Department of Chemistry

Professor Boles Chairperson; Professors Ensor, Glinski, Harwood, Lisic, Wells, Zhang; Associate Professors Crouse, Swartling; Assistant Professors Callender, Carrick, Carroll, Gichuhi, Hawkins, Jiang, Rezsnyak, Zhan; Instructors A.M. Carrick, Coonce, Rust

Within the major in Chemistry, the Department of Chemistry offers three concentrations leading to a Bachelor of Science Degree:

The Pure Chemistry concentration is intended to prepare students for both graduate school and a career as a professional chemist. This concentration exceeds the requirements for certification by the American Chemical Society.
The Applied Chemistry concentration is composed of the 6 options outlined below:
1. Business Chemistry – This option is intended for those who are more interested in the business side of the chemical industry or in a management career in a technical industry. The non-chemistry component of this option includes most, if not all, of the coursework necessary to enter the +1 MBA program offered by the TTU College of Business.
2. Environmental Chemistry – Chemistry plays a central role in all environmental issues. No student can be considered prepared to contribute to this field without a solid background in chemistry. This option incorporates a significant amount of supporting coursework in contributing sciences, such as biology, agriculture, and geology.
3. Forensic Chemistry – Forensic science is an interdisciplinary field incorporating aspects of chemistry, biology, and physics. While it is certainly an area of current popular interest, it has long been a career pathway for chemistry graduates, whose curriculum fits these demands particularly well. This option combines the essential elements of chemistry with supporting coursework in biology and criminal justice.
4. Health Sciences Chemistry - This option provides a four-year content degree in chemistry for students who have pursued non-degree curricula in pre-medicine, pre-dentistry, pre-pharmacy, pre-optometry and other related pre-health programs. Supporting coursework in biology is chosen from those courses required or encouraged by professional schools.
5. Industrial Chemistry – This option is intended for students who wish to pursue a technical career in a chemistry-related industry. Many companies seek employees with a chemical background but do not need the rigorous training found in the ACS Chemistry concentration. An integral part of this program is a minimum of one year of cooperative employment experience.
6. Chemistry – This option maintains the flexibility of the current program, allowing adaptation to new areas of interest as they develop.
The Biochemistry concentration is intended to serve pre-professional students and those who wish to pursue graduate work at the chemistry-biology interface.

A.C.S. certification is also possible in the Applied and Biochemistry concentrations by taking a number of additional courses beyond those listed in the catalog curricula.

Pre-Professional Programs

FOR DEGREE PROGRAMS - SEE APPLIED CHEMISTRY

Students who intend to obtain a baccalaureate degree and major in a pre-health science program should see the curriculum for Chemistry, Applied Chemistry Concentration.

Pre-professional programs are designed to satisfy minimum requirements for admission to professional schools. Some students complete only these minimum course requirements prior to seeking admission to the professional school; some students enroll in degree programs such as biology, chemistry, engineering, physics, or others, and also take courses to complete the minimum professional school requirements because many of the courses satisfy requirements in both programs. In the case of pre-law, there is no specific degree required; therefore, students interested in law usually pursue a bachelor’s degree in a field of their interest such as history, political science, or some area of business.