Overview
The department of Chemistry offers Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Chemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Graduates holding the B.S. degree in Chemistry qualify in many fields as: teachers of Chemistry, supervisors in industry, technical sales personnel, and research chemists in federal, state, municipal, academic, or industrial laboratories. Students with high scholastic standing often continue with graduate work, where they may explore more thoroughly the specialized areas of chemistry in which they are interested.
The B.A. degree is useful for students who intend to pursue studies in parallel areas, such as secondary school teaching, to obtain additional majors, minors, or for pursuing professional school (such as medical, dental, or pharmacy school) outside of Chemistry. The B.S. degree is recommended for students who wish to pursue graduate studies or a research career in Chemistry.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon graduation students should:
- have firm foundations in the fundamentals and application of current chemical theories.
- be able to design, carry-out, record, and analyze the results of chemical experiments.
- use modern instrumentation and classical techniques to identify and solve chemical problems as well as explore new areas of research.
- communicate the results of their work to chemists, as well as non-chemists.
- understand the ethical and environmental dimensions of problems and issues facing chemists.
- follow the proper procedures and regulations for safe storage, labeling, use of chemicals, and disposal of chemicals.
- be able to use chemical literature (perform searches for, read, evaluate, and appropriately cite publications)
- be skilled in problem solving, critical thinking, and analytical reasoning.
These skills may be applied to careers in education and industry; in professions such as law, medicine, environmental sciences, and forensic sciences. The curricula in Chemistry are approved by the American Chemical Society (ACS). Students who complete the program obtain an ACS certified baccalaureate degree provided they also take one Biochemistry course, typically BBMB 301 Survey of Biochemistry, BBMB 316 Principles of Biochemistry or BBMB 404 Biochemistry I and BBMB 405 Biochemistry II.
Liberal arts majors who wish to transfer into Chemistry at the end of their second year may still complete all degree requirements and graduate within five years.
Undergraduate students seeking the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Chemistry have the following courses in their degree programs as minimum requirements:
| CHEM 177 & CHEM 178 | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry II | 5-7 |
| or CHEM 201 | Advanced General Chemistry | |
| CHEM 177L | Laboratory in General Chemistry I | 1 |
| or CHEM 177N | Laboratory in General Chemistry I | |
| or CHEM 201L | Laboratory in Advanced General Chemistry | |
| CHEM 211 | Quantitative and Environmental Analysis | 2 |
| CHEM 211L | Quantitative and Environmental Analysis Laboratory | 2 |
| CHEM 301 | Inorganic Chemistry | 2 |
| CHEM 316 | Instrumental Methods of Chemical Analysis | 2 |
| CHEM 316L | Instrumental Analysis Laboratory | 2 |
| CHEM 322L | Laboratory in Physical Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 324 | Introductory Quantum Mechanics | 3 |
| CHEM 325 | Chemical Thermodynamics | 3 |
| CHEM 331 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 332 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 331L | Laboratory in Organic Chemistry I | 1 |
| or CHEM 333L | Laboratory in Organic Chemistry I (for Chemistry and Biochemistry Majors) | |
| CHEM 332L | Laboratory in Organic Chemistry II | 1 |
| or CHEM 334L | Laboratory in Organic Chemistry II (for Chemistry and Biochemistry Majors) | |
| CHEM 402 | Advanced Inorganic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 401L | Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| Two advanced Chemistry courses (min 4 credits) | 4-6 | |
| The following are required as supporting work: | ||
| ENGL 150 | Critical Thinking and Communication | 3 |
| ENGL 250 | Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition | 3 |
| or ENGL 250H | Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition: Honors | |
| ENGL 314 | Technical Communication | 3 |
| LIB 160 | Introduction to College Level Research | 1 |
| MATH 165 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH 166 | Calculus II | 4 |
| MATH 265 | Calculus III | 4 |
| PHYS 231 | Introduction to Classical Physics I | 4 |
| PHYS 231L | Introduction to Classical Physics I Laboratory | 1 |
| PHYS 232 | Introduction to Classical Physics II | 4 |
| PHYS 232L | Introduction to Classical Physics II Laboratory | 1 |
Plus a world language requirement.
Communication Proficiency requirement: According to the university-wide Communication Proficiency Grade Requirement, students must demonstrate their communication proficiency by earning a grade of C or better in ENGL 250. The Department requires a grade of C– or better in ENGL 314.
CHEM 399 Undergraduate Research or CHEM 499 Senior Research is strongly recommended. Credits earned in 399/499/490 may only be used to meet one of the advanced course requirements.
Chemistry majors seeking certification to teach Chemistry in secondary schools must meet the requirements of the College of Human Sciences as well as those of the Chemistry program. In addition, they must apply formally for admission to the teacher education program.
