princeton, New Jersey

9. The University of California, Berkeley, College of Chemistry

The University of California was founded with a vision for a better future and is well-known as a pioneer in various areas, including diversity and free speech. This graduate program offers three concentrations: physical chemistry, synthetic chemistry, and chemical biology.

• Courses include: Chemical kinetics, coordination chemistry, and organic reactions.
• Tuition : $14,476
• Financial aid: Fellowships, teaching assistantships, research assistantships, grants, and loans.
• Acceptance rate: 17.5%
• Location: Berkeley, California

10. Cornell University, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Cornell’s Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology has a history of discovery and innovation and boasts Nobel laureates as well as National Academy Members among its faculty. The TATP (Teaching Assistant Training Program) is an integral part of this PhD program, and a satisfactory performance in this program is a mandatory part of the doctorate.

• Courses include: Engineering general chemistry, principles of organic chemistry, and physical chemistry of proteins.
• Financial aid: Teaching assistantship, research assistantship, fellowships, grants, stipend, and health insurance.
• Acceptance rate: 10.7%
• Location: Ithaca, New York

What Do You Need To Get a PhD in Chemistry?

To be admitted as a PhD candidate , you’ll generally need a master’s in chemistry or a related field. As part of the application process, you’ll typically need to submit academic transcripts, letters of recommendation, GRE scores, and a personal statement or research proposal.

Other documentation may be required depending on the program you want to apply for, so check the requirements with the admissions office.

Most PhD in chemistry programs involve a mix of coursework, which may cover chemistry courses and related sciences, and a research thesis or dissertation.

To earn your doctorate in chemistry, you typically also need to participate in seminars, pass oral and written exams, and complete a teaching assistantship.

Preparing for a Chemistry Doctorate Program

A PhD in chemistry is a technical, relatively-difficult advanced degree, so it’s important to prepare well to get the best results. Ahead of commencing, or even applying for the program, familiarize yourself with the latest developments and research in the field.

It can be a good idea to join professional associations, take advantage of other networking opportunities, and seek out extra-curricular activities in the field. Practical experience can also be very valuable, so try to work in a lab if possible.

Things To Consider When Choosing a Chemistry PhD Program

There are a range of chemistry doctorate programs offered by different institutions and covering several different concentrations. Before choosing the right program for you, it’s important to carefully consider your interests, passions, and career goals in order to decide on your preferred area of study.

From there, look for strong programs in this discipline with renowned faculty specializing in your area of interest.

Other key factors to consider include the following:

• Mode of delivery: on-campus, online, or hybrid
• School location, accessibility, and affordability to live in the area if you’re planning on studying on campus
• Program costs, including not only tuition but also fees and other expenses
• Financial aid options

Why Get a Doctorate in Chemistry?

A PhD in chemistry is one of the most in-demand and highest-paying PhDs . Graduates with a PhD chemistry are highly employable, with most finding roles in private industry. According to Duke University , from their 242 candidates, 118 were employed in business/industry, and Boston University  also tells us that most PhD Chemistry holders are employed in the private sector.

The benefits of studying for a doctorate in chemistry include:

• High level of prestige
• Many chemistry PhD programs are fully-funded or offer access significant to financial aid
• Wide range of job prospects in academia, research, and management
• Access to senior leadership positions and opportunities to manage research projects

Jobs you can land with a PhD in Chemistry include:

• Post-doctoral Research Assistant ( $52,672 )
• Chemical Materials Scientist ( $130,008 )
• Professor of Chemistry ( $94,914 )
• Development Chemist ( $59,802 )
• Director of Research ( $107,150 )

The tuition for a PhD in chemistry can range from $10,000 to $70,000 based on various factors, with public schools being much more affordable than private schools. On top of tuition, you also need to consider other expenses, such as fees, study materials, and living expenses. However, many chemistry doctorates offer scholarships, grants, and even full funding.

For most programs, you’ll take around five years to complete a chemistry PhD when studying full-time. However, it can take up to seven years or even longer in some cases.

What Skills Do You Gain When Doing a Ph.D. in Chemistry?

You’ll build a range of advanced skills as part of a PhD in Chemistry program, most notably:

• Research skills
• Communication skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Mentoring and teaching skills
• Leadership skills
• Organizational skills

PhD in Chemistry FAQs

How long does a phd in chemistry take.

A PhD in Chemistry takes five years to complete on average, though the duration can typically be anywhere between three and seven years.

Which Field of Chemistry Is Best for a PhD?

There is no single field that is best for a PhD in Chemistry. The best option for you will depend on your preferences, interests, and career ambitions. Common specializations include organic,         inorganic, physical, analytical, and computational chemistry.

What Can You Do With a PhD in Chemistry?

A PhD in chemistry is typically considered the most advanced degree in this scientific field and opens up a range of positions in academia, research, and the private sector. Positions for graduates with PhD doctorates include lecturers, professors, research leaders, environmental scientists, and materials scientists.

Is It Hard To Get a PhD in Chemistry?

Given that chemistry is a highly technical field and a PhD is an advanced degree, it’s not surprising that a PhD in chemistry is an in-depth, involved, and relatively-challenging degree. There’s no denying that you’ll need a background in the field and a certain degree of dedication to earn your doctorate in chemistry, but it’s certainly not impossible with some hard work and a little passion!

Key Takeaways

A PhD in chemistry is a valuable, advanced degree that opens up a wide range of career prospects, including senior-level positions in research, industry, and academia. There are a number of high-quality PhD programs in chemistry offered by renowned institutions across the country, covering a range of disciplines and including both on-campus and online programs .

Be clear on your areas of interest and career objectives, do your research to choose the best program for you, and you can’t go wrong!

For more options, look at our guide to the best online PhD programs , or if you’re ready to start preparing your application, check out our ultimate grad school test guide .

Lisa Marlin

Lisa is a full-time writer specializing in career advice, further education, and personal development. She works from all over the world, and when not writing you'll find her hiking, practicing yoga, or enjoying a glass of Malbec.

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April 19, 2012

What does a Ph.D. in chemistry get you?

By Janet D. Stemwedel

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

A few weeks back, Chemjobber had an interesting post looking at the pros and cons of a PhD program in chemistry at a time when job prospects for PhD chemists are grim. The post was itself a response to a piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education by a neuroscience graduate student named Jon Bardin which advocated strongly that senior grad students look to non-traditional career pathways to have both their Ph.D.s and permanent jobs that might sustain them. Bardin also suggested that graduate students "learn to approach their education as a series of learning opportunities rather than a five-year-long job interview," recognizing the relative luxury of having a "safe environment" in which to learn skills that are reasonably portable and useful in a wide range of career trajectories -- all while taking home a salary (albeit a graduate-stipend sized one).

Chemjobber replied :

Here's what I think Mr. Bardin's essay elides: cost. His Ph.D. education (and mine) were paid for by the US taxpayer. Is this the best deal that the taxpayer can get? As I've said in the past , I think society gets a pretty good deal: they get 5+ years of cheap labor in science, (hopefully) contributions to greater knowledge and, at the end of the process, they get a trained scientist. Usually, that trained scientist can go on to generate new innovations in their independent career in industry or academia. It's long been my supposition that the latter will pay (directly and indirectly) for the former. If that's not the case, is this a bargain that society should continue to support? Mr. Bardin also shows a great deal of insouciance about the costs to himself: what else could he have done, if he hadn't gone to graduate school? When we talk about the costs of getting a Ph.D., I believe that we don't talk enough about the sheer length of time (5+ years) and what other training might have been taken during that time. Opportunity costs matter! An apprenticeship at a microbrewery (likely at a similar (if not higher) pay scale as a graduate student) or a 1 or 2 year teaching certification process easily fits in the half-decade that most of us seem to spend in graduate school. Are the communications skills and the problem-solving skills that he gained worth the time and the (opportunity) cost? Could he have obtained those skills somewhere else for a lower cost?

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Chemjobber also note that while a Ph.D. in chemistry may provide tools for range of careers, actually having a Ph.D. in chemistry on your resume is not necessarily advantageous in securing a job in one of those career.

As you might imagine this is an issue to which I have given some thought. After all, I have a Ph.D. in chemistry and am not currently employed in a job that is at all traditional for a Ph.D. in chemistry. However, given that it has been nearly two decades since I last dipped a toe into the job market for chemistry Ph.D.s, my observations should be taken with a large grain of sodium chloride.

First off, how should one think of a Ph.D. program in chemistry? There are many reasons you might value a Ph.D. program. A Ph.D. program may be something you value primarily because it prepares you for a career of a certain sort. It may also be something you value for what it teaches you, whether about your own fortitude in facing challenges, or about how the knowledge is built. Indeed, it is possible --- maybe even common --- to value your Ph.D. program for more than one of these reasons at a time. And some weeks, you may value it primarily because it seemed like the path of least resistance compared to landing a "real job" right out of college.

I certainly don't think it's the case that valuing one of these aspects of a Ph.D. program over the others is right or wrong. But ...

Economic forces in the world beyond your graduate program might be such that there aren't as many jobs suited to your Ph.D. chemist skills as there are Ph.D. chemists competing for those jobs. Among other things, this means that earning a Ph.D. in chemistry does not guarantee you a job in chemistry on the other end.

To which, as the proud holder of a Ph.D. in philosophy, I am tempted to respond: join the club! Indeed, I daresay that recent college graduates in many, many majors have found themselves in a world where a bachelors degree guarantees little except that the student loans will still need to be repaid.

