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Department of Chemistry and Life Science : Chemistry

Chemistry Major
Chemistry is the branch of sciences that studies the composition, structure, properties, changes and interactions of matter.
 
Military Applications of Chemistry
Since chemistry is the molecular science, military applications of chemistry rely on the understanding of the structure and changes at the molecular level. These application areas can include the synthesis and development of advanced materials and explosives, solving environmental problems, creating innovative biotechnology solutions, and chemical or biological sensing.
 
The Chemistry Major includes all the courses recommended by the American Chemical Society and is designed to provide cadets with basic instruction with comparable emphasis on the areas of analytical chemistry, biochemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry and physical chemistry.
 
The Program Goals include:
  • Use information resources to gather, organize, and understand scientific material.
  • Design and execute experiments to address a problem or question using methods from classical chemistry to state-of-art instrument techniques.
  • Analyze and assess scientific data gathered in the laboratory.
  • Effectively and clearly communicate scientific information in written and oral form to a variety of audiences.
  • Understand the applications of chemistry in the Army and society.
  • Recognize the relationship between the properties of a substance, its molecular structure, and its reactivity.
  • Understand and apply the physical concepts of chemistry.
A cadet taking the Chemistry Major must complete 27 core courses (including IT305) and complete any one of the seven three-course engineering sequences. The Chemistry Major requires 11 courses (10 required and 1 elective) for a total of 41 academic courses.
 
Honors Program
The Chemistry Major offers an honors program in addition to the baseline major. In order to receive a Chemistry Major with Honors a cadet must:
  • Complete the following two courses: CH489 Individual Research I and CH490 Individual Research II
  • Graduate with a QPA >3.0 in the 30 core academic program courses
  • Graduate with a QPA >3.5 in the 11 chemistry program courses

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