Department of Chemistry Information for New International Students

The purpose of this homepage is to provide information which is of interest to incoming international graduate student chemistry majors.

We hope that the information we provide here will help you to contact someone for help, give you an idea of the diversity of the international student population in the Department, and basically anything that might interest you as a new international graduate student.

Last updated February 23, 2009.

Diagnostic English Language Screening Exam

As you are already aware, all new international students are required to take a speaking exam when you arrive at UNT. This exam will be administered the week before classes begin and will be held here in the Department. Dr. Angela Wilson, Graduate Advisor, Dr. Bill Acree, Undergraduate Advisor and Mr. Mike Lioy, of the Intensive English program here at UNT are ones on the panel who decide if a student passes the exam.

In order to maximize your chances of passing the exam, we suggest that you practice both your English speaking and listening comprehension. In the speaking test you will be asked to give a lecture on some basic freshman laboratory experiment of your choosing. You will be stopped at various times and asked questions about the experiment. You will be judged on your ability to a) speak both fluently and clearly, and b) to understand the questions and be able to answer them clearly.

Students are asked to pick a topic of interest to them (NON-chemistry related please!) and give a 5-10 minute presentation. Powerpoint and a dry-erase board are available for students to use during the oral exam.

Proficiency Examinations

Proficiency examinations will be administered the week before school begins. These exams are standard American Chemical Society exams and are two hours each. There is one exam in each of the four areas of chemistry (analytical, inorganic, organic and physical). The results of these exams are used for PLACEMENT PURPOSES ONLY and will determine which courses you will take during your first year of study at UNT.

As a review for these exams, we suggest that you review your undergraduate material in each of these areas.

Selection of Major Advisor

Students spend their first semester at UNT taking courses and interviewing professors. A decision on who the student's major advisor will be is decided on between the student and the individual professor. Students are REQUIRED to interview all professors in the Department who share the same area of research (in the areas of analytical, inorganic, organic and physical chemistry). Until a major advisor/professor has been chosen, Dr. Angela Wilson will be your advisor.

Information on T.A. Stipends

Our contract T.A. stipends are for 9 months. During the Summer months, and after your contract has expired, as long as you are making satisfactory progress in the program, you will either be paid by your major professor (which you should have selected by then) or by the Department as a T.A. As long as you are on a T.A., your stipend will be $1887/month, you will receive free health insurance and you pay the in-state tuition rate (Approximately $2,500/semester instead of $5,000/semester). All students who are paid as an R.A. also pay the in-state tuition rate.

Please sign the copy of your acceptance letter and send this one to us - you may keep the original to use to get your documents for entry into the U.S.

Information on Tuition

International students and non-Texas Residents, who are graduate students, and are either Teaching Assistants or Research Assistants, are allowed to pay tuition at the in-state rate. In-state tuition is approximately $2500 a semester, plus your books and course fees (approximately another $300 or so).

International students and non-Texas Residents who are NOT T.A..'s or R.A.'s are required to pay out-of-state tuition which is approximately $5,000 a semester, plus your books and course fees (approximately another $300 or so).

In either case, there are several options in which students can pay their tuition:
1) Credit card - UNT takes MasterCard, Visa or Discover
2) ID Plus - once you arrive at UNT, your ID card can act as a debit card - this is known as ID Plus
3) Installments - for an extra $12.50 fee, students can pay their tuition in 3 installments which is spread out over the course of the semester - 1/2 of the total balance, then 1/4, then the remaining 1/4.
4) personal check
5) money order
6) cashier's check

Process for Issuing I-20's

The application/I-20 process here at UNT is often complicated. Here's the "normal" sequence for those that apply for a T.A. in the Department.

1. Students apply directly to the Department.
2. After all of the required application materials are received (transcripts, letters of recommendation, $50 application fee, GRE and TOEFL scores), then the complete set of application materials is sent to International Admissions for processing.
3. Officials in International Admissions begin evaluation of the transcripts and official test scores.

After a T.A. is awarded and accepted the sequence continues as follows:

4. A copy of the signed (accepted) offer letter is sent to International Admission.
5. After transcripts in International Admissions have been evaluated (see #3 above), all of the documents are sent to the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies to determine whether the applicant meets the minimum admission requirements.
6. After the applicant has been admitted to the Graduate School, then the application packet is then sent back to the Department for acceptance into the program.
7. After being admitted to the program, the materials are sent, once again, to International Admissions where a permit for issuing the I-20 is prepared.
8. Everything is then forwarded to the International Student and Scholar Office (ISSO) where the financial documents are verified and the I-20 is (finally) prepared.

For those who are arriving on their own support, the process is exactly the same EXCEPT #4 omitted. In Step #8, ISSO would verify that the applicant has enough outside financial support to live and study in the U.S.

This entire procedure takes AT LEAST 2 1/2 months.

The Department understands that you need your I-20 as soon as possible. However, we appreciate your patience when waiting for your I-20. If it has been at least 1 month since your T.A. offer, please feel free to contact us and we will be glad to let you know the status of your application materials.

For those of you who are interested, the e-mail address for the International Admissions and Advising Center is: international@unt.edu.

Chinese Students

There are a number Chinese students studying in the Department.

There is a Chinese Students and Scholars Association organization (CSSA) here on the UNT campus. You may contact a representative of the CSSA by writing to: untcssa@unt.edu. They also have a homepage which you might like to check out. The address is: http://orgs.unt.edu/unt_cssa.

Indian Students

We have number of Indian students. The Indian Student Association (ISA) is very active on the UNT campus. You may contact a representative of the ISA by writing to: isa@unt.edu. They also have a homepage which you might like to check out. The address is: http://orgs.unt.edu/isa.

Other Nationalities

General Information

Admission Requirements and Application Materials

For admission requirements or additional information on the graduate program, you may send e-mail: chem@unt.edu or find additional information on the requirements for our graduate program and an application.

For more Information contact:

Student Services Office
Department of Chemistry
University of North Texas
1155 Union Station, Box 305070
Denton, Texas 76203
(940) 565-3554 (Voice)
(940) 565-4318 (FAX)

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