To be fair, my sense is that the mismatch between supply of Ph.D. chemists and demand for Ph.D. chemists in the workplace is not new. I have a vivid memory of being an undergraduate chemistry major, circa 1988 or 1989, and being told that the world needed more Ph.D. chemists. I have an equally vivid memory of being a first-year chemistry graduate student, in early 1990, and picking up a copy of Chemical & Engineering News in which I read that something like 30% too many Ph.D. chemists were being produced given the number of available jobs for Ph.D. chemists. Had the memo not reached my undergraduate chemistry professors? Or had I not understood the business model inherent in the production of new chemists?

Here, I'm not interested in putting forward a conspiracy theory about how this situation came to be. My point is that even back in the last millennium, those in the know had no reason to believe that making it through a Ph.D. program in chemistry would guarantee your employment as a chemist.

So, what should we say about this situation?

One response to this situation might be to throttle production of Ph.D. chemists.

This might result in a landscape where there is a better chance of getting a Ph.D. chemist job with your Ph.D. in chemistry. But, the market could shift suddenly (up or down). Were this to happen, it would take time to adjust the Ph.D. throughput in response. As well, current PIs would have to adjust to having fewer graduate students to crank out their data. Instead, they might have to pay more technicians and postdocs. Indeed, the number of available postdocs would likely drop once the number of Ph.D.s being produced more closely matched the number of permanent jobs for holders of those Ph.D.s.

Needless to say, this might be a move that the current generation of chemists with permanent positions at the research institutions that train new chemists would find unduly burdensome.

We might also worry about whether the thinning of the herd of chemists ought to happen on the basis of bachelors-level training. Being a successful chemistry major tends to reflect your ability to learn scientific knowledge, but it's not clear to me that this is a great predictor of how good you would be at the project of making new scientific knowledge.

In fact, the thinning of the herd wherever it happens seems to put a weird spin on the process of graduate-level education. Education , after all, tends to aim for something bigger, deeper, and broader than a particular set of job skills. This is not to say that developing skills is not an important part of an education --- it is! But in addition to these skills, one might want an understanding of the field in which one is being educated and its workings. I think this is connected to how being a chemist becomes linked to our identity, a matter of who we are rather than just of what we do.

Looked at this way, we might actually wonder about who could be harmed by throttling Ph.D. program enrollments.

Shouldn't someone who's up for the challenge have that experience open to her, even if there's no guarantee of a job at the other end? As long as people have accurate information with which to form reasonable expectations about their employment prospects, do we want to be paternalistic and tell them they can't?

(There are limits here, of course. There are not unlimited resources for the training of Ph.D. chemists, nor unlimited slots in graduate programs, nor in the academic labs where graduate students might participate meaningfully in research. The point is that maybe these limits are the ones that ought to determine how many people who want to learn how to be chemists get to do that.)

Believe it or not, we had a similar conversation in a graduate seminar filled with first and second year students in my philosophy Ph.D. program. Even philosophy graduate students have an interest in someday finding stable employment, the better to eat regularly and live indoors. Yet my sense was that even the best graduate students in my philosophy Ph.D. program recognized that employment in a job tailor-made for a philosophy Ph.D. was a chancy thing. Certainly, there were opportunity costs to being there. Certainly, there was a chance that one might end up trying to get hired to a job for which having a PhD would be viewed as a disadvantage to getting hired. But the graduate students in my philosophy program had, upon weighing the risks, decided to take the gamble.

How exactly are chemistry graduate students presumed to be different here? Maybe they are placing their bets at a table with higher payoffs, and where the game is more likely to pay off in the first place. But this is still not a situation in which one should expect that everyone is always going to win. Sometimes the house will win instead.

(Who's the house in this metaphor? Is it the PIs who depend on cheap grad-student labor? Universities with hordes of pre-meds who need chemistry TAs and lab instructors? The public that gets a screaming deal on knowledge production when you break it down in terms of price per publishable unit? A public that includes somewhat more members with a clearer idea of how scientific knowledge is built? Specifying the identity of the house is left as an exercise for the reader.)

Maybe the relevant difference between taking a gamble on a philosophy Ph.D. and taking a gamble on a chemistry Ph.D. is that the players in the latter have, purposely or accidentally, not been given accurate information about the odds of the game.

I think it's fair for chemistry graduate students to be angry and cynical about having been misled as far as likely prospects for employment. But given that it's been going on for at least a couple decades (and maybe more), how the hell is it that people in Ph.D. programs haven't already figured out the score? Is it that they expect that they will be the ones awesome enough to get those scarce jobs? Have they really not thought far enough ahead to seek information (maybe even from a disinterested source) about how plausible their life plans are before they turn up at grad school? Could it be that they have decided that they want to be chemists when they grow up without doing sensible things like reading the blogs of chemists at various stages of careers and training?

Presumably, prospective chemistry grad students might want to get ahold of the relevant facts and take account of them in their decision-making. Why this isn't happening is somewhat mysterious to me, but for those who regard their Ph.D. training in chemistry as a means to a career end, it's absolutely crucial -- and trusting the people who stand to benefit from your labors as a graduate student to hook you up with those facts seems not to be the best strategy ever.

And, as I noted in comments on Chemjobber's post , the whole discussion suggests to me that the very best reason to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry is because you want to learn what it is like to build new knowledge in chemistry, in an academic setting. Since being plugged into a particular kind of career (or even job) on the other end is a crap-shoot, if you don't want to learn about this knowledge-building process -- and want it enough to put up with long hours, crummy pay, unrewarding piles of grading, and the like -- then possibly a Ph.D. program is not the best way to spend 5+ years of your life.

100 Best colleges for Chemistry in the United States

Updated: February 29, 2024

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Below is a list of best universities in the United States ranked based on their research performance in Chemistry. A graph of 441M citations received by 10.9M academic papers made by 1,407 universities in the United States was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. Harvard University

For Chemistry

2. Stanford University

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

4. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

5. Johns Hopkins University

6. University of California - Berkeley

7. Cornell University

8. University of Washington - Seattle

9. University of California-San Diego

10. University of Pennsylvania

11. University of California - Los Angeles

12. Yale University

13. University of California - San Francisco

14. University of Wisconsin - Madison

15. University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign

16. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

17. Columbia University

18. Pennsylvania State University

19. University of California - Davis

20. Northwestern University

21. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

22. Ohio State University

23. Washington University in St Louis

24. University of Florida

25. University of Pittsburgh

26. University of Chicago

27. University of Texas at Austin

28. California Institute of Technology

29. Purdue University

30. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

31. University of Southern California

32. Rutgers University - New Brunswick

33. Texas A&M University - College Station

34. Baylor College of Medicine

35. Georgia Institute of Technology

36. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

37. University of Utah

38. Princeton University

39. University of Arizona

40. New York University

41. Michigan State University

42. Emory University

43. Duke University

44. Iowa State University

45. Case Western Reserve University

46. Boston University

47. University of California - Irvine

48. Vanderbilt University

49. University of Maryland - College Park

50. University of Iowa

51. University of California - Santa Barbara

52. North Carolina State University at Raleigh

53. University of Virginia

54. University of Colorado Boulder

55. Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science

56. University of Georgia

57. University of Illinois at Chicago

58. University of Alabama at Birmingham

59. Rockefeller University

60. University of Rochester

61. University of Kentucky

62. Arizona State University - Tempe

63. Tufts University

64. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

65. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

66. Washington State University

67. University of Maryland, Baltimore

68. Stony Brook University

69. Wayne State University

70. Carnegie Mellon University

71. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

72. University at Buffalo

73. University of Tennessee - Knoxville

74. University of Miami

75. University of California - Riverside

76. University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus

77. Brown University

78. University of Missouri - Columbia

79. Colorado State University - Fort Collins

80. University of Massachusetts - Amherst

81. Rice University

82. Oregon Health & Science University

83. University of Massachusetts Medical School Worcester

84. Providence College

85. Oregon State University

86. University of Cincinnati

87. University of Connecticut

88. University of Delaware

89. Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

90. University of Nebraska - Lincoln

91. University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

92. Tulane University of Louisiana

93. University of New Mexico

94. University of Notre Dame

95. University of South Florida

96. University of Houston

97. Thomas Jefferson University

98. Georgetown University

99. University of South Carolina - Columbia

100. University of Texas Medical Branch

The best cities to study Chemistry in the United States based on the number of universities and their ranks are Cambridge , Stanford , Ann Arbor , and Baltimore .

Chemistry subfields in the United States

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Ph.D. Requirements

Credit Hours A minimum total 30 semester hours with at least 15 semester hours in chemistry courses. An overall GPA of 3.0 must be maintained.

Courses Students must pass at least 6 graduate lecture courses from at least 3 of 6 divisions with a minimum grade of 'C' in any one course during the first 4 semesters (excluding summers). Up to 2 courses may be waived for students entering with a M.S. degree in chemistry (or a closely related field with consent of the Chemistry Director of Graduate Studies).

Mentor The research mentor should be selected during the first semester. Students are required to interview a minimum of 5 chemistry faculty, including members of at least 2 divisions.

Committee The student will select his/her Dissertation Committee in consultation with the research mentor during the first 4 semesters of study. The committee consists of the mentor, a chemistry faculty in the same division, a chemistry faculty in a different division, an additional chemistry faculty, and a faculty member from a different department.

Cumulative Exams Students must complete a series of written cumulative examinations designed to show in-depth knowledge in the chosen area of concentration. Cumulative exams begin in the second semester and are given the third Saturday of January, March, May, September, and November.

Literature Seminar Students must enroll in seminar (Chem 695) each of their first 4 semesters (excluding summers) and attend departmental seminars. Students must make a presentation based on a topic under active discussion in the recent literature during their second or third semester. The remaining seminar attendance requirement may be waived after all other Master's candidacy requirements have been achieved.

Research Proposal Students must develop, explain, and defend a research proposal prior to the beginning of the 7th semester (excluding summers). The proposal may include preliminary results from the student's research and describe possible future directions.

