Chemistry

Why study chemistry?

The study of chemistry is intellectually stimulating. As students' chemical skills grow, they become better thinkers and problem solvers and are able to deal with more complex problems that require creative solutions.

Students graduating with a chemistry degree are successful in obtaining employment and graduate positions in virtually any field of study. The study of chemistry benefits those students who anticipate careers as professional or environmental chemists in industry, government or education; those who seek comprehensive pre-professional training for medical, veterinary or dental school; those who plan to pursue secondary science teaching; and those who desire a knowledge of chemistry as part of their liberal arts experience.

Employers and graduate schools know that chemistry is one of the most challenging disciplines offered to undergraduate students. It is well known that graduates with a chemistry degree are well-educated and highly motivated.

The Chemistry Major at Heidelberg

Heidelberg’s Chemistry majors gain a great deal of hands-on experience with a variety of instrumentation such as computer-interfaced microwave reactions, computer-interfaced gas chromatography, infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and ultra-violet/visible spectroscopy. In addition, our students have the advantage of very small class sizes, allowing for exceptional one-on-one attention and close interaction with friendly, enthusiastic and helpful faculty. All of the chemistry faculty members have an open-office policy and welcome student questions and input. You also will find that our facilities are second to none. In January 2005, we relocated our chemistry labs to the new, $17 million state-of-the-art Gillmor Science Hall, which contains all of the latest equipment and technology.

Department of Chemistry

Heidelberg’s Chemistry Department offers three areas of concentration: chemistry, biochemistry and forensic science. Our chemistry program meets the needs of students pursuing a variety of study and career options in the chemical sciences.

Learning objectives for Chemistry majors

All chemistry majors will:

• Be competitive in either obtaining employment or being accepted to graduate school in a science-related field within 12 months of graduation.
• Become proficient written communicators (as demonstrated in Organic Chemistry Lab write-ups and Physical Chemistry assigned papers) and oral communicators (as demonstrated in Senior Seminar) of chemistry.

Learning objectives for non-science students taking Chemistry

All non-science students taking chemistry will be able to:

• Appreciate that chemistry plays a significant role in their daily lives.
• Develop a sense of chemical literacy with respect to chemically related articles in newspapers and the popular press.