2024-2025 Catalog
Chemistry and Biochemistry
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 Return to: College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Faculty
- Professors: Ron Ruminski and Al Schoffstall
- Associate Professors: Dave Anderson (Chair), Janel Owens (Associate Chair), Kevin Tvrdy, and David Weiss
- Assistant Professors: Andrew Klocko, James Kovacs, Amanda Morgenstern, and Crystal Vander Zanden
- Principle Instructors: Carlos Diaz, Terry Geiger, Kristi McCann, Tisha Mendiola Jessop,
- Senior Instructors: Linda Cummings, Dan Deon, Beth Gabbard, Niki Juhl, and Elise Naughton
- Instructors: Suman Lakkakula, Shelby Noland, and Kelsey Perry
- Professor Attendant: Jerry Phillips
- Assistant Professors Attendant: Barbara Gaddis and Deborah Sather
- Professor Emeritus: Jim Eberhart
- Instructors Emeriti: Cindy Applegate, John Balyeat, Chet Dymek, Barbara Gaddis, Wendy Haggern, and Mary Bethé Neely
Program Description
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry offers programs that meet the needs of students wishing to obtain an undergraduate degree in chemistry or biochemistry.
The programs leading to Bachelor of Science degrees are intended for students who plan to choose chemistry or biochemistry as a profession, or for students wishing to pursue graduate work in those fields. The B.S. in Chemistry degree is one of some 600 in the United States that is certified by the ACS.
Students desiring a less comprehensive program in chemistry or biochemistry, such as premedical students, should elect a Bachelor of Arts degree. Judicious selection of additional courses permits the BA major to satisfy prerequisites for admission to graduate study in chemistry, biochemistry, or related fields.
The secondary education options are for students wishing to teach chemistry in high school. Please contact the College of Education for further information concerning the education requirements for these options.
In addition to its undergraduate degrees, the department also offers programs leading to the degree of Master of Sciences (MSc) in Chemistry, as well as accelerated BA/MSc and BS/MSc programs.
Several chemistry courses are offered as a service to students majoring in other science fields and in social sciences and arts and humanities fields. The following courses, all of which have an optional lab component, are offered for non-science majors:
Not all chemistry courses are offered every year. Check the Course Search in your MyUCCS Portal for offerings available each semester.
Learning Outcomes
- Acquire knowledge in the areas of biology, mathematics, physics, and technology to enable the student to manipulate experimental data and facilitate the understanding and derivation of fundamental relationships.
- Learn principles and applications of general, organic, analytical, physical, biochemical, and inorganic areas of chemistry, and an integrated overview of chemistry.
- Be able to compete effectively for a position in the workplace as a professional chemist or biochemist, for admission to graduate or professional schools, or for careers in other fields.
- Be able to communicate effectively about topics of importance to chemists and biochemists.
- For those students who take service courses in chemistry, to achieve the course objectives and fulfill the chemically related goals and requirements of their majors.
- Chemistry and biochemistry majors meet with an advisor in the department to plan out their learning experiences.
Advising
Chemistry and biochemistry majors should consult regularly with their academic advisor and with departmental faculty advisors, and in particular with the department chair. Academic advising is a very important aspect of one’s education. Students need to plan their courses carefully since there are numerous and specific prerequisites for advanced courses that must be completed in an orderly sequence during the freshman through junior years. In addition, College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences requirements in the humanities and social sciences and Compass Curriculum requirements must be worked into the schedule. If students are not able to follow the curricula outlined in the Four-Year Plans for our degree programs, the possibility for scheduling conflicts increases, and the likelihood of finishing in four years decreases. Decisions on application to medical, dental, and graduate schools and on employment are also critical. Students should consult faculty advisors when making these decisions.
Additional Departmental Rules
Pre-chemistry
Students who have not taken chemistry in high school should take CHEM 1001 - Pre-chemistry prior to attempting the General Chemistry sequence (CHEM 1401 /1411 ).
Exams
As part of the Department’s assessment protocol, students in many chemistry courses will be tested using standardized ACS subject exams.
Grade Requirements
Chemistry and biochemistry majors must achieve grades of “C” (2.00) or better in all chemistry courses required for the major, and in all required auxiliary courses (biology, physics, math, etc.).
Laboratory Fee
There is a $130 fee for each laboratory course. Research courses (CHEM 4904 /5904 ) are considered to be lab courses; lab fees are charged for these courses.
Chemistry Electives
For chemistry and biochemistry majors, chemistry electives must be chosen from 4000-level chemistry courses.
Honors Program
Qualified Chemistry & Biochemistry majors are awarded departmental honors at graduation. As the department values excellence in both academics and research, we have identified the following honors categories:
- Honors in Academics and Research
- Distinction in Academics
- Distinction in Research
Undergraduate Research
All chemistry and biochemistry majors, and BS majors in particular, should consider electing CHEM 4904 - Research: Upper Division at least once during their UCCS careers. Research provides a different kind of experience than traditional laboratory courses. Participants must do sufficient planning to carry out experiments. Regular communication with your research supervisor is a necessary component of the research experience.
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