Publications It is expected that prior to the Research Seminar, at least one manuscript based on the student's research would have been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. Before completion of the Ph.D. program, at least one published article and at least one additional manuscript submitted to peer-reviewed journals is expected.

Research Seminar A one-hour seminar on the student's dissertation research project is to be given before the end of the 8th semester (excluding summers). This seminar must be completed at least 9 months prior to graduation. The MS degree will be awarded upon successful completion of the research seminar.

Dissertation A written dissertation describing the research program is submitted a minimum of 14 days before the defense. The defense consists of a one-hour seminar followed by an oral examination with the Faculty Reading committee.

Ph.D. Milestones

First Year Coursework Attend Seminars Select a Mentor Begin Research Begin Cumulative Exams (2nd semester) Literature Seminar (early)

Second Year Continue/Finish Coursework Continue/Finish Cumulative Exams Literature Seminar (deadline 3rd semester) Attend Seminars Research Organize Dissertation Committee

Third Year Research Finish Cumulative Exams Research Proposal

Fourth Year Research Research Seminar* *M.S. degree awarded

Fifth Year Finish Research Write and defend Dissertation* *Ph.D. awarded

Attention! 2018 Nobel Laureate Dr. George P. Smith to speak at UofL May 4th and 5th. Apr 26, 2023

2023-2024 Dorothy Gibson Memorial Fellowship and Arno Spatola Endowment Fellowship Nominations are now being accepted Feb 17, 2023

2019 Nobel Laureate Dr. M. Stanley Whittingham to speak at UofL Mar 16, 2022

Dr. Frederick Luzzio receives College of Arts and Sciences 2022 Distinguished Faculty Award for Outstanding Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activity - Career Achievement Mar 01, 2022

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Best Global Universities for Chemistry in the United States

These are the top universities in the United States for chemistry, based on their reputation and research in the field. Read the methodology »

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Here are the best global universities for chemistry in the United States

Stanford university, university of california berkeley, massachusetts institute of technology (mit), northwestern university, harvard university, california institute of technology, princeton university, university of california los angeles, university of texas austin, georgia institute of technology.

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• # 1 in Best Universities for Chemistry
• # 3 in Best Global Universities

Stanford University was founded in 1885 and is located in California’s Bay Area, around 30 miles south of San Francisco... Read More

• # 4 in Best Universities for Chemistry
• # 4 in Best Global Universities

The University of California—Berkeley is situated roughly 15 miles from San Francisco in what is known as the Bay Area... Read More

• # 6 in Best Universities for Chemistry
• # 2 in Best Global Universities

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, founded in 1861, is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, near Boston. Around... Read More

• # 7 in Best Universities for Chemistry
• # 24 in Best Global Universities

Northwestern University is a private institution that was founded in 1851. The university has three campuses – the main... Read More

• # 12 in Best Universities for Chemistry  (tie)
• # 1 in Best Global Universities

Founded in 1636, Harvard University is the oldest higher education institution in the U.S. The bulk of Harvard's... Read More

• # 15 in Best Universities for Chemistry  (tie)
• # 9 in Best Global Universities

The California Institute of Technology, known as Caltech, was founded in 1891 as Throop University and received its... Read More

• # 23 in Best Universities for Chemistry
• # 16 in Best Global Universities  (tie)

Princeton University was founded in 1746, making it one of the oldest higher education institutions in the U.S. The... Read More

• # 25 in Best Universities for Chemistry
• # 14 in Best Global Universities

The University of California—Los Angeles, commonly referred to as UCLA, is a public institution that was founded in... Read More

• # 31 in Best Universities for Chemistry
• # 43 in Best Global Universities
• # 34 in Best Universities for Chemistry
• # 51 in Best Global Universities  (tie)

The 50 Best Chemistry Programs in the World

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Updated September 18, 2023

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Are you ready to discover your college program?

Attending chemistry programs to become future chemists.

While physicists focus on the quantum realm or the stars, chemists are concerned with understanding and manipulating the atoms and molecules that compose the world around us. Chemists of the past worked to discover types of elements, molecules, and the relations between them. While this research still carries on, today’s chemists also work in new, exciting fields. In the nanomaterials field, chemists develop substances with enormous manufacturing implications, like graphene, an incredibly strong and light carbon molecule. In the bioengineering field, chemists produce environmentally friendly materials using bacteria, such as bacteria that create natural, biodegradable plastics.

However, chemists need well-equipped laboratories to do their work. Each school on this list has proven time and again that it has the investments and facilities required to fully utilize their chemists’ potential. Wherever the future of chemistry lies, these schools will be at the forefront.

Featured Chemistry Programs

Taking the QS ranking as our point of departure, we set their ranking against the ranking for chemistry programs produced by AcademicInfluence.com . Using machine learning and search algorithms to characterize academic influence on the web, AcademicInfluence.com avoids the human bias that infects most academic rankings.

The rankings uncovered by AcademicInfluence.com are based on the influential faculty and alum publications, citations, and references associated with a school, degree programs, departments, or discipline. This ranking by influence approach elevates a school or degree program based on which members of its academic community are objectively influential in a given discipline.

By weighing both the QS Programmatic World Rankings and Academic Influence’s rankings, we not only created a unique ranking of the top 50 chemistry programs, but we reveal why each university chemistry program appears where it does.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Cambridge, Massachusetts

MIT featured some of the best undergraduate chemistry programs as early as 1865. The list of intellectual greats associated with the school is almost as impressive as its long-standing history in offering the subject. These luminaries include James Mason Crafts, Arthur Amos Noyes, G. N. Lewis, James Flack Norris, Arthur C. Cope, and F. Albert Cotton.

MIT’s Department of Chemistry maintains two service centers. The Instrumentation Facility features the numerous research tools used by the department, such as seven NMR spectrometers (ranging from 300 to 600MHz), an EPR spectrometer, and a high resolution FT mass spectrometer operating with a 4.7 Tesla superconducting magnet. The second service center is the X-Ray Diffraction Facility. Research facilities at MIT include:

• The Center for Materials Science and Engineering
• The Institute for Medical Engineering and Science
• The Institute for Soldier Nanotechnology
• The Lincoln Laboratory
• The Novartis Center for Continuous Manufacturing
• The Plasma Fusion Center
• The Research Laboratory of Electronics
• The Whitehead Institute

2. University of California – Berkeley

Berkeley, California

Berkeley has offered some of the best chemistry programs since 1868, and there have been an impressive 13 Nobel Prize recipients associated with the school’s College of Chemistry . The college is divided into two main areas: (1) chemistry, and (2) chemical and biomolecular engineering. The numerous facilities and centers on campus feature a variety of research equipment and techniques that allow study in high-vacuum, high-pressure, low-temperature environments as well as equipment for nuclear magnetic resonance and gas chromatography.

Research facilities include:

• The Mass Spectrometry Facility
• The Microanalytical Facility
• The Molecular Graphics and Computation Facility
• The NMR Facility
• The X-ray Facility

Supplemental research centers and institutes at Berkeley include:

• The Catalysis Center
• The Center for Green Chemistry
• The Institute for Quantitative Biosciences
• The Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis
• The Nanotechnology Club
• The Stem Cell Center
• The Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center

3. University of Cambridge

Cambridge, England

The University of Cambridge strongly encourages interdisciplinary work. Within the Department of Chemistry , there are five specific research groups: biological research, materials chemistry research, physical chemistry research, synthetic chemistry research, and theory/modeling and informatics research.

There are an additional three areas of collaborative research associated with the school’s chemistry graduate programs:

• Innovative Molecular and Materials Design
• Sustainable Energy, Environment, and Climate Studies
• The Chemistry of Health

The research centers and facilities associated with these collaborative efforts include:

• The BP Institute for Multiphase Flow
• The Cambridge Centre for Climate Science
• The Cambridge Graphene Center
• The Centre for Molecular Informatics
• The International Centre for Advanced Materials
• The Lennard-Jones Centre
• The Melville Laboratory for Polymer Synthetics

The faculty members for the department include fellows of the Royal Society, the Academy of Medical Sciences, and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

4. Harvard University

Harvard’s Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology boasts the distinction of claiming the first American recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Professor Theodore William Richards. Richards received the prize for his research on atomic weights. The department is associated with a total of seven Nobel laureates associated , four of whom currently serve as members of the faculty.

The various laboratories and research centers utilized in Harvard’s chemistry master’s programs include the FAS Small Molecule Mass Spectrometry Facility, the X-Ray Laboratory, and the Magnetic Resonance Lab. These labs and facilities offer instruments such as X-ray diffractometers, nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers, and a small molecule mass spectrometer. Harvard’s chemistry department has also partnered with the FAS Green Labs Program to promote green practices on campus.

5. Stanford University

Stanford, California

The Department of Chemistry at Stanford University maintains a strong focus on instrumentation for analysis and spectroscopy. The department’s instruments include five Varian NMR spectrometers equipped for a variety of atomic nuclei. Other specialized technologies available to research groups include:

• Biological Culture Facilities
• Dynamic Light Scattering Spectroscopy
• Electrochemical Systems
• Femtosecond and Picosecond Linear and Nonlinear Spectroscopy
• Ion Cyclotron Resonance Facilities
• Single-molecule Spectroscopy
• Ultra-high Resolution Laser Spectroscopy

To facilitate its chemistry Ph.D. programs, the school features a Cary UV/Vis/NIR spectrophotometer, a Fluorolog 3 Fluorometer, and a Vertex 70 FTIR.

Stanford’s research centers and laboratories include the NMR Facility, the Mass Spectroscopy Laboratory, and the Optics Facility. The department also maintains close affiliations with the Center for Molecular Analysis and Design and the Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource.

