Chemistry and Biochemistry (B.A., B.S.)
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is recognized by the Committee on Professional Training of the American Chemical Society (ACS) as one that meets its nationally recognized standards for undergraduate education in chemistry. Our expectations are high and our students rise to meet them. All students earning a degree in chemistry have excellent prospects in finding a satisfying career in industry or teaching, as well as continuing their education in graduate school or professional school.
Teaching chemistry is our passion. At Bloomsburg the student will have a Ph.D. chemist in both the lecture and the laboratory as the instructor, not a graduate student teaching assistant. Our office doors are open to students with questions. Our research laboratories are open to students who yearn to make new discoveries. We are qualified professionals who strive to give students private school atmosphere for public school tuition.
Related
Degree requirements - ACS (BS)
Degree requirements - Biochemistry (BS)
Facilities and Equipment
We are excited about the renovations of the east and north wings of Hartline Science Center to begin in May 2009 and scheduled for completion in August 2010. Plans include updated teaching laboratories that will further enhance the undergraduate lab experience. Our 400 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer will have a new home. Three of the former teaching labs will be converted into research suites, bringing our total to eight. Upgrades in the current research labs will accommodate more students in an atmosphere conducive to discovery.
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry encourages and expects hands-on instrument experience for all of our majors. Professors guide students in using and understanding modern instrumentation found in today's professional laboratories. The list includes:
- Ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometers (UV-Vis)
- 400 MHz nuclear mass resonance spectrometer (NMR)
- Fourier transform-infrared spectrophotometers (FT-IR)
- Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC)
- Gas chromatograph
- Gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS and GC-MS/MS)
- High performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC)
- Agarose and SDS-PAGE electrophoresis
- Polymerase chain reaction thermocycler (PCR)
- Glove box and Schlenk lines for inert atmosphere techniques
- Thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA)
- Atomic absorbance spectrophotometer (AA)
- Fluorescence spectrophotometer
- And, of course, plenty of hands-on work with everyday lab equipment such as micropipets, ground glassware, analytical balances, etc.
Chemical and Biochemical Research
Regardless of chemistry degree option, all majors are encouraged to find a research project. Faculty research advisors work one-on-one with students to solve problems and answer questions through chemistry. There is simply no replacement for the mentorship that develops between advisor and student during these projects. Please visit our department web page to see more about research.
Degree Options:
The Bachelor of Science program in chemistry is designed to give students a strong background in the sciences with several degree options. The degree has three tracks, all with a common 4-semester core requirement, so there is no need to decide until the end of the sophomore year.
Chemistry (B.S.)
The Bachelor of Science degree offers a strong professional preparation in chemistry. It is recommended for those students who wish to enter industry or to follow a pre-law curriculum upon graduation. We offer traditional courses in general, organic, inorganic, physical, and analytical/instrumental chemistry. Chemistry electives include biochemistry, advanced organic chemistry, and special topics. The standard B.S. degree allows time for taking additional courses in other disciplines and taking a minor in related fields of interest.
The B.S. chemistry-business minor program allows students to enter the Masters of Business Administration program in the College of Business at the end of the fourth year. Such a choice of study allows a student to have the background to be eligible for admission in masters of business administration (MBA) programs after graduation.
Chemistry - Biochemistry Option (B.S.)
The B.S.- biochemistry option allows students to have two passions: chemistry and biology. In addition to two semesters of biochemistry, courses in cellular biology, microbiology, and genetics round-out the curriculum. At the same time, chemistry is not cut short, leaving all doors are open to graduates from this program. In addition to finding careers in industry and clinic, students have gone to graduate programs in biochemistry, chemistry, and toxicology.
Chemistry - Biochemistry Option for Pre-Professionals (B.S.)
Students interested in a pre-professional curriculum (medical, dental, podiatry, optometry, veterinary, etc.) are encouraged to consider the B.S.- Biochemistry Option with advising geared towards pre-professionals. The admissions application does not have a curriculum code for pre-professional study in chemistry. If you wish to follow this track, choose the B.S. Chemistry-Biochemistry option on your admissions application.
Chemistry - Clinical Chemistry Option (B.S.)
The B.S.-clinical chemistry option is a select program in cooperation with the Geisinger Medical Center in nearby Danville, PA. It is designed to prepare students for careers in a hospital setting or a pharmaceutical clinical laboratory. The program features a senior-year, 12-month clinical research experience in a laboratory at the Geisinger Medical Center.
Additional A.C.S. Certification
Many students in either the B.S. or B.S.-Biochemistry tracks chose to take additional courses to meet the standards for certification for undergraduate professional training by the American Chemical Society, the largest scientific society in the world. This is our B. S. - ACS degree, also offered for the Biochemistry Option. Students in this program will culminate their studies by conducting an independent research project in collaboration with a faculty member. These individual research projects may be part of a larger research program by the faculty member and often lead to a presentation or publication with the student as a co-author. Students completing the B.S.-ACS degree program are certified by the American Chemical Society and become eligible for membership in the society immediately upon graduation. ACS certification adds an extra level of educational quality assurance that employers and graduate programs seek.
Honors Program in Chemistry
Students who wish to qualify for Honors in Chemistry must take the B.S.-ACS course of study and three semesters of undergraduate research. Honors students at Bloomsburg University receive, among many other benefits, the opportunity to reside in the Honors Learning Community, preferential course scheduling and honors-only courses in the humanities and social sciences.
Secondary Education-Chemistry (B.S. Ed., B.A.)
A national shortage of science teachers creates unique job opportunities for degreed chemists. Students who wish to pursue careers as chemistry teachers at the secondary education level should select the Bachelor of Science in Education program. (B.S.Ed.) This curriculum is offered in cooperation with the College of Professional Studies. (See Secondary Education.) In this study track, students take courses that will ensure certification. We offer a unique course designed especially for the challenges of a high school chemistry teacher: 52.475 Chemistry Curriculum and the Teaching Laboratory. Completion of the degree requirements also earns the student a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry.
Chemistry (B.A.)
The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) curriculum is designed for students in such programs as pre-engineering or pre-pharmacy. These are typically a "3+2" or "3+3" schedule in which students spend three years at Bloomsburg and the remaining semesters at another campus. Students interested in chemical engineering can take part in the Cooperative Program in Engineering with The Pennsylvania State University. With the addition of three courses beyond the requirements of the B.A., a student may earn a B. A. in chemistry and a B. S. in chemical engineering after completing the program.
Chemistry Minor
The minor in chemistry consists of 19 to 21 semester hours. For students in the B.S. Biology program, this usually amounts to one additional course. A minor in chemistry shall be awarded when a student obtains a 2.0 grade point average in prescribed courses. In addition to meeting the grade point average requirement, the student is expected to meet with his/her minor adviser before scheduling the electives.
Transferring to BU
Students considering a transfer after one or more years of college elsewhere are encouraged to visit our department. We would be happy to let you sit-in on a lecture and tour our labs. Come talk to the professors and students to see if our department is right for you. You may begin by visiting our department website and contacting our chairperson to schedule your visit.
Students transferring into the chemistry program for the junior year should have completed four semesters of chemistry: two semesters of general chemistry, and two semesters of organic chemistry. All of these courses should have a laboratory component. In addition, a year of general physics and nine hours of calculus is highly recommended.