Courses of Instruction
(100-199) For Both Undergraduate and Graduate Students
CHEM 110b Instrumental Analytical Chemistry
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Prerequisite: Satisfactory grade(s) in CHEM 41a and b, CHEM 59a and b, or equivalent. Laboratory fee: $45.
Techniques of instrumental chemical analysis. Application of instrumental methods to the separation and analysis of complex mixtures. Students rotate through ongoing research laboratories. Data treatment includes computers in the analytical chemistry laboratory. Two afternoons per week; approximately two hours of laboratory lecture and six hours of laboratory per week. Offered on request.
Staff
CHEM 121a Inorganic Chemistry I, Lectures
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Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade in CHEM 25a and b.
Simple bonding theory. Symmetry, structure, and bonding in inorganic compounds. Solid-state chemistry; ionic and electronic conductors. Applications of group theory and bonding theory to main group compounds and transition metal complexes. Coordination chemistry: isomerism, structure, and reactions. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Foxman
CHEM 122b Inorganic Chemistry II, Lectures
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Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade in CHEM 25a and b.
Molecular orbital theory in organometallic chemistry. Acid-base concepts. Introduction to the synthesis, structure, and applications of organotransition metal compounds. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Ozerov
CHEM 130a Advanced Organic Chemistry: Structure
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Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade in an undergraduate organic chemistry course.
Chemical bonding and structure, stereochemical principles and conformational analysis, organic reaction mechanisms, structures and activities of reactive intermediates, and pericyclic reactions. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Yu
CHEM 131a Advanced Organic Chemistry: Topics in Structure and Reactivity
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Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade in an undergraduate organic chemistry course.
Broad coverage of a variety of transformations involving additions, eliminations, substitutions, oxidations, reductions, and rearrangements. Usually offered every year.
Staff
CHEM 132b Advanced Organic Chemistry: Spectroscopy
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Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade in an undergraduate organic chemistry course.
Application of spectroscopy to the elucidation of structure and stereochemistry of organic compounds, with emphasis on modern NMR and MS methods. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Snider
CHEM 134b Advanced Organic Chemistry: Synthesis
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Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade in an undergraduate organic chemistry course.
Modern synthetic methods are covered, with an emphasis on mechanism and stereochemical control. Formation of carbon-carbon single and double bonds and carbocycles and procedures for oxidation, reduction, and functional group interchange are discussed. Selected total syntheses are examined. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Deng
CHEM 135a Advanced Organic Chemistry: Synthesis II
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Prerequisite: CHEM 25b or permission of the instructor.
The application of asymmetric and catalytic methods in organic synthesis is illustrated, with an emphasis on metal catalysts and stereoselectivity. Examples of trial-and-error discoveries and rational design of superior catalysts in a wide range of important reactions including hydrogenation, epoxidation, dihydroxylation, C-H activation, and C-C bond forming reactions are covered. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Yu
CHEM 137b The Chemistry of Organic Natural Products
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Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade in CHEM 25a and b, or the equivalent.
Natural products chemistry is surveyed within a biosynthetic framework. Occurrence, isolation, structure elucidation, biosynthesis, and biomimetic synthesis is covered with an emphasis on modern methods of establishing biosynthesis and biomimetic syntheses. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Snider
CHEM 141a Physical Chemistry – Thermodynamics and Statistical Thermodynamics
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Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade in CHEM 11a/15a and CHEM 11b/15b or equivalent; Math 10a,b or equivalent, Phys 11a,b or 15a,b or equivalent. Organic chemistry is also recommended.
Classical and statistical thermodynamics: principles, tools, and applications in chemistry and biology. Usually offered every year.
Staff
CHEM 142a Physical Chemistry – Quantum Mechanics and Spectroscopy
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Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade in CHEM 11a/15a and CHEM 11b/15b or equivalent; Math 10a,b or equivalent, Phys 11a,b or 15a,b or equivalent. Organic chemistry is also recommended.
Solutions to the Schrödinger equation of relevance to spectroscopic methods such as UV/visible spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopy; introduction to quantum mechanical calculations and computational methods, density matrix and operator formalisms. Usually offered every year.
Staff.