6. University of Oxford

Oxford, England

In 1860, chemistry became a separate academic discipline at the University of Oxford after the construction of a dedicated laboratory. Since 1904, there have been 21 Nobel laureates associated with the school’s Department of Chemistry and a total of 92 Nobel laureates associated with the school at large. The most recent Nobel recipients include Michael Levitt in 2013 for his development of multiscale models for complex chemical systems and Venki Ramakrishnan in 2009 for his studies of the structure and function of the ribosome.

The department’s research laboratory houses NMR facilities and a mass spectrometry research facility with sixteen systems, each the largest facility of its kind in the United Kingdom. Oxford’s other research centers and facilities include the Centre for Advanced Electron Spin Resonance, the Surface Analysis Facility, and the X-ray Crystallography Facility.

7. California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California

There have been five Nobel laureates associated with Caltech’s chemistry Ph.D. programs: Linus Pauling, Rudy A. Marcus, Ahmed H. Zewail, Robert H. Grubbs, and Frances Arnold, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in October of 2018. She is only the 5th woman ever awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the very first woman associated with CalTech to win a Nobel Prize for any category. These researchers have been recognized for their work in the nature of the chemical bond, electron transfer reactions, femtochemistry, and metathesis in organic synthesis, respectively.

Through Caltech’s Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering , graduate students can pursue tracks of study in biochemistry and molecular biophysics. The department boasts severalresearch centers, including:

• The Center for Catalysis and Chemical Synthesis
• The Center for Science and Engineering of Materials
• The Donna and Benjamin M. Rosen Bioengineering Center
• The Materials and Process Simulation Center
• The Resnick Sustainability Institute

8. University of California – Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Most research universities have a building dedicated to the study of chemistry, but UCLA turned its chemistry building into an ongoing experiment. The structure features transparent solar cells under study by Dr. Paul Weiss and other researchers from the school’s California NanoSystems Institute, the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering, and UCLA’s Chemistry and Biochemistry Department . Offering some of the best undergraduate chemistry programs, the school’s chemistry department manages research facilities and technologies such as:

• The Magnetic Resonance Facility
• The Mass Spectrometry Laboratory
• The Materials Characterization Laboratory
• The Molecular Instrumentation Center
• The X-ray Diffraction Laboratory

The school’s magnetic resonance facilities contain NMR spectrometers for liquid samples, solid-state NMR spectrometers, and an EPR spectrometer.

Other interdepartmental and research facilities associated with UCLA’s chemistry department include:

• The Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research
• The Institute for Genomics and Proteomics
• The Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
• The Molecular Biology Institute

9. Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Established in 1884, the Department of Chemistry at Northwestern University celebrated the completion of its Integrated Molecular Structure Education and Research Center in 2013. This endeavor has fostered new opportunities for interdisciplinary work and novel instrumentation in the university’s offering of some of the best chemistry programs available.

Other research centers and institutes affiliated with Northwestern’s chemistry department include:

• The Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Research Center
• The Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence
• The Center for Molecular Innovation and Drug Discovery
• The Chemistry for Life Processes Institute
• The High Throughput Analysis Laboratory
• The Institute for Sustainability and Energy
• The Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center
• The Quantitative Bioelemental Imaging Center

The Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental Center manages three subcenters:

• The Electron Probe Instrumentation Center
• The Keck Interdisciplinary Surface Science Center
• The Nanoscale Integrated Fabrication, Testing, and Instrumentation Center

10. ETH Zürich

Zürich, Switzerland

The Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology boasts association with 10 Nobel laureates in the field of chemistry. These researchers were awarded and recognized for work in various areas including ammonia synthesis, polymethylenes and higher terpenes, the development of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and the stereochemistry of organic molecules and reactions.

Founded in 1855 with the opening of the school, the chemistry department has grown to include 55 research groups. The department’s research, which facilitates a variety of chemistry graduate programs, occurs at five institutes and laboratories:

• The Institute for Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
• The Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences
• The Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry
• The Laboratory of Organic Chemistry
• The Laboratory of Physical Chemistry

11. Imperial College London

London, England, UK

Imperial College is a public research university established in 1907. Initially known as the Royal College of Chemistry, the Chemistry Department is home to many famous chemists, including two Nobel prize winners. Imperial College boasts an extensive list of faculty members who specialize in areas such as analytical chemistry, biophysics, cancer, drug discovery, infectious diseases, and organic chemistry.

Most recently, Dr. Anna Barnard won the Sir Henry Dale Fellowship for her research on bacteria. Additionally, Professor James Durrant won the 2018 Hughes Medal for his research on solar energy. The school’s state-of-the-art research facilities include:

• Computational Chemistry Labs
• Crystallography
• Mass Spectrometry
• The Center for Rapid Online Analysis of Reaction

Offering some of the best chemistry programs in the United Kingdom, Imperial College grants degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. The department offers unique language-focused tracks in which candidates study both chemistry and French, German, or Spanish. These students spend their final year studying at a university in France, Germany, or Spain after completing intensive language-focused coursework in London.

Prospective doctoral candidates should hold an honors degree in chemistry and a strong academic research record before applying. The department typically admits 65–70 doctoral and 90–100 master’s students per year, many of whom receive funding.

12. Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut

Yale boasts more than 300 years of academic history and excellence, making it the third-oldest institution for higher education in the U.S. The school’s Department of Chemistry is no less impressive. Professor Thomas Steitz of the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his pioneering work with the ribosome. Other notable chemists associated with Yale’s chemistry department includes Francis S. Collins, the director of the Human Genome Project and a major science advisor to the Obama administration as well as Josiah Willard Gibbs, a mathematician and chemist known for his work in thermodynamics and physical chemistry.

Yale’s Department of Chemistry features four primary areas of study:

• Biophysical Chemistry
• Inorganic Chemistry
• Organic Chemistry
• Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

The school’s chemistry Ph.D. programs also include three interdisciplinary research groups in chemical biology, synthetic chemistry, and green chemistry.

13. The University of Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan

The Department of Chemistry at the University of Tokyo was founded in 1861. The department’s history of successful research endeavors includes its discovery of umami in 1908, the development of the concept of rotation isomers in 1933, and the discovery of organic semiconductors in 1958. The department also experienced unprecedented success in recent years; it is associated with seven Nobel Prize winners since 2000.

All chemistry graduate programs at the University of Tokyo are available in English. Students in these programs may apply for two research stipends: (1) the Advanced Leading Graduate Course for Photon Science, and (2) the Materials Education Program for the Future Leaders in Research, Industry, and Technology. The University of Tokyo’s 12 main research groups can be broadly organized into the areas of physical, organic, inorganic, and analytical chemistry. Associated research laboratories and facilities include:

• The Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute
• The Center for Ultrafast Intense Laser Science
• The Earthquake Research Institute
• The Photoelectric Conversion Chemistry Laboratory
• The Research Center for Spectrochemistry

14. Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey

Princeton is a private Ivy League research institution in New Jersey. Founded in 1746, the school serves approximately 8,200 students. The university’s Chemistry Department offers undergraduate and graduate programs along with postdoctoral research positions.

Princeton’s chemistry faculty specializes in several areas:

• Catalysis and Synthesis
• Chemical Biology
• Materials Chemistry
• Spectroscopy and Physical Chemistry
• Theoretical Chemistry

The department acts as a collegial forum where faculty engage in collaborative projects with professors inside and outside their field. There are four ongoing projects:

• Computational Science and Engineering
• Energy and The Environment
• Materials Science and Technology
• Theoretical Science

The chemistry department fosters opportunities for undergraduate students to conduct active research while pursuing their degrees. Graduate candidates may also participate in summer research opportunities, and some obtain permission to take courses outside of the chemistry program for further collaborative opportunities and interdisciplinary learning. Students pursuing a Ph.D. in chemistry can build a community outside of the lab and engage with student organizations that offer team-based scientific research projects and community outreach programs. Many chemistry program graduates take advantage of networking and job opportunities through Princeton’s extensive alumni community.

15. The University of Texas at Austin

Austin, Texas

The faculty members serving the Department of Chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin include four members of the National Academies, three fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and one recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. These and other members of the department make significant contributions to the areas of chemical biology and material science.

U.S. News & World Report listed UT Austin’s graduate chemistry department in the top 15 for its 2018 rankings because of UT Austin’s high-caliber chemistry master’s programs. The department offers many interdisciplinary research opportunities through facilities such as:

• The Center for Nano and Molecular Science and Technology
• The Glass and Instrument Repair Shop
• The Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology
• The Mallet Chemistry Library
• The Texas Materials Institute
• NMR, Mass Spectrometry, and X-ray Facilities

The chemistry library includes over 100,000 volumes, which makes it the largest chemistry library in the U.S.

16. University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, Michigan

The University of Michigan has hosted some of the best undergraduate chemistry programs since the school’s founding in 1839. The Chemistry Department saw the completion of the country’s first laboratory exclusively dedicated to chemistry research in 1856. The first chair of the department was Professor Moses Gomberg, known for the discovery of organic free radicals.

Research at Michigan breaks down into six major clusters: physical, organic, material, inorganic, chemical biology, and analytical chemistry. These areas divide further into 15 research themes. The analytical chemistry program centralizes in the areas of:

• Electrochemistry
• Microfluidics
• Separations

The organic chemistry cluster has strengths in the areas of:

• Bioorganic Chemistry
• Organic Materials
• Organic Synthesis
• Organometallic Chemistry

Facilities and technologies supporting the department’s research include:

• Porous Materials Characterization
• The Glass and Instrument Shop
• Raman Spectroscopy
• X-ray Crystallography

17. National University of Singapore

Founded in 1905, NUS is a research university specializing in medicine, chemistry, dentistry, and food science. The school’s Chemistry Department offers three-year bachelor’s degree tracks and four-year undergraduate programs for honors students. All undergraduates learn fundamental inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry principles in addition to energy and environmental science. Candidates also explore multidisciplinary fields such as nanotechnology, chemical biology, materials chemistry, and medicinal chemistry.

