Undergraduate Courses

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has a broad reach on campus, administering a degree program as well as classes for students in nursing, engineering, physics, biology, pre-med, and other disciplines. At any given time, 500 to 1,000 undergraduates are enrolled in the various classes we offer, with about 90 of those students pursuing one of our three undergraduate majors:

• Bachelor of Science in Chemistry
• Bachelor of Science in Chemistry (teaching option)
• Bachelor of Science in Chemistry (Biochemistry option)

Our degree program - certified by the American Chemical Society - is diverse and flexible, allowing students to tailor studies to their interests. All coursework is career- and employment-directed, preparing students for diverse careers in industry, teaching, and research.

Instruction in our department emphasizes modern concepts and methods, with extensive use of state-of-the-art instrumentation and computer-aided problem solving. All undergraduate majors participate in research in one of the four areas of synthesis, spectroscopy, mechanism, or structure. Study is also enriched through interdisciplinary instruction and research in cooperation with other university departments. Working with students in bioengineering, physics, cellular biology, neurosciences, microbiology, and the WWAMI medical education program, our undergraduates can explore nanomaterials, optical technology, thermal biology, biofilm engineering, and computer modeling of proteins and nucleic acids.