Chemistry
Introduction to the Major
Faculty members talk about what you can learn and what makes this major special.
Mission Statement
The major in Chemistry provides a comprehensive education in the fundamentals of matter and its changes, through lectures and practical laboratory courses, seminars and research projects, offered within a liberal arts tradition. Faculty members' strengths in education, research, and service assist students to unlock their potential, develop their values and basic approach to life through various programs, and cultivate specialist knowledge, practical capabilities and logical thinking skills. These abilities fostered in the major will prove indispensable not only for graduates going on to higher degrees in chemistry, but also those pursuing careers in the natural sciences more broadly and other fields demanding scientific literacy.
Learning Goals
Students are guided to:
- Learn the basic concepts of chemistry and gain a working knowledge thereof.
- Acquire critical thinking skills to analyze data and make creative hypotheses.
- Acquire skills to test, evaluate, and improve hypotheses, and gain problem-solving skills that integrate theory and practice.
- Learn to present chemical concepts and scientific data appropriately to other people in a comprehensible way.
- Develop the skills and methodology to think broadly about the role of chemistry and its impact on individuals, society, and the environment, and to tackle ethical problems in the world in which they live.
Department of Natural Sciences Website