Other bachelor’s degree options include a four-year chemistry and food science program and a four-year degree offered in partnership with the Australian National University. The department offers minors in nanoscience, analytical chemistry, environmental chemistry, and forensic science. NUS students can also pursue a minor in chemistry while majoring in another field. Undergraduates enjoy several research opportunities, including a European research immersion program, a professional internship program, and a student exchange program.

Graduate students may pursue a master of science or Ph.D. in chemistry. Each fully funded doctoral position takes four years to complete. Graduate studies at NUS are highly individualized, with room for independent study and experimental work as well as original research and thesis components. Ph.D. candidates can specialize in general chemistry or food science and technology.

18. University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Several Nobel laureates of the sciences claim association with the University of Chicago. Specific recognition in chemistry has been given to Robert S. Mulliken in 1966 for his work with chemical bonds and the electronic structure of molecules, Herbert C. Brown in 1979 for the development of the use of boron and phosphorus-containing compounds, F. Sherwood Rowland in 1995 for work in atmospheric chemistry, and most recently, Irwin Rose in 2004 for the discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation.

The school’s Department of Chemistry offers eight general research areas for chemistry graduate programs:

• Materials/nanoscience
• Physical Chemistry

Affiliated research institutions include:

• The Argonne National Laboratory
• The Enrico Fermi Institute
• The Howard Hughes Medical Institute
• The Institute for Biophysical Dynamics
• The Institute for Molecular Engineering
• The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center

Research support facilities at UChicago include:

• An Electronics/machine Shop
• Glassblowing Facilities
• Spectroscopic Facilities
• The Searle Cleanroom and Nanofabrication Facility
• MRSEC Facilities

19. (tie) Technical University of Munich

Munich, Germany

TUM prides itself on its research in the area of catalysis since the groundbreaking work of Professor Ernst Fischer, recognized for his work through the 1973 Nobel Prize in chemistry. In 2008, the university’s Department of Chemistry established the Catalysis Research Center as a corporate research center that fosters interdisciplinary work between 19 research teams.

Biochemistry and protein science also feature strongly in TUM’s chemistry graduate programs. Students and professors conduct research at the Center for Integrated Protein Science Excellence using techniques such as:

• Biophysical and Biochemical Methods to Study Folding and Modifications
• Chemical Synthesis of Complex Compounds
• Small Angle X-ray Scattering
• Solid-state NMR Methods

The chemistry department now focuses on the development of new electrocatalysts for electrolysers and fuel cells and has built a unique facility dedicated to algae cultivation on the Ludwig Campus.

19. (tie) University of Manchester

Manchester, England

Manchester is a public research university in England. With over 40,000 students, it is the second largest university in the United Kingdom. The School of Chemistry grants undergraduate and graduate degrees. Distinguished faculty members specialize in organic chemistry, systems genomics, nanoscience, synthetic biology, theoretical chemistry, and biophysics. Professor Nikolas Kaltsoyannis is the school’s head and co-director of the Centre for Radiochemistry Research. Other faculty members have received awards for their research from:

• The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
• The Royal Society of Chemistry
• The Swiss Chemical Society
• Thieme Chemistry Journals

Many chemistry students gain hands-on laboratory experience and work with other universities' distinguished faculty by enrolling in one of Manchester’s study abroad programs. These programs typically take place during the student’s third year, and most candidates complete their bachelor’s degree in chemistry within four years. Manchester also offers chemistry master’s programs and doctoral degrees.

The school’s graduate program offers traditional, research-intensive graduate degrees such as the doctor of philosophy, master of philosophy, and master of science. The department also presents two research-based programs unique to Manchester: (1) a doctor of enterprise degree, and (2) a master of enterprise.

21. Cornell University

Ithaca, New York

Home to five Nobel laureates, including Manfred Eigen, Peter Debye, and Richard Ernst, Cornell’s Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology recently celebrated two of their alumni, Eric Betzig and William Moerner, winning the 2014 Nobel Prize in chemistry relating to achievements in optical microscopy.

In addition to excellent research, the school’s chemistry department claims prestige for its peer-reviewed Journal of Physical Chemistry and some of the best chemistry programs available today. The facilities on Cornell’s campus include:

• The Advanced Center for Electron Spin Resonance Technology
• The Center for Materials Research
• The Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source
• The Cornell Nanofabrication Center

Other research bodies at Cornell include:

• The Center for Advanced Computing
• The Center for Nanoscale Systems
• The Center for a Sustainable Future
• The Institute for Biotechnology and Life Science Technologies
• The Nanobiotechnology Center
• The Northeastern Collaborative Access Team
• The Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology

22. Nanyang Technological University

Known for a strong chemistry program, this research university was established in 1981 and serves approximately 33,000 students at its eco-friendly 490-acre campus. NTU’s School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences offers chemistry degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels.

NTU undergraduates can pursue a degree in general chemistry, biological chemistry, or add a second major in food science and technology. Graduate learners can select either a research or coursework track. Students on the research track progress through coursework and projects independently with occasional help from their research committee and supervisor. Research-track students must pass doctoral examinations, an oral examination, and compose a dissertation based on original research. On the coursework track, candidates spend most of their time attending lectures and seminars and conducting laboratory work. While most write a dissertation, some students fulfill the dissertation requirement by completing additional coursework.

NTU’s chemistry faculty work in diverse areas, specializing in organic, biological, and green chemistry in addition to molecular electrochemistry. Department chair Choon Hong Tan runs the TCH Lab that bears his name and has published more than 120 articles in academic journals. Professor Loh Teck Peng earned the 2018 President’s Science Award for his work in organic and green chemistry.

23. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

The Department of Chemistry at UI can trace its history back to 1868. Over time, there have been many notable accomplishments associated with the department, including the discovery of the amino acid Threonine, the development of electron transfer theory, groundbreaking work in polymer synthesis and coordination chemistry, and the discovery of the artificial sweetener sodium cyclamate. A total of 10 Nobel Prize recipients count among the department’s professors and alumni who have completed chemistry graduate programs.

UI offers four major research centers on campus:

• The Chemical and Life Sciences Laboratory
• The Chemistry Annex
• The Roger Adams Laboratory
• The William Noyes Laboratory

The Chemistry Annex serves as a collection of general laboratories specifically for undergraduates. Interdisciplinary and Supporting facilities at UI include:

• The Beckman Institute
• The Cell Media Facility
• The Glass and Machine Shops
• The High-Throughput Screening Facility
• The Institute for Genomic Biology
• The Mass Spectrometry Center
• The Materials Research Laboratory

24. University of Toronto

Toronto, Ontario

Established in 1859, the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toronto hosts 11 research facilities. The school’s Center for Nanostructure Imaging opened in 2004 with joint funding from the Canada Foundation of Innovation and the Ontario Innovation Trust. The Chemistry Library, the Chem Stores, and the Machine Shop provide many of the supplies and services that support the school’s chemistry graduate programs.

Other chemistry facilities at the University of Toronto include:

• The Mass Spectrometry Lab
• The X-Ray Crystallography Lab
• The X-Ray Powder Diffraction Lab
• NMR Facilities

The school also hosts three research centers:

• The Center for Nanostructured Polymer and Inorganic Materials
• The Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Control
• The Center for The Study of Thin Polymer Films for Advanced Properties

25. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, Georgia

Georgia Tech has been offering degrees in chemistry since 1906 and was one of the first schools in the state to feature chemistry Ph.D. programs. Today, its School of Chemistry and Biochemistry operates numerous research centers, facilities, and laboratories.

Some of these research centers include:

• The Aquatic Chemical Ecology Center
• The Center for Computational Molecular Science and Technology
• The Center for Drug Design, Development, and Delivery
• The Center for Ribosomal Origins and Evolution
• The Center for Selective C-H Functionalization
• The Institute for Paper Science and Technology
• The Integrated Cancer Research Center
• The Integrative BioSystems Institute

Other supporting research facilities include:

• The Equipment Engineering and Support Services Center
• The Laser Dynamics Laboratory

26. Columbia University

New York, New York

Located in one of the epicenters of culture and surrounded by research facilities, Columbia University has long prided itself on collaborative efforts in its chemistry graduate programs. It’s not surprising, then, that interdepartmental research plays a key role for the school’s Department of Chemistry . The school features severalcenters promoting shared research, including:

• The Ancient Ink Laboratory
• The Center for Precision Assembly of Superstratic and Superatomic Solids
• The Columbia Science Initiative
• The Energy Frontiers Research Center
• The Genome Center
• The Integrated Science and Engineering Center

The Columbia Nano Initiative, also managed by the chemistry department, maintains the Electron Microscopy facility. Other instruments available at the school include 10 NMR spectrometers; four of these possess solid-state capabilities. Columbia’s Protein Chemistry Core Facility is maintained by both the chemistry department and the medical school. The Brookhaven National Laboratory is nearby.

27. Peking University

Beijing, China

At Peking University, the research and study of chemistry is managed by the College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering . The college can trace its history back to the Chemistry Division of the Metropolitan University of the Qing Dynasty, making it one of the oldest chemistry departments in China. Today, the college is organized into 10 departments and research institutes, including:

• Applied Chemistry
• The Departments of Polymer Science and Engineering
• The Institutes of Inorganic, Organic, and Analytical Chemistry

Offering a variety of chemistry graduate programs, the school also hosts two State Key laboratories, two Ministry of Education Key laboratories, and one National Defense Key laboratory. These laboratories include:

• The Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science
• The Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering
• The National Laboratory of Rare Earth Material Chemistry and Application

The achievements of professors and researchers associated with Peking University’s chemistry department are published in 500–600 SCI papers each year.

