I concur with both of these posts. Being retired from the plastics and polymer business as a chemist in my "previous life" I have witnessed a steady decline in the original intent of this department and program. What was originally designed to train not only PhD candidates but undergrads and associate degree seekers to help populate a need for engineers, chemists and technicians slowly changed to a highly PhD driven program with most candidates from overseas. My company, as well as several other prominent Polymer companies donated cash and equipment, plus co-op opportunities and internships, hoping to see a return in employable, polymer science trained candidates for our industry. Even the American Chemical Society and it's Rubber Division, as well as the local Rubber Groups professional societies endorsed the programs and also provided financial support. But that supply dwindled as did support, as a lot of the rubber, plastics and polymer companies left the area. When we attended our daughter's graduation 5 years back the Polymer Science doctoral stoles were awarded, and reading the abstracts of their doctoral theses I was bemused at the subject matter and research, and thought how far away from the original intent they had strayed. And Hilltopper is right, it was a school top-heavy in Profs.