Apr 05, 2024

Chemistry majors at St. Bonaventure University now have a third opportunity for automatic acceptance into a doctoral chemistry program upon graduation from SBU.

An articulation agreement between St. Bonaventure and North Dakota State University (NDSU) grants students who earn a B.S. in chemistry from St. Bonaventure automatic acceptance in the Ph.D. in chemistry program at NDSU provided they have an overall GPA of 3.2 and a letter of support from the SBU Chemistry Department chair.

St. Bonaventure has similar automatic acceptance agreements with Ph.D. chemistry programs at University at Buffalo and University of Rhode Island.

“I am excited that we have yet another avenue to propel our students toward valuable graduate degrees,” said Dr. Scott Simpson, professor of chemistry and department chair. “Given the premium undergraduate education provided by our faculty and facilities at SBU, larger research institutions like NDSU acknowledge this and desire our students to be researchers who can hit the ground running.”

Dr. Katsu Ogawa, assistant professor of chemistry at SBU, spearheaded the agreement between the two universities. 

“North Dakota State is sort of a hole-in-the-wall institution with a very high-quality Ph.D. program,” Ogawa said. “The faculty and graduate students constantly present their research at American Chemistry Society national meetings. Multiple faculty members have over 100 publications on their records. Fargo is a decent-sized city with a low cost of living, and there are a lot of opportunities for fun activities. It is one of the best places to get a Ph.D. in chemistry.”

Students in North Dakota State’s Ph.D. in chemistry program receive free tuition, health and other benefits, and a stipend of approximately $24,000, with the potential to garner additional stipends based on academic performance.

Upon application to NDSU, when it is determined that a student has met the special admission criteria an immediate letter of acceptance is issued.

A maximum of five students a year will be accepted by NDSU through this agreement. Students who do not meet the program’s criteria may still be considered for acceptance by NDSU on a standard case-by-case basis.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #6 for value and #14 for innovation by U.S. News and World Report (2024).