28. Kyoto University

Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto University was originally founded on June 18, 1897 as the College of Science and Technology, Kyoto Imperial University. It has since grown into one of Japan’s premiere research universities; the study of chemistry has been present since the Kyoto University’s inception. The diversity of the research fields and areas of study at Kyoto’s Department of Chemistry fall into four main categorizations: theoretical and physical chemistry, inorganic chemistry of materials, organic chemistry, and chemical biology.

Nearly 30 laboratories sit under the umbrella of the university’s Division of Chemistry, which is part of the Graduate School of Science. 16 of these reside in the Department of Chemistry, eight reside in the Institute for Chemical Research, one resides in the Institute for Virus Research, one resides in the Institute for Reactor Research, one resides in the Research Center for Low Temperature and Materials, and two are headed by affiliate professors who teach chemistry graduate programs.

29. Tsinghua University

Founded in 1926, Tsinghua’s Chemistry Department includes 40 full professors and 22 associate professors, many of whom are known for their award-winning research in the field. The National Natural Science Foundation of China named 25 faculty members from Tsinghua University as distinguished young scholars. Furthermore, five professors serve as academicians at the Chinese Academy of Sciences or Engineering.

Chemistry students at Tsinghua can pursue a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree. With 500 graduate and 300 undergraduate students, the large department is strategically divided into five institutes and two labs:

• Analytical Chemistry Institute
• Inorganic Chemistry Institute
• Organic Chemistry Institute
• Physical Chemistry Institute
• Polymer Chemistry Institute
• The Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology Lab
• The Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering Lab

The department boasts a connection to the analysis center at Tsinghua and maintains research partnerships with the National Center of Surface Analysis at Beijing.

This graduate program for chemistry majors features a diverse curriculum that presents the necessary concepts for research-driven careers in chemistry and related fields, including chemical engineering, medicine, energy studies, and biology. Tsinghua undergraduate chemistry students must complete 170 credits and at least one semester of lab research training. In most cases, bachelor’s students earn their degree in four years. The master’s and doctoral degrees require approximately three and six years to finish, respectively.

30. École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne

Lausanne, Switzerland

EPFL is a Public Research Institute located in French-speaking Lausanne, Switzerland. As one of the best chemistry programs in the world, EPFL focuses on education, research, and technology development. The school offers a bachelor of science that serves as a pathway to master’s programs in molecular and biological chemistry or chemical engineering and biotechnology. EPFL students can also earn a Ph.D. in chemistry.

Doctoral program applicants must possess a master’s or bachelor’s degree from an exceptional university. Both undergraduate and graduate students can pursue specializations in:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Chemical Engineering
• Organic and Inorganic Chemistry
• Renewable Energy

EPFL’s chemistry faculty work in various labs across campus, including:

• The Magnetic Response Laboratory  
• The Nanobiotechnology Laboratory
• The Protein Engineering Laboratories Laboratory
• The Ultrafast Spectroscopy Laboratory

Some of the notable faculty research areas include:

• Drug Discovery
• Engineering Chemistry and Related Devices
• Nanoscience
• Sustainability and Environmental Issues
• Theoretical and Computational Chemistry

Dr. Lyndon Emsley heads the institute of chemical sciences and engineering. Dr. Emsley holds several awards and honors for his work in the field, including the Burke Award of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He is also a fellow of the International Society of Magnetic Response.

31. Seoul National University

Seoul, South Korea

Established in 1946, SNU is a prestigious public university in South Korea. The university maintains 16 colleges, one graduate school, and nine professional schools that serve over 28,000 learners. SNU chemistry students can earn bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. In 2017, the National Science and Technology Commission in Korea named SNU’s Chemistry Department one of the country’s top 100 research programs.

Students can explore a wide variety of chemistry subfields, including biological, inorganic, physical, and analytical chemistry — along with practical applications such as polymer synthesis. As one of the best chemistry graduate programs, many graduates become professors at universities and colleges, researchers in governmental or industrial laboratories, or business leaders engaged in commercial endeavors throughout South Korea and beyond. The university also serves as home to the Research Institute of Molecular Science, established in 1990, and the Center for Space-Time Molecular Dynamics, founded in 2007.

The department encourages students from all backgrounds to apply, especially international candidates. The chemistry department offers three internal scholarship programs for incoming undergraduate and graduate students. These programs include merit-based scholarships, grants for international students, and work-study positions. At present, this large department contains 35 faculty members, 224 undergraduate students, and 278 graduate students.

Daejeon, South Korea

A public research university, KAIST was established in in 1971 and holds the distinction of being South Korea’s first research-based educational institution for the sciences and engineering. KAIST’s Chemistry Department offers a diverse selection of specialization options, including tracks in polymer, inorganic, physical, bio/nano, analytical, and organic chemistry. The department grants bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

Because of its reputation as one of the best chemistry programs, admission to the institute proves highly competitive. Prospective graduate students should demonstrate a successful academic record, including a history of receiving academic awards and scholarships. Acceptance rates for local students and international students are 14.9% and 13.2%, respectively.

KAIST’s chemistry faculty members have earned several significant awards over the last two years. Professors Hee-Sung Park, Mu-Hyun Baik, Hye Ryung Byon, and Sungwoo Hong received research awards from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany, the Chemical Society of Japan, the Korean Chemical Society, and the Korean government’s Ministry of Science. As the chair of the college of natural sciences, Sang Kyu Kim collaborates with department faculty to develop engaging creative projects that help students become future leaders in chemistry research and education.

33. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The founding of the University of Pennsylvania and the history of its Department of Chemistry can be traced back as early as 1740. Benjamin Rush, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, served as a professor of chemistry at Penn in 1769. Penn’s chemistry department, featuring some of the best chemistry programs available, claims association with seven recipients of the Nobel Prize and 18 members of the National Academy of Sciences. Recent Nobel laureates include Ei-ichi Negishi in 2010 for his work on developing palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions and Alan G. Macdiarmid in 2000 for his discovery and development of a new form of organic polymer that conducts electricity.

Other Nobel recipients associated with Penn have been acknowledged for their work in establishing the connection between chemical structure and catalytic activity at the center of the ribonuclease and for developing ultrafast laser techniques for observing chemical reactions in real time. Research facilities at Penn’s Department of Chemistry include:

• The Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter
• The Parallel Reaction Screening Service Center
• The Wistar Center for Cancer Research

34. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Hong Kong

Located in Clear Water Bay, HKUST is a public research university that serves approximately 9,800 domestic and 5,000 international students. The university is one of eight major schools in Hong Kong. Chemistry students at HKUST can pursue intense study in virtually any science-related field, including molecular biology, molecular physics, material sciences, nanotechnology, drug design, and forensic science.

Learners can obtain a bachelor of science degree with optional concentrations in:

• Biomolecular Chemistry
• Environmental and Analytical Chemistry
• International Research Enrichment
• Pure Chemistry

This makes HKUST one of the best undergraduate chemistry programs . Graduate students may earn both master’s and doctoral degrees. HKUST even offers an environmental chemistry master’s program with concentrations in marine or atmospheric studies. Incoming Ph.D. candidates with a previously completed master’s degree in chemistry often earn their doctoral degrees in as few as three years.

Professor Ian D. Williams serves as both the head of the department and the master’s chemistry programs director. HKUST students work alongside renowned professors, receiving hands-on laboratory training with state-of-the-art equipment. Prospective students should consider visiting the department and participating in events, including an undergraduate “information day” and a summer research camp for prospective graduate students.

35. Purdue University

West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue established its Department of Chemistry in 1874. The first appointed chemistry professor was Dr. Harvey Wiley, the father of the Pure Food and Drug Act. Another notable professor is Ei-ichi Negishi, who received recognition in 2010 through the Nobel Prize for his work on building complex organic molecules.

Purdue’s chemistry department, which offers some of the best chemistry programs, maintains affiliations with severalresearch institutes, including:

• The Bindley Bioscience Center
• The Birck Nanotechnology Center
• The Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship
• The Center for Catalyst Design
• The Homeland Security Institute
• The Purdue Cancer Center
• The Purdue Climate Change Research Center

36. Fudan University

Shanghai, China

This prestigious C9 league university is in Shanghai, China, and got its start in 1905. Today, the school maintains four campuses in Handan, Fenglin, Zhanjiang, and Jiangwan. The Chemistry Department began in 1926 with the goal of creating a cutting-edge research facility to generate top scholars in the field. It now serves 400 undergraduate and 400 graduate students today. The department is home to five independent research institutions: inorganic chemistry, analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and chemical biology. It also hosts several important laboratories, including:

• The Engineering Research Center of Innovative Scientific Instruments
• The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology for Protein Research
• The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials

Fudan offers doctoral degrees and one of the best undergraduate chemistry programs, which allows students to pursue a bachelor’s degree in general or applied chemistry. The department boasts a wide-reaching curriculum and offers 160 courses per academic year.

Since 2010, the distinguished faculty has received more than 800 research grants and approximately $331 million in grant money to fund their world-class chemistry research projects. The university sponsors several collaborative student opportunities, including chemistry student exchange agreements with UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, and ParisTech.

37. The University of Hong Kong

HKU is a public research university in Lung Fu Shan. Founded in 1911, it was originally the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese. Today, the university enrolls approximately 29,000 students and teaches the majority of its courses in English. The diverse chemistry curriculum holds accreditation from the Royal Society of Chemistry and trains students in new and progressive chemical science and technology areas. The Chemistry Department boasts several cutting-edge facilities for conducting research in areas such as analytical chemistry, chemical biology, polymer chemistry and synthesis, and x-ray crystallography.

