Overview

In addition, Manchester's chemistry program offers the non-science major sufficient chemical knowledge to be a competent citizen in an increasingly technical society.

Education

One distinct aspect of a Manchester education is the liberal arts emphasis. Students develop skills in reasoning and thinking that enable them to communicate more effectively and to be problem solvers. These traits pave the way for successful careers in a rapidly changing world.

The Chemistry program at Manchester University  has a long and respected tradition of producing a high percentage of graduates who go on for Ph.D.s. A recent survey of liberal arts colleges which produce doctoral graduates indicates that Manchester ranks 25th in the nation among the 900 studied.

Historically, Manchester chemistry graduates who apply to graduate programs are accepted and do well in those programs. Two well known Manchester chemistry graduates are Roy Plunkett, who invented Teflon® for the Dupont company, and Paul Flory, who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry.

The department of chemistry, housed on the third floor of the Science Center, includes labs and classrooms equipped computers, software, and video and demonstration equipment. Instrumentation includes gas chromatography-mass spectrometer, gas chromatograph, atomic absorption, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer (proton and carbon), Raman spectrophotometer, ultraviolet-visible spectrometer, high performance liquid chromatograph, cyclic voltammetry, flourescence spectrophotomer, DNA sequencer. Students taking chemistry courses use many of these instruments as early as their first year of college.