Program Description
You will be a sought-after candidate for scientific careers or graduate programs, thanks to professional research and presentation experience, and close faculty mentorship.
This active and collaborative program will prepare you for what’s next. You start collecting chemical knowledge and skills through core courses and shadowing faculty and upper-level student researchers. As a sophomore, you will start helping with authentic, real-world research projects – experience many biochemistry students don’t get until graduate programs. This is possible thanks to the individual attention you get in our small classes and our well-equipped research laboratories.
Learning Goals/Outcomes
- Describe the laws and theories of chemistry pertaining to the properties of matter, chemical reactions and their stoichiometry, properties of gases, solution chemistry and acid/base chemistry.
- Describe the chemistry of organic molecules including functional group structure and properties, structure and stereochemistry of alkanes, nucleophilic substitution and elimination reactions of 233 alkyl halides, the structure/synthesis/reactions of alkenes, alcohols, aromatic compounds, amines, carboxylic acids, carboxylic acid derivatives and aldehydes/ketones.
- Summarize chemical thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, and quantum mechanics and relate this information to modern day chemistry.
- Develop the language, terms and critical thinking/problem solving skills to use and understand analytical instrumentation used in chemistry and biochemistry today.
- Acquire the necessary laboratory skills, including knowledge of laboratory safety, proper laboratory behavior, and to be functional with laboratory equipment and techniques.
- Describe the chemistry of inorganic compounds, to include symmetry and group theory, molecular orbital theory, coordination chemistry, main group element chemistry and the chemistry of the solid state.
- Describe metabolism (including signaling mechanisms, basic biochemistry of DNA and RNA and mechanisms of control of gene expression), protein structure-function and laboratory techniques used in biochemical research.
- Garner information and critically analyze information (Information Literacy skills in general).
- Effectively communicate in written formats germane to the sciences.
- Successfully use their garnered research skills to probe new avenues of scientific inquiry.
Curriculum: 4 years, 126-129 credits
| First Year | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| FYS 100 | Pathways Seminar | 1 |
| WRIT 101 | Writing Sem I: Written Comm. | 3 |
| AVIS 101 | American Visions | 3 |
| CHEM 103 & 103L |
Chemistry I and Chemistry I Lab |
4 |
| BIOL 103 & 103L |
Biology I and Biology I Lab |
4 |
| MATH 111 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH 112 | Calculus II | 4 |
| CHEM 104 & 104L |
Chemistry II and Chemistry II Lab |
4 |
| BIOL 104 & 104L |
Biology II and Biology II Lab |
4 |
| Credits | 31 | |
| Second Year | ||
| ETHIC 2XX | Ethics | 3 |
| WRIT 201 | Writing Seminar II:Multi Comm | 3 |
| GDIV 1XX | Global Diversity | 3 |
| MATH 331 | Math Methods in Chem,Phys&Eng | 3 |
| PHYC 201 | Physics I | 3 |
| PHYC 201L | Physics I Lab | 1 |
| CHEM 201 & 201L |
Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Lab |
4 |
| PHYC 203 | Phys II: Waves, Elec, & Mag | 3 |
| PHYC 203L | Physics II Lab | 1 |
| CHEM 202 & 202L |
Organic Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry II Lab |
4 |
| General Electives | 6 | |
| Credits | 34 | |
| Third Year | ||
| ADIV 1XX | American Diversity | 3 |
| GCIT 2XX | Global Citizenship | 3 |
| CGIS 300 | Contemporary Global Issues | 3 |
| ISEM 3XX | Integrative Seminar | 3 |
| BCHM 312 | Biochemistry: Proteins | 3 |
| BCHM 312L | Biochemistry: Proteins Lab | 1 |
| BCHM 313 | Biochemistry:Metabolism | 3 |
| BCHM 313L | Biochemistry: Metabolism Lab | 1 |
| CHEM 305 | Physical Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 305L | Physical Chemistry 1 Lab | 1 |
| CHEM 306 | Physical Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 306L | Physical Chemistry II Lab | 1 |
| ADV Chemistry Elective | 3-4 | |
| Credits | 31-32 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| PHIL 499 | Philosophies of the Good Life | 3 |
| CHEM 309 | Inorganic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 309L | Inorganic Chemistry Lab | 1 |
| CHEM 323 | Instrumental Meth of Analysis | 3 |
| CHEM 323L | Instrmntl Meth of Analysis Lab | 1 |
| Advanced Chemistry Electives | 9-12 | |
| General Electives | 9 | |
| Credits | 29-32 | |
| Total Credits | 125-129 | |