The department offers undergraduate and graduate degrees focused on physical, organic, inorganic, and analytical chemistry. Graduate students can pursue a master of philosophy or doctor of philosophy degree. Students who complete the program receive a royal society of chemistry certificate and may apply for society membership upon graduation.

Department chair Professor Chi-Ming Che is known for his research in:

• Green Oxidation
• Inorganic Medicines
• Material Science
• Metal-nitrogen Multiple Bonds
• Solar Chemistry

The chemistry faculty recently earned several international awards, including the L'OREAL-UNESCO Award for Women in Science and the TWAS prize in chemistry. Additionally, two faculty members obtained membership to the Chinese Academy of Sciences and became foreign associates of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.

38. Osaka University

Osaka, Japan

The Department of Chemistry at Osaka University branches out from the Graduate School of Science. There are four major divisions within the department: inorganic, physical, organic, and interdisciplinary chemistry. Each division maintains its own research groups and laboratories. Research facilities such as the Center for Structural Thermodynamics and the Laboratory for Natural Products Chemistry house and maintain instruments for areas including:

• Electronic Spectroscopy
• Magnetic Measurements
• X-ray Diffraction Studies

The department’s inorganic chemistry and physical chemistry division manage research for:

• Bioinorganic Chemistry
• Condensed Matter Physical Chemistry
• Quantum Chemistry
• Radiochemistry
• Reaction Dynamics
• Surface Chemistry

The organic chemistry division includes:

• Natural Product Chemistry
• Organic Biochemistry
• Physical Organic Chemistry
• Structural Organic Chemistry

Finally, the interdisciplinary chemistry division covers biomolecular chemistry and coordination chemistry. Osaka University features an additional 13 interdisciplinary research groups in other institutes that collaborate with the Department of Chemistry in delivering its chemistry graduate programs.

39. Tokyo Institute of Technology

Tokyo Tech, a top national university for science and technology in Japan, is in the nation’s premiere center for culture and commerce. Tokyo Tech has become a leading research center in the Far East and can trace its history to the 1881 Tokyo Vocational School. Tokyo Tech’s Department of Chemistry , formally established in 1998, now falls under the purview of the Graduate School of Science and Engineering.

The department offers five major research areas for its chemistry master’s programs, each with corresponding laboratories: inorganic, organic, physical, analytic, and volcanic chemistry. The school boasts a total of 14 laboratories, including:

• The Goto Lab
• The Hibara Lab
• The Kawano Lab
• The Ohshima Lab
• The Terada Lab

State-of-the-art instruments available at the various laboratories include NMR technologies, X-ray diffractometry, and laser Raman microscopy.

40. (tie) National Taiwan University

Taipei, Taiwan

Founded in 1928, NTU is a prestigious university located in Taipei City and has additional campuses in New Taipei City, Hsinchu County, Yulin County, and Nantou County. The university features 11 colleges, 54 academic departments, and 107 graduate institutes that serve over 33,000 students. NTU chemistry students can pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees. Since NTU is known as one of the best undergraduate chemistry programs in the world, department admission is highly competitive. Only five bachelor’s students and up to 10 master’s and doctoral candidates gain admission each year.

NTU is home to the Regional Advanced Instruments Center, which houses sophisticated research instruments, including a high-field NMR, elemental analyzer, and x-ray diffractometers. In 2004 and 2009, the school finished construction on two new chemistry buildings, demonstrating a strong dedication to providing students with cutting-edge facilities.

The chemistry department retains 33 academic staff members, 11 adjunct professors, and six distinguished research professors. Many instructors hold top research awards in the field. Department chair Yit-Tsong Chen boasts multiple teaching awards and specializes in physical chemistry, nanomaterial, and biosensor. Faculty members are active in Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs, national defense, Department of Health, and private organizations promoting technological development for society’s benefit.

40. (tie) University of Melbourne

Melbourne, Australia

This public research university in Victoria, Australia houses 10 colleges on its main campus. Melbourne is also home to several of Australia’s most important research centers, including the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research and the Grattan Institute.

As part of the world-class Bio21 biotechnology initiative, the School of Chemistry recently constructed a new research laboratory known as the Institute of Molecular Science and Biotechnology. Department head Professor Evan Bieske specializes in laser spectroscopy and served as the first researcher to capture high-resolution infrared spectra of anion complexes in the gas phase.

Melbourne offers chemical science degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels, including a master of philosophy and a master of science in chemistry. Students can also pursue a joint MS/Ph.D. program in a dedicated research-intensive track. Melbourne currently enrolls 150 chemistry students. The Melbourne University Chemical Society hosts social and educational events open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Graduate students may also participate in or help organize functions hosted by the Chemistry Postgraduate Society, a branch of the Graduate Student Association at Melbourne.

42. Monash University

Founded in 1958 in Melbourne, Australia, Monash University features a science faculty that spans several schools: the School of Biological Sciences; the School of Chemistry; the School of Earth, Atmosphere, and Environment; the School of Mathematical Sciences; the School of Physics and Astronomy; and the Malaysia School of Science.

Monash’s School of Chemistry offers severalsubdivided research groups covering a broad span of topics in support of its chemistry graduate programs.

These groups include:

• Biospectroscopy
• Coal and Soil Science
• Green Chemistry
• Solar Energy Conversion
• Surfaces and Surfactants
• Water and Environmental Chemistry

Technologies that support the various research groups include:

• Chromatography
• General Analytical Services
• NMR Spectroscopy
• Water Studies Analytical Services

43. University of Sydney

Sydney, Australia

USYD is an Australian public university established in 1850. A research-centered school, USYD boasts several cutting-edge chemistry research facilities, including on-campus laboratories, field stations in remote wilderness areas, and even an island research station called One Tree Island. The Chemistry Department engages in collaborative research projects with medical and technology companies like Microsoft, Sirtex Medical, and IBM.

Department head and award-winning scholar Professor Philip Gale specializes in supramolecular chemistry and has received prizes and honors like the 2018 International Izatt-Christensen Award in Macrocyclic and Supramolecular chemistry and the 2014 Royal Society of Chemistry Supramolecular Chemistry Award.

The school offers a flexible bachelor of science degree with a concentration in mathematics and chemistry, in addition to master’s and doctoral degrees in the philosophy of science. Degree seekers can focus on:

• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• General Chemistry
• Medicinal Chemistry
• Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
• Pharmacology

Graduate degrees are research based, focusing on advanced subjects such as:

• Molecular Design and Synthesis
• Soft Matter
• Supramolecular Chemistry

Undergraduates in the four-year program can take advantage of USYD’s elective year option before graduating. The elective year allows students to seek full-time employment in the chemical industry or at government-funded scientific laboratories where they analyze industrial chemicals, test pharmaceutical products, and develop laboratory techniques.

44. McGill University

Montreal, Quebec

Established in 1821, McGill is a public research university in Montreal, Canada. The Department of Chemistry boasts 37 professors, more than 150 graduate students, and 40 postdoctoral fellows. McGill’s faculty specialize in biophysical chemistry, chemical synthesis, bio-organic chemistry, and nanochemistry.

Departmental chair Dima Perepichka is an award-winning scholar and teacher recognized by Peking University, the Italian Chamber of Commerce, and the California Nanosystems Institute. Most research in the department centers on six main topics:

• Analytical and Environmental Chemistry
• Chemical Physics
• Green and Sustainable Chemistry
• Synthesis and Catalysis

The McGill chemistry faculty provide ample support for prospective students interested in any of these areas.

McGill offers one of the best undergraduate chemistry programs, with bachelor’s degrees in atmosphere and environment, bio-organic, materials, measurement, and bio-physical chemistry. Undergraduates may also pursue a bachelor of science degree through “liberal program” tracks and a major in biological or general chemistry. The department also offers a chemical engineering minor. Graduate students at McGill can earn a thesis-track master of science in chemistry and a doctor of philosophy in chemistry. Each graduate program focuses on independent research, and candidates must compose a thesis or dissertation based on original laboratory research prior to graduation.

45. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

The University of North Carolina system’s flagship school, UNC, is the 17-campus system’s main school. Altogether, UNC offers 71 bachelor’s, 107 master’s, and 74 doctoral programs and serves approximately 30,000 students.

Undergraduates in the Chemistry Department can pursue a bachelor of science in biochemistry or polymer chemistry, or they can earn a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science in general chemistry. UNC undergraduates enjoy unique opportunities to work as chemistry assistants in on-campus laboratories.

Bachelor’s degree seekers can also participate in six-week summer study abroad programs at foreign universities like the University of Hong Kong, the National University of Singapore, and institutions in Australia and Great Britain. Graduate students can earn a master’s or Ph.D. in chemistry, focusing on research areas such as:

• Biological Chemistry
• Polymer Chemistry

Most first-year graduate students receive teaching assistantships. UNC offers one of the best chemistry programs in the country. The department’s researchers and students produce more than 300 academic publications annually; they filed over 100 patents in the last decade. The faculty includes members or fellows of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering — not to mention recipients of the Institutes of Health Director’s Pioneer Award.

46. University College London

London, England

Based on total undergraduate and graduate enrollment figures, this public research institution is the largest university in the United Kingdom. UCL’s main campus is in central London’s Bloomsbury neighborhood and houses over 100 academic departments and research centers. Professor Claire J. Carmalt serves as the head of the university’s Chemistry Department . She specializes in the study of inorganic materials, transparent conducting oxides, photocatalysts, and superhydrophobic paints. Carmalt also enjoys status as a Royal Society of Chemistry fellow and a winner of the Meldola medal and prize in 2000.

