About

Students who desire chemistry as a major in the programs of premedicine, predentistry and prelaw, or as training for many professional or industrial positions, may elect this program. Ample opportunity in the choice of electives is provided for students who are planning to obtain positions such as the following: technical secretaries, technical librarians, technical sales personnel, chemical patent lawyers, and criminologists. Additional collateral work may be necessary if this program is presented for admission to a school of graduate studies.Chemistry is the science concerned with the properties, composition, structure, and reactivity of matter. Synthesis of new organic and inorganic compounds and materials is central to chemistry and is complemented by efforts to develop analytical methods and instrumentation needed to identify and characterize these substances. Studies of reaction rates, thermodynamics, and molecular structure contribute to a deeper understanding of chemical transformations, providing a basis for optimization of known reactions and discovery of new reactions.

The work of chemists is not limited to laboratory experiments. Computational approaches are increasingly important tools in understanding molecular structure and reactivity, designing new materials, and discovering new drugs. The molecular-level understanding provided by chemistry plays an important role in interdisciplinary research to solve complex problems in medicine, energy capture and storage, advanced materials, and environmental science. Chemists find employment in education, government, and diverse industries including but not limited to pharmaceuticals, agrichemicals, consumer products, polymers, electronics, food, and biotechnology. Study of chemistry at the undergraduate and graduate level also provides an excellent foundation for post-graduate study in medicine, public policy and patent law.