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Candidates for the PhD degree are required to earn at least 90 semester credits, which can include credits for seminar and research. No fewer than 27 of these 90 semester credits shall be earned in courses carrying graduate credit (courses numbered 601 to 789), and of these 27 credits, a minimum of 20 must be from courses numbered 701 to 789. Of these 20 credits, the requirement is 8 total credits in at least two fields of study other than the major area, selected from:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
• Coatings and Polymeric Materials
• Inorganic Chemistry
• Materials & Nanotechnology
• Microbiology
• Organic Chemistry
• Physical Chemistry
• Other related area (e.g., Physics, Math, Pharmacy, Engineering, Zoology)

 A student matriculating with a Master’s Degree, including one earned at an international institution, must earn not fewer than 60 graduate credits at NDSU. Of these credits, not fewer than 15 credits must be NDSU courses numbered from 701 to 789. Courses numbered 601-689 may be used for the Plan of Study as long as they have not been taken in an undergraduate or previous graduate program. Approved courses are Department of C&B 625, 626, 627, 628 and 630.

Admission and Application Requirements

• Graduate School admission and application requirements are found on the Admission Information page.