Chemistry, PhD
Lead the way in cutting-edge research with real-world impacts and receive mentorship from nationally and internationally renowned faculty members. Our Chemistry PhD program prepares you with specialized knowledge, where you will become a leading researcher capable of addressing challenges in a number of areas, from food production to energy storage and more.
Program Overview
The Chemistry PhD program builds expert-level skills in experimental design and scientific communication to master specialized sub-disciplines of chemistry.
Our program offers the flexibility to choose from eight different areas of specialty, all of which are widely and highly recognized research areas in chemistry. With both lecture and lab-based courses, you’ll learn to conduct original research, build professional ethics, and gain specialized knowledge in your chosen area of study.
This program is ideal for students who want to conduct in-depth research, tackle urgent challenges, and contribute to the greater body of knowledge in chemistry research.
Plus, our program also offers a unique concentration—the chemical physics concentration—that is taught by both faculty in the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
Concentrations
Whether you’re interested in using data to analyze chemical substances, want to study environmental chemistry, seek to learn about carbon-based or non-carbon-based atoms and molecules, study chemical reactions and behaviors, or learn about theoretical chemistry, our concentrations offer the versatility to pursue your passions with purpose.
Our current selection of concentrations include:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Chemical Physics
- Environmental Chemistry
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Organic Chemistry
- Physical Chemistry
- Polymer Chemistry
- Theoretical Chemistry
What Sets Us Apart
Ranked #1
in Best Universities for Polymer Science
UT has been ranked the top global university for polymer science in U.S. News and World Report’s Best Global Universities.
57%
of 2025 PhD graduates work in chemical industry
57% of students from the 2025 graduating PhD class are now working in the chemical industry.
1st
PhD-granting department
In 1947, the Department of Chemistry became the first department at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville to offer a PhD program to students. Since then, our program has continually improved, offering students unparalleled research experiences.
Why Study Chemistry?
The doctorate in chemistry at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville prepares students with practical, hands-on skills to design, analyze, and conduct scientific experiments in specialized fields.
With access to state-of-the-art facilities—like the Biological and Small Molecule Mass Spectrometry Core (BSMMSC), the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Facilities, the Polymer Characterization Lab (PCL), and more—as well as graduate teaching assistantships (GTA) and research assistantships (GRA) offered to all admitted students, you’ll find no shortage of opportunities to gain real-world experience in teaching and research.
Plus, UT’s progress towards building a new state-of-the-art chemistry building shows our university’s commitment to advancing the state’s chemistry knowledge, offering unparallelled student experiences.
New Chemistry Building
On September 5, 2025, UT began construction of what will become the Charles & Julie Wharton Chemistry Building, featuring 162,000 sq. ft. of exceptional spaces for research and teaching. This includes research lab spaces, study rooms, and more, demonstrating UT’s commitment to next-level student experiences.
What Can You Do with a PhD in Chemistry After Graduation?
The chemistry program at UT is a resourceful, innovative, hands-on program that prepares students with the experience and knowledge they need to be successful in chemistry careers and beyond. Chemistry is a great foundation for scientific or non-scientific careers because of skills you learn such as complex problem-solving, technical communication, research skills, and data analysis. With classes, lectures and labs in many core foundations of chemistry, this program will prepare you for careers in the multitudes of chemistry fields, education, healthcare and more.
In any chemistry discipline, you could work in product or process development, testing, biotechnology, or environmental analyses. In specific disciplines like agricultural chemistry, you could work in agricultural testing, production, or regulation; in another discipline like analytical chemistry, you could go into quantitative analysis, instrumentation design, or chemometrics and statistics. Other possible career paths include biochemistry, inorganic chemistry, chemical engineering, and materials science. Many chemistry graduates also go on to be chemical technicians, data scientists, environmental science and protection technicians, natural sciences managers, and quality control chemists. With higher education, like a MS or PhD at UT, you could go into even more specialized fields.
Whichever path you choose, the chemistry program at UT will give you the mentorship, research opportunities, and hands-on experience you need to make a real-world impact after graduation.
Featured Courses
CHEM 570 Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy
This course covers basic principles of quantum mechanics and their applications to molecular orbital theory, molecular structure, and spectroscopy; introduction to group theory.
CHEM 594 Organic Chemistry of Polymers
Students will learn the synthesis of monomers; mechanism, stereochemistry, sequence distribution, and kinetics of polymerizations. They will also learn the formation of block, graft, and network polymers, as well as reactions on polymers.
CHEM 533 Chemistry of the Transition Metals
This course covers theoretical and experimental foundations of modern coordination, organometallic, and bio-inorganic chemistry of transition metals; transition metal mediated catalysis, materials chemistry, isolobal theory, kinetics and mechanism of reactions of transition metals, and applications in organic synthesis.
CHEM 552 Applications of Organic Reactions
Students will learn applications of organic reactions to directed synthesis targets including bio-organic substrates, natural products, medicinal agents, or other molecules of practical or theoretical interest.
Complementary Majors, Minors, and Certificates
Looking to enhance your degree? Consider these programs as a complement to your primary major.
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