Chemistry and Biochemistry Studies

American Chemical Society Accreditation. The department’s major in chemistry is accredited by the American Chemical Society.

Learning goals:

  • Demonstrate the ability to apply appropriate chemical and physical models to make predictions or draw conclusions regarding chemical systems or phenomenon. Examples of chemical systems are compound formation (synthesis), energy transfer, equilibrium composition, various physical properties, chemical reactivity, etc.
  • Demonstrate mastery of laboratory skills and execute common experimental techniques.
  • Demonstrate the ability to design, prepare, execute and adjust experiments.
  • Describe the theoretical and operational principles of common laboratory instrumentation such as NMR/FTIR/UV/Vis/AA/fluorescence spectrometers, GC-MS/HPLC and electrochemical analysis instrumentation, as well as their typical uses, sensitivities and limitations. Interpret the data collected with such instrumentation.
  • Find topic-specific chemical literature, interpret and evaluate chemical studies as described in scientific journals, and describe these conclusions through written and oral presentations.
  • Analyze and interpret data to detect trends, evaluate the quality of data and reach scientifically valid conclusions.

Requirements for the Majors in Chemistry and Biochemistry. Susquehanna offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry and Bachelor of Science degrees in both chemistry and biochemistry.

The Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry requires the following courses, with grades of C- or better.

Semester Hours

8

CHEM:101–102 General Chemistry I, II or CHEM:103-104 General Chemistry I, II Teams

8

CHEM:221–222 Organic Chemistry I, II

4

CHEM:231 Quantitative Analysis

8

CHEM:341–342 Physical Chemistry I, II

4

CHEM:450 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry

2

Four semesters of CHEM:505 Seminar

0–8

Mathematics through MATH:112 Calculus II

8

PHYS:204-205 Introductory Physics I, II (Calculus-based)

Other chemistry courses selected to fulfill career goals

The Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry requires a minimum of 41 semester hours in chemistry, including all courses required for the Bachelor of Arts. degree, plus CHEM:430 Instrumental Analysis, one elective in chemistry or biochemistry, and an additional four semester-hour mathematics or computer science course other than MATH:101 or MATH:105. All required courses must be completed with a grade of C- or higher.

A student may qualify to graduate as an American Chemical Society–certified professional chemist by completing CHEM:430 Instrumental Analysis, and CHEM:425 The Biochemistry of Nucleic Acids or CHEM:426 The Biochemistry of Proteins and Enzymes, and one advanced senior course beyond the Bachelor of Arts courses in chemistry.

Secondary Teaching Certification. Majors interested in chemistry teaching certification complete the requirements for the chemistry degree and the appropriate education requirements. For more information, see the education requirements section.

The Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry requires the following courses with grades of C- or better:

semester hours

8

CHEM:101–102 General Chemistry I, II or CHEM:103-104 General Chemistry I, II Teams

8

CHEM:221–222 Organic Chemistry I, II

4

CHEM:231 Quantitative Analysis

4

CHEM:341 Physical Chemistry I

4

CHEM:426, CHEM:427 The Biochemistry of Proteins and Enzymes and Biochemistry of Proteins and Enzymes Lab

4

CHEM:425 The Biochemistry of Nucleic Acids or CHEM:424 The Biochemistry of Metabolism and CHEM:429 Biochemistry of Metabolism Lab

2

Four semesters of CHEM:505 Seminar

0–8

Mathematics through MATH:112 Calculus II

8

PHYS:204–205 Introductory Physics I, II (Calculus-based)

4

BIOL:102 Cell and Organismal Biology

12

Twelve semester hours of biology courses beyond BIOL:102, at least 8 of which must be at or above the 300 level (excluding BIOL:501 and BIOL:510)

Honors in Chemistry. The departmental honors program encourages and recognizes superior performance in chemistry. To graduate with honors in chemistry, candidates must do the following:

  • Petition the department in writing by the third week of their final semester,
  • Maintain at least a 3.25 cumulative GPA overall and a 3.5 cumulative GPA in chemistry courses (plus biology courses for biochemistry majors),
  • Submit an acceptable written thesis based on two four-hour semesters of senior research work in CHEM:500 Problems in Chemistry (or BIOL:510 if approved by chemistry department), and
  • Pass an oral exam based on the submitted thesis.

Minors. Students minoring in chemistry complete five courses: CHEM:101–102 or CHEM:103-104, CHEM:221, and CHEM:231 or CHEM:311, plus one course chosen from CHEM:222, CHEM:341, CHEM:424, CHEM:425 or CHEM:426.

The biochemistry minor requires CHEM:101–102 or CHEM:103-104, CHEM:221–222, CHEM:426, CHEM:425 or CHEM:424, and CHEM:427.