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You are here: Home / Admissions / Application Checklist

Application Checklist

Ph.D. in Chemistry, concentration in Chemical, Applied and Materials Physics

How to Apply to the Chemistry PhD Program

You will need to submit an application through UCI Graduate Division. The Department of Chemistry recommends applicants to take the Chemistry Subject GRE test or subject GRE in an appropriate interdisciplinary area, such as Physics or Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology.

  • How To Apply
  • Online Student Application
  • Eligibility for Application Fee Waviers

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Ph.D. program in Chemistry, with a concentration in Chemical and Materials Physics, requires the successful completion of a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Physics, or Materials Science or Engineering with a GPA of 3.1 or better. Additional criteria include the applicant’s undergraduate course record and letters of recommendation.

While we intend to draw students from a broad base nationally and internationally, the concentration is also well suited for students returning after experience in industry. In the latter case, work experience in physical sciences may be used as basis for partial fulfillment of admission requirements.

In addition to the admissions criteria set forth by Graduate Division, applicants to the Ph.D. program in Chemistry will be expected to submit the following:

  • Statement of Purpose – Describe your research interests, including research you have completed and or any papers you have published. Include your career objectives and goals for graduate study.
  • Personal History Statement – Describe your personal background, including any experiences or challenges relevant to your academic journey. Include how you addressed these challenges in order to achieve your educational goals.
  • Curriculum Vitae  – A brief account of your education, qualifications, and previous experience.
  • Letters of Recommendation – A minimum of three letters are required.
  • Unofficial Transcripts – Upload unofficial transcripts for all institutions attended since high school.
  • TOEFL/IELTS – required for certain applicants. Please refer to Teaching Assistant Requirement below for more information.

Unofficial Transcripts

Uploaded transcripts should be the most recent and include the following: your name, dates of attendance, grades/marks received, credits, cumulative GPA, and grading legend. Please upload both sides of all transcripts. UCI reserves the right to require official transcripts at any time during the admission process, and rescind any offer of admission if discrepancies between unofficial and official transcript(s) are found. Official transcripts will be required if you are offered admission and decide to accept. Do not send official transcripts prior to this, unless requested.

GRE General Test

NOTE: Effective for the Fall 2021 application cycle, the Department of Chemistry will no longer require the GRE General Test.

Teaching Assistant Requirement

Because Chemistry PhD students are funded as teaching assistants during their first year, all students must satisfy UCI Graduate Division’s English Proficiency for Teaching Assistantships policy in one of three ways:

  • Undergraduate degree from an institution, at which English was the sole language of instruction, according to the World Higher Education Database, within five years1 prior to admission to a graduate program at UCI.
  • TOEFL iBT
    • An overall score of 80 or higher is required for admission.
    • A speaking section score of 26 or higher is required for TA eligibility.
  • IELTS
    • An overall score of 7 or higher, with a score of no less than 6 on any individual module, is required for admission.
    • A speaking module score of 8 or higher is required for TA eligibility.

Applicants who do not meet one of the three criteria above are typically not admitted. However, if you do not meet this English requirement, and you are a highly qualified student who would fill a need in our research team, you are strongly encouraged to contact the Chemistry faculty whose research interests you and apply to the program.

For more information on this requirement, please refer to the Graduate Division’s English Proficiency for Teaching Assistantships.

1 Students who have received an undergraduate degree in an institution with English as its sole language of instruction, and who are more than five years beyond, must pass a UCI oral screening assessment, if they decide to accept an offer of admission, in order to work as a teaching assistant.

Questions?

If you have any questions please visit our Frequently Asked Questions, or you may send your inquiry to chemgrad@chem.ps.uci.edu.


Ph.D. in Physics, concentration in Chemical, Applied and Materials Physics

Applying to the Graduate Program in Physics:

Applications are submitted online through the UCI Graduate Division Admissions web site. More information on the applications process and required application materials can be found on the Applying to UCI page. Note that the Physics GRE Subject test is no longer required for the application.
Once you create an account and log in to the online application, the applicant will see the “Academic Program” section on the sidebar. Select: Chemical, Applied, and Materials Physics – Physics. Choose M.S. or Ph.D. degree to indicate the program to which you are applying.
Please contact My Banh at mbanh@uci.edu for any questions regarding the application process for the PhD in Physics.

Application Fee:  

Domestic Applicants (U.S. Citizens and Permanent U.S. Residents): $135
For details regarding application fee waivers, please visit the Graduate Division website:
http://grad.uci.edu/admissions/applying-to-uci/fee-waivers.php
International Applicants: $155 (Foreign applicants are NOT eligible for graduate application fee waivers – no exceptions.)
In addition to the application essays and other material submitted through the application web portal, the following are required for all applicants.
  • Official transcripts  – ONE COPY – from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended (Foreign students’ transcripts must be in their home language, as well as translated into English).
  • Three letters of recommendation.