CHEM 143b Physical Chemistry – Kinetics, Dynamics and Transport
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Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade in CHEM 11a/15a and CHEM 11b/15b or equivalent; Math 10a,b or equivalent, Phys 11a,b or 15a,b or equivalent. Organic chemistry is also recommended.
Macroscopic kinetics: elementary reactions and rate laws. Kinetic study of reaction mechanisms: techniques for kinetic measurements, fast reactions, treatment of kinetic data. Microscopic kinetics: molecular dynamics, transition state theory, reactions in the gas phase and in solution. Catalytic and chain reactions, enzyme kinetics. Nonlinear dynamics: chemical oscillations and waves. Usually offered every other year.
Staff
CHEM 144a Physical Chemistry – Computational Chemistry
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Prerequisite:A satisfactory grade in CHEM 11a/15a and CHEM 11b/15b or equivalent; Math 10a,b or equivalent, Phys 11a,b or 15a,b or equivalent. Organic chemistry is also recommended.
Topics in computational chemistry: applications of quantum mechanics to structural and spectroscopic analysis of small molecules; molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations of biomacromolecules. Standard computational programs are used by students to perform homework exercises. Usually offered every other year.
Mr. Jordan
CHEM 146a Physical Chemistry – Single Molecule Spectroscopy
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Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade in CHEM 11a/15a and CHEM 11b/15b or equivalent; Math 10a,b or equivalent, Phys 11a,b or 15a,b or equivalent.
This course will cover single molecule spectroscopy techniques including fluorescence microscopy experiments, laser tweezers, magnetic tweezers and atomic force microscopy, along with their applications to chemical and biological systems. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Gershenson
CHEM 147b Physical Chemistry – Mass Spectrometry
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Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade in CHEM 11b/15b or equivalent or permission of the instructor. Organic chemistry is also recommended.
The process of ionization, ion separation, and ion detection is taught at the theoretical level, and applied to the understanding of modern mass spectrometry. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Agar
CHEM 150b Special Topics in Chemistry
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Topics vary from year to year. Usually offered every third year.
Staff
(200 and above) Primarily for Graduate Students
CHEM 200a Advanced Chemistry Laboratory I
Usually offered every year.
Staff
CHEM 200b Advanced Chemistry Laboratory II
Usually offered every year.
Staff
CHEM 220c Inorganic Chemistry Seminar
Required of graduate students in inorganic chemistry every semester.
Staff
CHEM 224b Chemistry of Organometallic Compounds
The chemistry of organo-transition metal complexes, including their structures, bonding, reactivity, and use in industrial processes and organic synthesis. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Ozerov
CHEM 229b Introduction to X-Ray Structure Determination
Topics include basic diffraction and space group theory, practical manipulations of crystals and X-ray diffraction equipment, solving crystal structures, and interpretation of structural chemistry. Course will feature self-paced exercises on PCs. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Foxman
CHEM 230c Organic Chemistry Seminar
Required of graduate students in organic chemistry every semester.
Staff
CHEM 232b Heterocyclic Chemistry
The nature of aromatic heterocycles will be surveyed, followed by detailed discussion of their characteristic reactions and modes of synthesis. The course is organized to show a general predictive framework behind the details. Emphasis is placed on the mechanisms of heterocycle reactions. Usually offered every third year.
Staff
CHEM 240c Physical Chemistry Seminar
Required of graduate students in physical chemistry every semester.
Staff
CHEM 243b Statistical Thermodynamics
Elementary statistical mechanics of ensembles of molecules and applications to thermodynamic systems. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Jordan
CHEM 245a Ultrafast Spectroscopy
Ultrafast laser-based spectroscopy techniques and their applications to chemical and biological systems are presented. Topics include the generation of femtosecond laser pulses, pump-probe spectroscopy, time and frequency domain spectroscopy, and ultrafast dynamics of chemical reactions and biomolecular motions. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Gershenson
CHEM 246b Advanced NMR Spectroscopy
A detailed discussion of modern NMR methods will be presented. The course is designed so as to be accessible to nonspecialists, but still provide a strong background in the theory and practice of modern NMR techniques. Topics include the theory of pulse and multidimensional NMR experiments, chemical shift, scalar and dipolar coupling, NOE, spin-operator formalism, heteronuclear and inverse-detection methods, Hartmann-Hahn and spin-locking experiments. Experimental considerations such as pulse sequence design, phase cycling, and gradient methods will be discussed. Guest lecturers will provide insight into particular topics such as solid-state NMR and NMR instrumental design. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Pochapsky
CHEM 298a Independent Study
Usually offered every year.
