Chemistry

The Chemistry Department offers the opportunity for students to excel by providing the latest information and technology in both the lecture and laboratory settings. A comprehensive set of undergraduate courses fulfill the general education and transfer requirements of students through onsite offerings. Students may obtain an AS in chemistry; major requirements optimize preparation for advanced degrees in chemistry at four-year institutions. A background in chemistry is essential for many high-paying, challenging careers. Opportunities await the chemist in such fields as medicine and pharmaceuticals, metals and polymers, petroleum, electrochemistry, nanotechnology, forensics, aerospace, paper, food technology, business, and education.

Chemistry is the science that deals with the composition, structure, and properties of matter and with the changes matter undergoes. There are many different employment opportunities open to chemists. A chemist can work in a laboratory or research environment asking questions and testing hypotheses with experiments. Another possibility for a chemist is to work on a computer developing theories or models or to predict reactions. Some chemists do field work, others contribute advice on chemistry for projects. Some chemists write. Some chemists teach, while others use chemistry to enter the medical field.

Students participating in the General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry program will use the process of scientific inquiry to qualitatively and quantitatively solve chemistry problems by gathering evidential information, analyzing data, forming appropriate conclusions, and communicating these results through written and oral expressions. The Chemistry Department offers the opportunity for students to excel by providing the latest information and technology in both the lecture and laboratory settings.