Recommendation letters are usually submitted electronically, although it is possible to submit hardcopies by postal mail if necessary.   For more information and instructions regarding electronic and postal letter submission, please visit:

http://grad.uci.edu/admissions/applying-to-uci/letters-of-recommendation…

Additional Materials for International and Permanent Resident Applicants only:
Applicants whose primary language is not English are required to demonstrate proficiency in English for admission consideration by taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language(TOEFL) Internet-based Test (iBT) or a paper-based test (PBT) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
PLEASE NOTE: International Student applicants are required to be eligible to serve as teaching assistants. Students with a score of 26 or higher on the Speaking component of the TOEFL iBT or a score of 8 or higher on the Speaking module of the IELTS are eligible to serve as teaching assistants.
For additional information about this, please visit:
http://grad.uci.edu/admissions/applying-to-uci/english-proficiency.php

Student & Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) program. Qualifying international 1st year Ph.D. students will receive a “SEVIS Stipend” in the amount of $100. To qualify, students must have paid the SEVIS* fee, and must be enrolled at UCI for Fall quarter of their entering year – the SEVIS stipend only applies to international students.  For more information, visit:

http://www.ice.gov/sevis/

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Posts

Prof. Qi Song joins the ChAMP Program

Spring 2025

Qi Song is an Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

Song’s research interests lie within the discovery of low-dimensional quantum materials through atomic-scale synthesis, spectroscopy characterization, and device development leveraging interface states and emergent quantum effects.

https://engineering.uci.edu/users/qi-song

Prof. Ty Christoff-Tempesta joins the ChAMP Program

Fall 2024

Ty Christoff-Tempesta is an Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

Prof. Christoff-Tempesta specializes in molecular design to engineer hierarchical properties in soft matter systems, combining organic chemistry, molecular self-assembly, and polymer science to create innovative materials. His group focuses on advancing sustainable materials with circular life cycles, derived from renewable resources, and designed for recyclability or upcyclability.

Current research activities include (1) developing new molecular design principles for sustainable materials, (2) using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to study nanoscale dynamics and establish design rules for material behavior, and (3) designing functional supramolecular materials that self-organize and scale from nanoscale to macroscale. The lab’s research aims to address critical global challenges, such as providing sustainable alternatives to plastics, improving environmental remediation, and advancing technologies for energy and healthcare applications.

https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/tctlab/

Welcome 2024 ChAMP students!

Prof. Lorenzo Valdevit joins the ChAMP Program

Summer 2024

Lorenzo Valdevit is a Professor and Chair of Materials Science and Engineering

Prof. Valdevit works in the general areas of mechanics of materials, structural materials science and advanced manufacturing, developing analytical, numerical and experimental techniques across multiple length scales. Among his primary research goals are the optimal design, modeling, fabrication and experimental characterization of metamaterials and structures with unprecedented combinations of properties. Current areas of interest are the investigation and exploitation of beneficial size effects in nano-architected materials, the non-linear design of periodic and disordered mechanical metamaterials, and the understanding of the processing / microstructure / properties relations in additive manufacturing (in particular, two-photon polymerization Direct Laser Writing, Direct Ink Writing, Laser Powder Bed Fusion and Cold Spray Deposition).

https://valdevit.eng.uci.edu

Prof. Alvin Yu join the ChAMP Program

Summer 2024

Alvin Yu is an Assistant Professor of Physiology & Biophysics

Many cellular processes that are considered the hallmarks of living systems undergo physical and chemical processes ranging from atomic-scale phenomena, including the quantum chemistry of bond cleavage, to micrometer-sized processes such as the self-assembly of proteins. These processes are innately multiscale and span time and length scales from the molecular to mesoscopic. Alvin Yu’s research group investigates the mechanisms by which biological processes function and elucidates them using theory, computational modeling, and simulations.

https://faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=7131

Prof. Matthew Sheldon joins the ChAMP Program

Fall 2023

Matthew Sheldon is an Associate Professor of Chemistry

Sheldon’s research group studies fundamental questions about optical energy conversion relating to plasmonic and inorganic nanoscale materials. Experiments are principally designed to identify and optimize unique nanoscale phenomena that are useful for solar energy, as well as related opportunities at the intersection of nanophotonics and chemistry, for broad application beyond the scope of solar energy. Current research activities explore how nanofabricated materials can provide systematic control over the thermodynamic parameters governing optical power conversion. By controllably shaping, confining, and interconverting the energy and entropy of a radiation field, several different classes of light-powered heat engines become possible. 

Prof. Robert Nielsen joins the ChAMP Program

Fall 2023
Robert Nielsen is an Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
Nielson’s research interests include quantum mechanical, microkinetic, and data modeling to understand and control chemical reactivity. His group has recently begun a general effort to replace screening in computational materials design problems with optimization.  The process combines some representation of Schrodinger’s equation, stat mech, kinetic modeling, traditional chemistry ideas and data science.
https://engineering.uci.edu/users/robert-nielsen

Prof. Sabee Molloi joins the ChAMP Program

Summer 2023

Sabee Molloi is a Professor & Vice Chairman of Research, Radiological Sciences

Molloi’s research interests include quantitative aspects of medical x-ray imaging and its applications to cardiac and breast imaging.

Some of his current projects include:

  • Spectral breast CT
  • Myocardial blood flow measurement using CT and its applications to coronary artery disease
  • Pulmonary blood flow measurement using CT and its applications to lung disease
  • Quantification of myocardial mass at risk
  • Detection of ischemic stroke using dual energy CT

https://faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=3212

2023 Summer BBQ

ChAMP ushered in the new class at our annual summer BBQ on July 14th. Welcome students!

Prof. Elizabeth Lee joins the ChAMP program

Fall 2022

Elizabeth lee is an Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering.

Lee’s research interests lie within the broad field of computational materials and chemistry, particularly electronic and chemical processes in solid-state and nanostructured semiconductors. Her research aims to bring fundamental understanding of how the dynamical arrangement of atoms and their electronic structure impact the material-wide properties during their synthesis, processing, and device operating conditions.

Current research activities focus on three areas: (1) quantum point defects in semiconductors, (2) solid-state interfaces in materials for energy applications, and (3) methodological developments for materials modeling using machine learning approaches.

(https://engineering.uci.edu/users/elizabeth-my-lee)

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