Staff
CHEM 401d Dissertation Research
Independent research for the Ph.D degree. Specific sections for individual faculty members as requested.
Staff
(1-99) Primarily for Undergraduate Students
CHSC 3b Solving Environmental Challenges: The Role of Chemistry
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Does not meet the requirements for the major in chemistry.
Provides a basic understanding of the chemistry of natural environmental cycles, and how these cycles are adversely affected by society. Student teams develop case studies on "hot topics" such as mercury, brominated flame retardants, MBTE, perchlorate, dioxin, and others. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Peavey
CHSC 5a The Magnitude of Things and How on Earth They Matter
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Does NOT meet requirements for the major in chemistry.
Four statements concerning the age, condition, and destiny of Earth as affected by humans are used to implement examinations of relevant issues. These examinations require knowledge in several scientific disciplines that will be provided as the substance of the course. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Tuttle
CHSC 6a Forensic Science: Col. Mustard, Candlestick, Billiard Room
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Prerequisites: High school chemistry and biology. Does NOT meet requirements for the major in chemistry.
Examines the use of chemical analytical instrumentation, pathology, toxicology, DNA analysis, and other forensic tools. Actual and literary cases are discussed. Error analysis, reliability, and predictability of results are considered. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Reis
CHSC 8b Chemistry and Art
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Does NOT meet requirements for the major in chemistry. Lab fee: $25.
Topics include a scientific description of the materials and methods used in making works of art; light and color; pigments and dyes; restoration and conservation; scientific examination of artworks: the identification of fakes; and scientific probes of influence and style. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Henchman
CHEM 11a General Chemistry
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This course may not be taken for credit by students who have passed CHEM 10a or 15a in previous years.
A basic course in chemical principles, with examples drawn from the chemistry of living systems as well as from environmental chemistry and materials science. Topics covered include stoichiometry, acid-base chemistry, chemical equilibrium, atomic structure and periodicity, molecular structure and bonding, and states of matter. Three class hours and one 90-minute recitation per week. In addition, daily tutoring sessions will be available for students seeking extra help. The corresponding lab is CHEM 18a. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Epstein
CHEM 11b General Chemistry
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Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade (C- or better) in CHEM 11a or the equivalent. This course may not be taken for credit by students who have passed CHEM 10b or 15b in previous years.
A basic course in chemical principles, with examples drawn from the chemistry of living systems as well as from environmental chemistry and materials science. Topics covered include kinetics, properties of solutions, thermodynamics, electrochemistry, coordination compounds, nuclear chemistry, and descriptive chemistry. Three class hours and one 90-minute recitation per week. In addition, daily tutoring sessions will be available for students seeking extra help.The corresponding lab is CHEM 18b. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Petsko
CHEM 15a Honors General Chemistry: Principles of Material Evolution
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This course may not be taken for credit by students who have passed CHEM 10a or 11a in previous years.
An advanced version of general chemistry for students with good preparation. Introduces the chemical principles governing the evolution of our material world through the condensation, coexistence, and aqueous stages. Three class hours and one recitation per week. The corresponding laboratory is CHEM 19a. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Herzfeld
CHEM 15b Honors General Chemistry: Principles of Material Evolution
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Prerequisite: a satisfactory grade (C- or better) in CHEM 15a or the equivalent. This course may not be taken for credit by students who have passed CHEM 10b or 11b in previous years.
A continuation of CHEM 15a. Introduces the chemical principles governing the evolution of our material world through the photonic, biotic, and anthropic stages. Three class hours and one recitation per week. The corresponding laboratory is CHEM 19b. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Herzfeld
CHEM 18a General Chemistry Laboratory I
Corequisite: CHEM 11a. Dropping CHEM 11a necessitates written permission from the lab instructor to continue with this course. May yield half-course credit toward rate of work and graduation. Two semester hour credits. Laboratory fee: $45 per semester. This course may not be taken for credit by students who have passed CHEM 19a in previous years.