Undergraduate students seeking the Bachelor of Arts (B.A) degree in Chemistry have the following courses in their degree programs as minimum requirements:
| One of the following sequences: | 6-8 | |
| General Chemistry I and General Chemistry II and Laboratory in General Chemistry I | ||
or CHEM 177N | Laboratory in General Chemistry I | |
| General Chemistry for Engineering Students and General Chemistry II and Laboratory in General Chemistry for Engineering | ||
| Advanced General Chemistry and Laboratory in Advanced General Chemistry | ||
| CHEM 211 | Quantitative and Environmental Analysis | 2 |
| CHEM 211L | Quantitative and Environmental Analysis Laboratory | 2 |
| CHEM 301 | Inorganic Chemistry | 2 |
| CHEM 316 | Instrumental Methods of Chemical Analysis | 2 |
| CHEM 316L | Instrumental Analysis Laboratory | 2 |
| CHEM 324 | Introductory Quantum Mechanics | 3 |
| CHEM 321L | Laboratory in Physical Chemistry | 2-3 |
| or CHEM 322L | Laboratory in Physical Chemistry | |
| CHEM 325 | Chemical Thermodynamics | 3 |
| CHEM 331 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 331L | Laboratory in Organic Chemistry I | 1 |
| CHEM 332 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 332L | Laboratory in Organic Chemistry II | 1 |
| The following are required as supporting work: | 12 | |
| ENGL 150 | Critical Thinking and Communication | 3 |
| ENGL 250 | Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition | 3 |
| or ENGL 250H | Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition: Honors | |
| ENGL 314 | Technical Communication | 3 |
| LIB 160 | Introduction to College Level Research | 1 |
| Calculus I | ||
| Calculus II | ||
| PHYS 231 | Introduction to Classical Physics I | 4 |
| PHYS 231L | Introduction to Classical Physics I Laboratory | 1 |
| PHYS 232 | Introduction to Classical Physics II | 4 |
| PHYS 232L | Introduction to Classical Physics II Laboratory | 1 |
Chemistry, B.A.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| CHEM 177 or 2011,2,F | 4-5 | CHEM 1782 | 3 |
| CHEM 177N or 201L2,F | 1 | CHEM 101 | 1 |
| CHEM 1013 | 1 | CHEM 211 | 2 |
| MATH 165 | 4 | CHEM 211L | 2 |
| ENGL 150 | 3 | MATH 166 | 4 |
| LIB 160 | 1 | Electives | 3 |
| Electives | |||
| 14-15 | 15 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| CHEM 331 | 3 | CHEM 332 | 3 |
| CHEM 333LF,2 | 2 | CHEM 334L2,5 | 2 |
| CHEM 110 | 1 | ENGL 250 | 3 |
| PHYS 231 | 4 | PHYS 2322 | 4 |
| PHYS 231L | 1 | PHYS 232L2 | 1 |
| Electives | 3 | Electives | 3 |
| 14 | 16 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| CHEM 324 or 325 | 3 | CHEM 325 or 324 | 3 |
| World Language - first semester of any world language accepted4 | 4 | CHEM 321LS | 2 |
| Electives | 9 | CHEM 301S | 2 |
| World Language - second semester4 | 4 | ||
| CHEM 550 (strongly recommended)S | 1 | ||
| Electives | 3 | ||
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| CHEM 316F | 2 | BBMB 301 (strongly recommended) | 3 |
| CHEM 316LF | 2 | CHEM 399 (strongly recommended) | 0 |
| ENGL 314 | 3 | Electives | 12 |
| Electives | 8 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| 1 | Advanced high school chemistry and strong algebra skills are necessary for success in CHEM 201. Math ACT of 24 or greater is strongly recommended. |
| 2 | Students may substitute the following courses, if necessary:
|
| 3 | Required of Chemistry Learning Community Members. |
| 4 | Completion of three years of foreign language in high school fulfills this requirement. |
| F | Class offered Fall Semester only. |
| S | Class offered Spring Semester only. |
Individuals earning a B.A. degree in Chemistry who have taken 331L, 334L and 322L can obtain American Chemical Society certification by taking an additional advanced chemistry lecture course of BBMB 301 or 404. CHEM 550 may not be used to satisfy the Advanced Chemistry requirement. |
Chemistry, B.S.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| CHEM 177 or 2011,2,F | 4-5 | CHEM 1781,2 | 3 |
| CHEM 177N or 201L2,F | 1 | CHEM 211 | 2 |
| CHEM 101 (required for LC members) | 1 | CHEM 211L | 2 |
| MATH 165 | 4 | CHEM 101 | 1 |
| ENGL 150 | 3 | MATH 166 | 4 |
| LIB 160 | 1 | Electives | 3 |
| Electives | |||
| 14-15 | 15 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| CHEM 331 | 3 | CHEM 332 | 3 |
| CHEM 333L2,F | 2 | CHEM 334L2,S | 2 |
| CHEM 110F | 1 | ENGL 250 | 3 |
| MATH 265 | 4 | PHYS 232 | 4 |
| Electives | PHYS 232L | 1 | |
| PHYS 231 | 4 | Electives | 3 |
| PHYS 231L | 1 | ||
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| CHEM 325 or 324 | 3 | CHEM 324 or 325 | 3 |
| CHEM 316F | 2 | CHEM 322LS | 3 |
| CHEM 316LF | 2 | CHEM 301S | 2 |
| World Language - first semester of any world language accepted3 | 4 | World Language - second semester3 | 4 |
| Electives | 5 | CHEM 550 (strongly recommended)S | 1 |
| Electives | 3 | ||
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| CHEM 402F | 3 | CHEM 401LS | 1 |
| ENGL 314 | 3 | Advanced Chemistry5,6 | 4-5 |
| Electives | 9 | BBMB 301 (strongly recommended) | 3 |
| CHEM 399 (strongly recommended, credits variable) | 0 | ||
| Electives | 6 | ||
