General Overview for Prospective Students

Nearly all of our applicants are seeking the PhD. This "highest" chemistry degree is based mainly on research. Students in our PhD program work closely with a faculty member on a project at the scientific frontier. Formal PhD course requirements have been streamlined to emphasize those important concepts and skills that students will need to be productive and creative in research. Other degree requirements involve writing and speaking projects that improve communication skills and critical thinking while helping the student build confidence and scholarly independence. Please consult our separate web pages for overviews of the doctoral and masters degree programs. Morris Machine
Virginia Tech was founded in 1872 and awarded its first PhD in 1942. That degree was in chemistry! In the 1960s, VT Chemistry began transforming itself into a research department. We presently rank in the Top 40 in terms of degree production (BA, BS, MS, & PhD) and research expenditures. Our 30 faculty members generate over 100 peer-reviewed publications per year and have earned numerous prestigious awards for research, teaching, and service. Our commitment to a "steep learning curve" ensures that our track record of excellence will continue well into the future.
We are housed in three buildings on the VT campus: Davidson Hall, Hahn Hall (at right), and Chemistry/Physics. We have 6 NMRs -- a 300 for solids, two 400s for liquids, a 400 for imaging, a 500 and a 600. We have complete surface analysis (XPS, AES, SIMS, SEM, & TEM), mass spectrometry (LCMS, GCMS, and high-res ESI-TOF-LC), crystallography (OD Gemini), and polymer characterization (TGA, DSC, Instron, GPC, DMA, & rheology) capabilities. Our computational resources are among the best anywhere. Simply put, our facilities and physical plant are truly state-of-the-art.
Collaboration is one of our main strengths. For over 30 years, the polymer program at VT has served as an example of reaching "outside the box" of the four classical chemistry subdisciplines (analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical). Today, nearly all of our research activities extend beyond conventional boundaries, embracing engineering, biology, medicine, and agriculture. The strength of these initiatives has been recognized nationally for many years by the continual presence of special funded programs such as NSF-STC, NSF-REU, and NSF-IGERT.