Introduction to methods for characterizing pure substances and methods of qualitative and quantitative analyses. Included in the analytical methods are gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy and infrared measurements. A synthesis project that includes analyzing the product by titration. Analysis of the metal content of substances by visible absorbance and atomic absorption. One laboratory lecture per week. One afternoon of laboratory per week. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Dolnik
CHEM 18b General Chemistry Laboratory II
Prerequisites: A satisfactory grade (C- or better) in CHEM 18a and CHEM 11a. Corequisite: CHEM 11b. Dropping CHEM 11b necessitates written permission from the lab instructor to continue with this course. May yield half-course credit toward rate of work and graduation. Two semester hour credits. Laboratory fee: $45 per semester. This course may not be taken for credit by students who have passed CHEM 19b in previous years.
The second semester of the general chemistry laboratory program. Continued use of probes interfaced with computers to monitor pH and electrical conductivity changes in titrating amino acids, to monitor pressure changes as part of a kinetics study, and to monitor voltage changes of electrochemical cells with temperature so as to establish thermodynamic parameters for redox reactions. Also microscale syntheses of coordination compounds is included followed by characterization of the compounds. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Dolnik
CHEM 19a Honors General Chemistry Laboratory I
Corequisite: CHEM 15a. Dropping CHEM 15a necessitates written permission from the lab instructor to continue with this course. May yield half-course credit toward rate of work and graduation. Two semester hour credits. Laboratory fee: $45 per semester. This course may not be taken for credit by students who have taken CHEM 18a in previous years.
An advanced version of CHEM 18a. One afternoon of laboratory per week. One laboratory lecture per week. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Dolnik
CHEM 19b Honors General Chemistry Laboratory II
Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade (C- or better) in CHEM 19a. Corequisite: CHEM 15b. Dropping CHEM 15b necessitates written permission from the lab instructor to continue with this course. May yield half-course credit toward rate of work and graduation. Two semester hour credits. Laboratory fee: $45 per semester. This course may not be taken for credit by students who have taken CHEM 18b in previous years.
Continuation of CHEM 19a. An advanced version of CHEM 18b. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Dolnik
CHEM 25a Organic Chemistry, Lectures
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Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade (C- or better) in CHEM 10b, 11b, 15b, or the equivalent.
Structure, reactions, preparations, and uses of the compounds of carbon. Three class hours and one 90-minute recitation per week. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Snider
CHEM 25b Organic Chemistry, Lectures
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Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade (C- or better) in CHEM 25a or its equivalent.
A continuation of CHEM 25a. Three class hours and one, 90-minute recitation per week. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Pochapsky
CHEM 29a Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade (C- or better) in CHEM 18b or 19b or the equivalent. Corequisite: CHEM 25a. Dropping CHEM 25a necessitates written permission from lab instructor to continue with this course. May yield half-course credit toward rate of work and graduation. Two semester hour credits. Laboratory fee: $45.
Gives experience in the important techniques of organic chemical laboratory practice of isolation and purification of organic compounds by crystallization, distillation, and chromatography, and their characterization using analytical and instrumental methods. One afternoon of laboratory per week. One 90-minute laboratory lecture per week. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Keehn
CHEM 29b Organic Chemistry Laboratory II
Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade (C- or better) in CHEM 29a or the equivalent. Corequisite: CHEM 25b. Dropping CHEM 25b necessitates written permission from lab instructor to continue with this course. May yield half-course credit toward rate of work and graduation. Two semester hour credits. Laboratory fee: $45.
A continuation of CHEM 29a with an emphasis on the synthesis of typical organic compounds. One afternoon of laboratory per week. One 90-minute laboratory lecture per week. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Deng
CHEM 33a Environmental Chemistry
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Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade (C- or better) in CHEM 10b, 11b, or 15b, or the equivalent.
