Chemistry and Biochemistry Department

Meet the Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty
Chemistry and Biochemistry Webpage

The Chemistry and Biochemistry Department provides students with the opportunity to develop a strong foundation in chemical principles and their laboratory applications. The departement offers multiple majors and minors.

Three courses of study are offered:

B.S. in Chemistry. This program provides chemistry students with a foundation in a variety of chemical subdisciplines. Graduation from this program leads to a degree that is approved by the ACS and requires both a research experience and a written thesis. This program is recommended for students interested in the health professions, chemical industry and graduate study in chemistry or related fields.
B.S. in Biochemistry. This program is an interdisciplinary major incorporating selected courses in chemistry and biology, as well as courses in physics and mathematics, to give students a well-rounded grounding in Biochemistry. This program is excellent preparation for careers in the health professions or for graduate studies not only in biochemistry but also in related fields.
B.S. in Chemistry-Business. This program offers an interdisciplinary degree that combines both conceptual and practical aspects of Chemistry with those of Business. All students electing this major will have a broad base of training in Chemistry and Business followed by a deeper specialization in either Chemistry or Business which will be chosen based on the student’s skill sets and career interests.

Instrumentation is very important in modern chemical practice. Available instruments within the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department or in the SAInT center include: MALDI mass spectrometer, atomic force microscope (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), HR mass spectrometer, total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen analyzer, ultraviolet/visible spectrophotometers, Fourier transform infrared spectrometers, 500 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, atomic absorption spectrometer, X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF), luminescence spectrometer, gas chromatographs, high performance liquid chromatographs, magnetic susceptibility balance, polarimeters, electrochemical analyzer, thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA), differential scanning colorimeter (DSC), isothermal titration calorimeter (ITC), nano DSC, fast protein liquid chromatograph (FPLC), lyophilizer, and a gel electrophoresis system. Additionally, the high performance computing center gives students access to a cutting edge resource for high-level calculations that is utilized in both the classroom and research. The HPCC is comprised of 21 nodes with 20 terabytes of global storage. Numerous scientific software packages are also available.

The Chemistry and Biochemistry Department has laboratories for instruction in the basic Chemistry courses, as well as research laboratories, stockrooms, seminar rooms, and computer facilities. Advanced laboratories are designed to allow flexibility in selecting experiments and conducting special projects. Advanced students have opportunities for course credit through external internships and independent research projects under faculty supervision.

Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry: Students scoring a 4 or a 5 on the AP exam are granted three credits for CHEM 040 .

Students must earn a C- or better in any Chemistry course listed as a prerequisite for the following Chemistry courses: CHEM 225 , CHEM 226 , CHEM 240 , CHEM 310 , CHEM 311 , CHEM 315 , CHEM 320 , CHEM 340 , CHEM 415 , CHEM 425 , CHEM 426 , CHEM 427 , CHEM 428 , and CHEM 429 .

Programs

Bachelor of Science

Minor

Courses

Chemistry and Biochemistry