Chemistry Major (CHE)

Chemistry is everywhere! Actually everything we see, hear, taste, touch, and smell has a firm basis in chemistry. The high quality of life that we experience today is due in no small part to many significant chemical discoveries over the past 150 years. Chemistry, as a pure science, seeks to describe and make comprehensible the nature and transformations of matter. As an applied science, it provides society with knowledge and tools to achieve its material purposes. By coupling creative thought and critical thinking skills with experimentation, the study of chemistry contributes to a liberal arts education. The courses in Chemistry are designed to emphasize the fundamental principles of the science, to reflect its interdisciplinary nature, and to develop experimental skill.

Because chemistry is the “central” science, a wide variety of opportunities awaits those with training in this field. The chemistry department offers a program meeting the needs of students pursuing a variety of study and career options in the chemical sciences. Included are students who anticipate careers as:

• Professional chemists in industrial research or as environmental chemists for the government or industry
• Healthcare professionals in the medical sciences, such as medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, or biomedical research
• Chemical engineers or materials scientists
• Secondary science teachers or college professors
• Individuals who desire knowledge of chemistry as part of their liberal arts experience; several graduates have chosen careers in the fields of law, religion, and business

The Department of Chemistry has “approved” status by the American Chemical Society. This prestigious recognition is granted to less than one-quarter of the nation’s colleges and universities. The ACS promotes excellence in chemistry education for undergraduate students through approval of baccalaureate chemistry programs.

Current students and graduates will:

• demonstrate a core of knowledge in inorganic, organic, biological, analytical, and physical chemistry
• demonstrate basic laboratory skills and the ability to select and utilize appropriate instrumentation to conduct scientific investigations and analyses (CHE and BCH)
• communicate competently, in the form of an oral presentation, the results of literature research and laboratory experimentation.

For more information about the Chemistry major leading to a teaching certification, please contact the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education.

DEGREE TYPE: BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (BS)

PROGRAM CONTACT: PROFESSOR TODD HAMILTON

Students majoring in Chemistry must choose one track.