| 15 | 14-15 | ||
| 1 | Advanced high school chemistry and strong algebra skills are necessary for success in CHEM 201. Math ACT of 24 or greater is strongly recommended. |
| 2 | Students may substitute the following courses, if necessary:
|
| 3 | Completion of three years of foreign language in high school fulfills this requirement. |
| 4 | The completion of two courses (minimum of 2 credits each) are required to meet this requirement. (In addition to advanced Chemistry courses, certain courses in Biochemistry-Biophysics, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics and Materials Science and Engineering are acceptable.) Up to four credits in undergraduate research (CHEM 339 and/or 499) can be counted as one of the two advanced chemistry courses. CHEM 550 may not be used to satisfy the Advanced Chemistry requirement. |
| 5 | The program as listed above meets the standard for a certified degree of the American Chemical Society's Committee on Professional Training if BBMB 301 or 404 is one of the Advanced Chemistry Courses. |
| F | Class offered Fall Semester only. |
| S | Class offered Spring Semester only. |
Chemistry Minor
The Department offers a minor in chemistry which may be earned by credit in:
| CHEM 177 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 177L | Laboratory in General Chemistry I | 1 |
| or | ||
| CHEM 167 & 167L | General Chemistry for Engineering Students and Laboratory in General Chemistry for Engineering | 5 |
| CHEM 178 | General Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 211 | Quantitative and Environmental Analysis | 2 |
| CHEM 211L | Quantitative and Environmental Analysis Laboratory | 2 |
| CHEM 324 | Introductory Quantum Mechanics | 3 |
| CHEM 331 & CHEM 332 | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry II | 3-6 |
| or CHEM 231 | Elementary Organic Chemistry | |
| CHEM 331L & CHEM 332L | Laboratory in Organic Chemistry I and Laboratory in Organic Chemistry II | 1-2 |
| or CHEM 231L | Laboratory in Elementary Organic Chemistry | |
| And one of the following: | 2-5 | |
| Inorganic Chemistry | ||
| Instrumental Methods of Chemical Analysis and Instrumental Analysis Laboratory | ||
| Chemical Thermodynamics and Laboratory in Physical Chemistry | ||
or CHEM 322L | Laboratory in Physical Chemistry | |
| Organic Chemistry II and Laboratory in Organic Chemistry II | ||
The total minimum credits in Chemistry thus will be 20 to 23 depending on which advanced courses are selected. The minor must include at least 9 credits that are not used to meet any other department, college, or university requirement.
The concurrent Chemistry/MBA program is designed to be completed in five academic years, with three years of undergraduate coursework followed by two years of MBA studies alongside the remaining undergraduate courses.
Concurrent students are part of the full-time MBA program. Admission to the concurrent MBA program is competitive. You should apply during your junior year. Successful candidates demonstrate superior academic ability, strong leadership attributes, and clear career focus. Previous business coursework is not a requirement for application.
Internships, co-op experiences, extracurricular, and leadership activities are highly valued in the MBA candidate selection process. However, you aren’t required to have additional coursework in business in preparing for the MBA.
Admitted students typically have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above and have scored 600 or higher on the GMAT exam or GRE equivalent. If you’re interested in the concurrent MBA program, you should apply by March 15 of your junior year to be considered for scholarships and assistantships. The final application deadline is June 1.
Graduate Programs
The Department offers work for the degrees Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy with majors in Chemistry, Analytical, Inorganic, Organic, and Physical chemistry. Co-majors may be taken between areas within Chemistry or between one of the areas in Chemistry and another department. Courses in other areas of Chemistry as well as courses in other departments may be used to satisfy the requirement for coursework outside the major field. A Ph.D. student in Chemistry may choose an additional specialty in one of six areas: Materials Chemistry, Industrial Chemistry, Biomolecular Sciences, Chemistry Education, Chemical Instrumentation, and Forensic Chemistry. A minimum of ten credits is required for each additional specialty. A course which counts towards an additional specialty may also count toward the outside course requirement. A minor in Chemistry is available to students in other departments. The Department participates in the interdepartmental major in Toxicology.
The Department of Chemistry requires all graduate students majoring in Chemistry to teach as part of their training for an advanced degree. Prerequisite to major graduate work is the completion of undergraduate work in Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics substantially equivalent to that required of undergraduate Chemistry majors at this institution.