Chemistry
About our programs
- Students will be able to address a scientific problem and present a solution in a written and oral format to a scientific audience.
- Students will have the knowledge to succeed in graduate school, professional school or professional employment.
- Students will be able to apply modern lab techniques to the solution of chemical problems.
- Students will be able to succinctly define the term “Chemistry” and explain its significance a relevance to the modern world.
Provides a framework of scientific courses that serves as a preparation for a number of interdisciplinary professions. The traditional B.S. chemistry curriculum has been modified in the B.A. program, most notably in mathematics, physics and advanced chemistry. The program is sufficiently flexible to afford a wide selection of courses in the humanities while providing the science courses necessary for the many careers that either require or benefit from a substantial background in science (dentistry, medicine, patent law, pharmaceutical sales or veterinary medicine, to name a few).
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Follows a curriculum with requirements similar to those of the B.S. chemistry degree program, but with special emphasis on additional course work in biology and biochemistry that satisfies the needs of students who anticipate careers in the life sciences. A mark of distinction and rigor is the program's focus on research. Each student is encouraged to conduct a research project that normally includes a ten-week summer period following the junior year and culminates with the submission of a research thesis and the presentation of a seminar.
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Certified by the American Chemical Society for the training of professional chemists. Qualified students may participate in cooperative education following the completion of the sophomore year. Each student in the program is encouraged to conduct original research, which begins with selection of a research professor and project, usually during the second term of the junior year. The research project, conducted during the entire senior year, culminates in the final term with the submission of an acceptable thesis and presentation of a departmental seminar. With prior approval, cooperative education students may substitute work experience for research.
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Provides a solid foundation for careers in medicine, pharmacy and forensic science, and is especially appropriate for students with strong interests in drug design and compounds of pharmaceutical significance. Faculty-directed research projects are optional, but strongly encouraged. They are similar in design to those described for the B.S. degree in chemistry and ordinarily involve laboratory experiences in synthetic or analytical chemistry.
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Enables the pursuit of a master's degree with a focus in biochemistry, organic, inorganic, analytical or physical chemistry. With this flexibility comes opportunity. Our graduates are prepared to continue scholarly pursuits and enter a Ph.D. program. Many leverage the degree for professional growth. This program has a thesis and non thesis option.
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Allows academically gifted students the opportunity to obtain both a BS and MS degree in a shorter amount of time than would normally be required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Opportunities for our graduates include careers in Analytical, Organic and Medicinal Chemistry, Biochemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Dentistry, Law, Chemical Sales, Education, Medicine, Optometry, Veterinary Medicine, Industrial Management, Forensic Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Research, Public Health, Pharmacology, Pharmacy, Materials Research, Biomedical Research, Nanotechnology Research and Polymer Chemistry, among many others. Approximately two-thirds of our graduating seniors immediately go on to pursue graduate-level studies in medicine, chemistry, biochemistry and many other related fields. Our graduate outcomes are impressive. Since 1992, seven of our graduates who subsequently earned Ph.D.'s now hold faculty appointments at other colleges or universities, including Vanderbilt University, Morehead State University, and Eastern Michigan University.
Students planning to become professional chemists usually follow the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) program. The curriculum meets the requirements of the American Chemical Society for the training of professional chemists, though many of our BS students go on to graduate studies in medicine, pharmacology, biochemistry, medicinal chemistry, and related fields. Students interested in medicine, dentistry and other health-related careers who want more flexibility have found the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) program a fine preparation for professional schools. Due to the broader range of available electives, scientifically oriented students who plan careers in areas such as law, business or secondary education will find it possible to tailor course work to their own needs and objectives in the BA program.
Generally speaking, industrial chemists are responsible for research, discovery, development and improvement of chemical processes on a laboratory scale while chemical engineers tend to deal with facilities design and management issues related to moving newly developed chemical processes to large-scale production. Scientists and engineers are both needed for any successful industrial chemical enterprise, but their roles are quite different.
Our program is designed to provide especially desirable candidates for graduate and professional schools in the life sciences and to meet current technical demands in the biomedical, pharmaceutical and agricultural research communities. Our students engage in a program of rigorous courses in chemistry, biochemistry, biology, physics and mathematics as well as liberal arts courses that help broaden perspectives and facilitate understanding of societal issues. The program's faculty-mentored research thesis requirement is designed to develop advanced laboratory skills in an environment that supports independent and team-oriented approaches to biochemical research. Our program also attracts and graduates many outstanding pre-medical students who have gone on to medical schools such as Case Western, Ohio State, University of Cincinnati and many others.
It depends on the level of the course. Our first year chemistry classes are always the largest, since they are taken by all students in the sciences and engineering at UD as well as certain students in education and related disciplines. These courses range from 70-90 students per lecture section. However, the lab courses that accompany these classes rarely exceed 18 students per section. Second year courses, including organic chemistry and quantitative analysis, are smaller, usually 30-60 students per section. Labs are again held to 18 students or less. Third year courses like physical chemistry and biochemistry are smaller still and may have as few as a dozen students. Finally, our senior level classes--usually advanced electives--are generally quite small, from 2 to 6 students, and the capstone course for our BS degrees, "Research and Thesis", is often a one-on-one laboratory experience between student and professor.
In addition to technical courses in chemistry, biochemistry, physics and mathematics, our majors also take many courses in the humanities, arts and social sciences as part of our general education requirements. The Department has a long tradition of commitment to teaching excellence and a cutting-edge curriculum that includes faculty-mentored research experiences for all students within the general framework of a liberal education in the Marianist tradition.
Our facilities occupy most of the four floors of the Wohlleben wing of UD's Science Center complex. Our state-of-the-art instructional labs, equipped with Fourier Transform (FT) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers and computer-interface lab experiment modules, are among the finest to be found anywhere . Upper-level students gain hands-on experience with a Bruker 300 MHz FT NMR, high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), a GC-mass spectrometer system (GC-MS), a laser Raman system, as well as Fourier transform (FT) infrared, fluorescence and ultraviolet spectrometers. Desktop and mainframe computer access and high-speed parallel computing clusters are also available for studies in computational chemistry. Specialized equipment supporting research in X-ray crystallography, biochemistry, nanotechnology, inorganic and organic synthesis and electroanalytical studies are also available, including scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) equipment in UD’s Nano Engineering Science and Technology (NEST) Center.

We’d love to meet with you. Schedule an academic appointment by calling our department at 937-229-2631 or email us at mgoodrich1@udayton.edu If you’d like to schedule a general campus visit or tour, learn about the options available through the link below.