Chemistry Department

The Chemistry Department is accredited by the American Chemical Society and offers majors in Chemistry, emphasizing foundational and advanced courses in all disciplines of chemistry within the framework of a liberal arts education. In addition to course work, students have the opportunity to conduct independent research with faculty. Graduates from our department have found employment at government labs and in industry, some have continued on to graduate school for Ph.D.s in chemistry and biochemistry and others have entered medical school and dental school for further studies.

Chemistry faculty (rather than teaching assistants) personally teach laboratory classes, which are typically small and interactive. The Department is well-equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation, including GC-MS, FT-IR, NMR, fluorimetry, HPLC, FPLC, AA, electrochemistry and UV/vis. Our students get hands-on time with our instrumentation in all lab courses, regardless of level. Lecture classes are also small, with upper division courses in chemistry generally having no more than 10-15 students per class.

As chemistry department faculty, we take pride in the fact that we know our students’ names and have an open-door policy. We encourage interaction and discussion in the classroom, and feel that the one-on-one interaction with students allows us to provide the highest quality scientific education possible. Students graduate from our rigorous programs with a well-rounded sense of the field of chemistry, and the majority of our graduates pursue post-graduate work in chemistry or medicine.