UCL’s reputation for offering one of the best undergraduate chemistry programs makes admission competitive, with only about 140 students accepted each year. Degree seekers can take advantage of UCL’s flexible programs and enhance their learning and career prospects through interdisciplinary course combinations. Undergraduates typically pursue minor concentrations in mathematics, management, medicinal chemistry, or chemical physics.

Graduate students at UCL can pursue master’s and doctoral degrees. The chemistry department offers five master’s programs, including:

• Applied Analytical Chemistry
• Chemical Research
• Materials for Energy and Environment
• Molecular Modeling

The chemistry department allows students to take maternity, paternity, shared parental, and adoption leave while enrolled in the program. Under special circumstances, students may enroll on a part-time basis while tending to matters outside of school. The department can also make arrangements for students on leave to receive additional financial support.

47. University of British Columbia

Vancouver, British Columbia

Located in Vancouver, UBC is a public research university. The school serves as home to the TRIUMF physics laboratory — a leading international research facility that houses the world’s largest cyclotron — in addition to the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies and the Stuart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute. Professor Michael Wolf, the head of the chemistry department , is known for his work in sulfur-bridged conjugated oligomers metal nanoparticle-conjugated polymer nanocomposites and biological imaging.

One of the best undergraduate chemistry programs for students interested in developing a specialty, UBC offers seven concentrations:

• Chemical Analysis and Physics
• Computational Chemistry
• Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy

Undergraduates complete a rigorous, research-based curriculum that includes dedicated research skills courses and provides real-world experience through funded research opportunities. Graduate students at UBC can pursue master’s or doctoral degrees. Postgraduate candidates receive institutional funding packages which include a departmental research or teaching assistantship appointment. The graduate school guarantees master’s and doctoral students funding for two and five years, respectively.

Canadian prime ministers Kim Campbell and Justin Trudeau are notable UBC alumni, and students and graduates alike can secure job opportunities and collaborative research partners through the university’s extensive alumni network.

48. (tie) University of California – San Diego

La Jolla, California

UCSD enjoyed a recent success in its Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry when Professor Roger Tsien won the 2008 Nobel Prize in chemistry with Osamu Shimomura and Martin Chalfie for their discovery of and work with green fluorescent protein. UCSD’s prior recipient of the Nobel Prize in chemistry was Professor Mario Molina in 1995 for his study of the ozone layer and chlorofluorocarbon gases.

Chemistry research institutes at UCSD include:

• The BioCircuits Institute
• The Center for Aerosol Impacts On Climate and The Environment
• The Center for NMR Spectroscopy and The Imaging of Proteins
• The Center for Systems Biology
• The Liquid Maps Institute

The chemistry department also supports severalresearch facilities and associated technologies. The school’s Biophysics Instrumentation Facility provides tools such as:

• A Stopped-flow Fluorimeter
• An Aviv CD Spectrometer
• An Analytical Ultracentrifuge

Other facilities on and near campus that support the school’s chemistry master’s programs include:

• The Biomolecular/Proteomics Mass Spectrometry Facility
• The Cryo-Electron Microscopy Facility
• The Molecular Mass Spectrometry Facility
• The UCSD Biomolecule Crystallography Facility

48. (tie) RWTH Aachen University

Aachen, Germany

RWTH, Germany’s largest technical university, is a research university located in North Rhine-Westphalia. The school boasts more than 42,000 students and 144 academic programs. The Department of Chemistry is divided into five central research institutes: inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, technical and macromolecular chemistry, and interactive materials. The campus’s two prominent research laboratories include the Catalytic Center, which is in the Center for Molecular Transformations. Both labs organize and carry out large-scale research projects and foster collaboration between RWTH’s chemists, biologists, and engineers.

The chemistry department offers bachelor of science and master’s degrees, most of which focus on producing chemistry educators. The research-centered chemistry master’s program allows candidates to concentrate on:

• Bioactive Compounds in Synthetic Methods
• Computer Chemistry and Spectroscopy
• Mesoscopic Systems

Similarly, RWTH offers one research-focused bachelor’s chemistry degree that explores the field’s foundations and culminates in a thesis project.

Chemistry students can also acquire hands-on practical lab work experience by participating in one of several internships and study abroad programs. RWTH is a member of an international association of technical universities that maintains a campus in California. Students enrolled in study abroad programs receive partial funding through the department.

50. Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Established in 1896, this Chinese research university is nicknamed “The MIT of the East.” SJTU’s School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering consists of three departments: polymer science and engineering, chemical engineering, and chemistry. The department has made substantial scientific contributions to notable national initiatives over the years, including projects sponsored by the Natural Science Fund and the federal “863” and “974” projects.

Undergraduates may pursue a degree in applied chemistry and chemical engineering or technology, choosing concentrations in foundational areas such as:

• Polymeric Chemistry

SJTU also offers master’s and doctoral degrees in chemistry, chemical engineering and technology, and applied chemistry. In total, SJTU’s chemistry department consists of approximately 280 undergraduate students, 555 graduate students, and 100 professors and instructors.

With the ultimate goal of serving nearby communities, faculty research focuses primarily on popular Chinese industries. Faculty members contribute to many national projects, including the Shanghai Spark Program and other government-commissioned initiatives. Many of SJTU’s newer collaborative research projects take place on an international scale, and the department maintains partnerships with university researchers in America, Canada, Japan, Germany, and Holland.

The 50 Best Chemistry Programs in the World | 2015

• University of California – Berkeley (Berkeley, California)
• Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
• Stanford University (Stanford, California)
• California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, California)
• Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinoise)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
• University of Cambridge (Cambridge, England)
• ETH Zürich (Zürich, Switzerland)
• Kyoto University (Kyoto, Japan)
• University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
• University of California – Los Angeles (Los Angeles, California)
• Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut)
• University of California – Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara, California)
• Technical University of Munich (Munich, Germany)
• Cornell University (Ithaca, New York)
• Columbia University (New York, New York)
• University of Oxford (Oxford, United Kingdom)
• University of California – San Diego (San Diego, California)
• University of Strasbourg (Strasbourg, France)
• Purdue University (West Lafayette, Indiana)
• Heidelberg University (Heidelberg, Germany)
• Rice University (Houston, Texas)
• University of Toronto (Toronto, Ontariot)
• École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (Lausanne, Switzerland)
• University of Tokyo (Tokyo, Japan)
• University of Texas at Austin (Austin, Texas)
• University of California – Irvine (Irvine, California)
• Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, Georgia)
• University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Michigan)
• University of Minnesota – Twin Cities (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
• Peking University (Beijing, China)
• University of Wüerzburg (Würzburg, Germany)
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Champaign, Illinois)
• University of Colorado at Boulder (Boulder, Colorado)
• Tohoku University (Sendai, Japan)
• King Abdulaziz University (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
• University of Florida (Gainesville, Florida)
• Zhejiang University (Hangzhou, China)
• Osaka University (Osaka, Japan)
• Texas A&M University (College Station, Texas)
• Weizmann Institute of Science (Rehovot, Israel)
• University of California – Riverside (Riverside, California)
• University of Wisconsin – Madison (Madison, Wisconsin)
• Monash University (Melbourne, Australia)
• University of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)
• University of Southern California (Los Angeles, California)
• University of Müenster (Münster, Germany)
• Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo, Japan)
• Imperial College London (London, England)
• Nagoya University (Nagoya, Japan)

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Radar Therapeutics launches for targeted treatments

Rna sensor technology switches on protein production only in specific cells, by laura howes, may 24, 2024.

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“What CRISPR is to DNA, ADAR is to RNA.” That’s how Sophia Lugo, CEO of the new biotechnology firm Radar Therapeutics , describes the endogenous RNA editor that the company is trying to co-opt to produce therapeutic proteins in specific cells. The firm has launched with $13.4 million in seed funding.

ADAR stands for “adenosine deaminase acting on RNA.” It is essentially a protein in our cells that sweeps in when our RNA becomes double stranded. This protective enzyme makes a small edit in the double-stranded RNA so the body recognizes it as its own rather than coming from dangerous outside sources like viruses.

Radar is now using that editing system and combining it with messenger RNA (mRNA) technology to treat diseases.

The company’s name comes from the technology behind its platform, RNA sensing using ADAR. Radar licensed the technology from Stanford University, where it was developed by chemical engineer Xiaojing Gao and his team and first reported in October 2022 ( Nat. Biotechnol. , DOI: 10.1038/s41587-022-01493-x ). The same month, other institutions published similar RNA sensors based on ADAR ( Nature , DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05280-1 ; Nat. Biotechnol ., DOI: 10.1038/s41587-022-01534-5 ).

In all three studies, the researchers designed RNA strands encoding a stop sign, called a stop codon, and a protein. When the synthetic RNA bound to its target, ADAR would swoop in, edit the stop sign to turn it off, and so trigger the body to produce the encoded protein.

Radar has refined the technology further with the help of cofounder and synthetic biology expert Jim Collins of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The newer Radar probes are modular and include a section encoding a therapeutic protein, a binding module that can specifically bind to target RNA, and a small loop containing the stop codon. According to Lugo, that loop can be fine-tuned to optimize the ADAR editing and the expression of the therapeutic protein.

Lugo says the RNA can be encapsulated in different delivery vectors, including the lipid nanoparticles that are used in mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines. But unlike with those vaccines, protein expression is turned on only in cells with target RNA that corresponds to a disease state or specific cell type.

Lugo won’t say precisely which therapeutic areas the small team of seven full-time employees will focus on first. But she says they see the technology as being broadly applicable, including delivering cytotoxic drugs to cancer cells and delivering ligands and antibodies to “undruggable” proteins.

“We find our design space is really broad,” she says.

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