The course surveys the important chemical principles and reactions that determine the balance of the molecular species that exists in the environment and how human activity affects this balance. Topics include the critical role of energy recources and production on energy sustainability, climate change, and pollution and the chemistry controlling the composition, acidity, and nutrients in the hydrosphere and lithosphere. Factors leading to changes in the natural equilibrium such as acid rain, excessive fertilization, and release of toxic metals and pesticides are presented. The class evaluates current issues of environmental concern such as ozone depletion, global warming, radioactivity, green chemistry, gasoline additives, and achemical pollutants to develop a balanced view between the rewards achieved and the risks posed to the environment and man by current technology. The goal is to provide the background and tools necessary for assessing the chemistry of the environment for use in seeking optimal solutions to complex environmental problems. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Rose
CHEM 39b Intermediate Chemistry Laboratory
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Prerequisites: Satisfactory grades (C- or better) in CHEM 121a or 122b, or permission of the instructor. Four semester-hour credits. Laboratory fee: $45 per semester.
In this lab the emphasis is on the synthetic inorganic chemistry. Compounds are synthesized and characterized by a wide range of instrumental methods of analysis (including GC-MS, IR, NMR.) The lectures cover the appropriate background for the synthetic experiments and the use of the instrumental methods. One afternoon of lab per week and one one-hour lecture per week. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Ozerov
CHEM 59a Advanced Experimental Chemistry
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Prerequisites: A satisfactory grade (C- or better) in CHEM 18b or equivalent; CHEM 41a or 41b (may be taken concurrently) or equivalent. Laboratory fee: $45 per semester.
CHEM 59a and b form a two-semester sequence, either half of which may be taken independently. CHEM 59a introduces the student to a number of topics of current interest in physical chemistry as well as providing experimental verification of chemical principles in thermodynamics, kinetics, macromolecules, semiconductors, nanochemistry, photochemistry and electrochemistry. The properties, reactions, and structure of compounds are understood by evaluating their physiochemical responses to changes in experimental conditions. The experiments use spectroscopy, chromatography, electrochemical and other instrumental methods employed in the modern chemical laboratory. The program includes the methodology of quantitative measurement, statistical data analysis, and report writing. One one-hour lecture and one afternoon of laboratory per week. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Rose
CHEM 59b Advanced Experimental Chemistry
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Prerequisites: A satisfactory grade (C- or better) in CHEM 18b or equivalent; CHEM 41a or b (may be taken concurrently) or equivalent. Laboratory fee: $45 per semester.
CHEM 59a and b form a two-semester sequence, either half of which may be taken independently. CHEM 59b exposes students to a variety of physiochemical phenomena, but with a strong central theme in spectroscopy. Starting with a general discussion of interaction of radiation with matter, it develops into fluorescence spectroscopy leading to rotational relaxation of proteins in solution, Raman scattering by vibrating molecules, laser spectroscopy of molecular iodine, nanosecond kinetics of excimer formation, and circular dichroism investigation of a helix-coil transition of a polypeptide. One, one-hour lecture and one afternoon of laboratory per week. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Chan
CHEM 95a Directed Studies in Chemistry
Prerequisites: CHEM 25a and 29a, or equivalent. Does not meet the major requirements in chemistry. Laboratory fee: $45 per semester. May not be repeated for credit. A designated library training component must be completed as soon as it is offered.
Readings and/or independent laboratory work. Periodic conferences with advisor and a final written report. CHEM 95a and 95b may be taken individually as one-semester courses or together as a year-long sequence. Usually offered every year.
Staff
CHEM 95b Directed Studies in Chemistry
Prerequisites: CHEM 25a and 29a, or equivalent. Does not meet the major requirements in chemistry. Laboratory fee: $45 per semester. May not be repeated for credit. A designated library training component must be completed as soon as it is offered.
Readings and/or independent laboratory work. Periodic conferences with advisor and a final written report. CHEM 95a and 95b may be taken individually as one-semester courses or together as a year-long sequence. Usually offered every year.
Staff
CHEM 99d Senior Research
Prerequisites: CHEM 41a, 59a or 59b, or equivalent, which may be taken concurrently. Open only to senior honors candidates. Does not meet the major requirements in chemistry. Laboratory fee: $45 per semester. A designated library training component must be completed as soon as it is offered. At the end of the first semester, the introduction to the research thesis with extensive bibliography is due.
A year-long course focused on a research project with a member of the department. Successful completion of the course will involve the writing of a detailed report on the project. Usually offered every year.
Staff
Chemistry Colloquium
Lectures by faculty and invited speakers. Required of all graduate students.
Noncredit.
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