The University of Oklahoma is Oklahoma’s flagship university and its Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has achieved a national reputation for quality research. The department has 29 full-time faculty members and more than 100 graduate students.

The research and administrative functions of the department are housed in the new $80 million Stephenson Life Sciences Research Center, located on OU’s Research Campus. The completion of the 160,000-square-foot center was made possible by a generous $18 million gift from Charles and Peggy Stephenson. Completed in July 2010, it houses chemists, biochemists and other life sciences researchers.

The department is supported by a variety of research service units, including the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Laboratory, Mass Spectrometry Center, Macromolecular and Small Molecule X-ray Diffraction Laboratory, Electronics and Machine Shop, and the Glassblowing Teaching and Service Center.

The Ph.D. degree is awarded for excellence in research and scholarship; it signifies the creation of new knowledge through research and the acquisition of a thorough and comprehensive understanding of a research area, as well as the attainment of a high level of professional independence and competence.

A student should normally expect to spend approximately five years beyond the bachelor's degree in the pursuit of the Ph.D. degree. During this period of time, the student must: (1) successfully complete the appropriate coursework and examinations, (2) perform original research leading to the creation of new knowledge, and (3) submit and successfully defend the results of the original research, which will be presented as a dissertation.

Students may specialize in one of the following major areas of chemistry (analytical, biological, inorganic, organic, physical and chemical education) or in any combination of these.