Curriculum

As a CSB/SJU chemistry student, you can choose three paths to achieving a major: the standard sequence the American Chemical Society approved program or a complete biochemistry major.

Standard Sequence

The standard 50-credit sequence introduces you to the main areas of chemistry and is excellent preparation for those interested in primary or secondary education, medicine, government service or further study in the areas of law, business management and agricultural science. This course of study also allows you the option of a second major in one of the more than 40 major and pre-professional programs offered at CSB and SJU.

American Chemical Society approved program

The 63-credit American Chemical Society approved program provides for additional study in organic, inorganic, analytical and physical chemistry as well as biochemistry. This course of study is recommended for those students intending to pursue graduate work in chemistry and related fields, and for those seeking immediate employment in the chemical industry or government laboratories.

Facilities and Equipment

An obvious indication of the strong commitment to chemistry at CSB and SJU is the Ardolf Science Center. The chemistry department is the main occupant of the 41,000 square foot building which is equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories and classrooms that support a wide variety of classroom teaching methods. The chemistry department updates and modernizes its equipment on a continuous basis. We currently have more than $1 million in modern instrumentation, and our most recent acquisition is a $160,000 liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer.

The laboratories in the Ardolf Science Center are equipped with the latest in scientific instrumentation and supporting computer technology. The chemistry department has a hands-on philosophy with regard to scientific instrumentation. Students begin using research-quality instruments in the first semester of their coursework.

Computer technology has made enormous strides in the last decade, and the chemistry department has integrated it into every level of its curriculum. Students learn to use the most powerful software packages and get experience with computer-driven data acquisition and refinement. They also see firsthand the power of the computer in the areas of molecular graphics and the modeling of fundamental chemical phenomena. In the past three years, two members of the chemistry department won awards for the incorporation of chemical computation into their teaching.