Chemistry - Professional Emphasis (B.S.)

Student Success Advisor(s)

Sample Degree Plan

Program Summary

Chemistry is an active discipline vital to human existence and essential to the understanding of biological, medical, industrial, economic, and environmental issues.

The Southern Utah University chemistry faculty (website) are committed to instilling an understanding of chemistry and its relevance through quality teaching, scholarly activities, and service. In a world that is becoming increasingly more technical and complex, providing chemical instruction with the depth, breadth, and rigor required to meet this need is of primary importance.

As chemistry faculty, we strive to provide students with quality, current, comprehensive courses of study which serve the following needs:

1. Preparation of students who choose to pursue graduate degrees in chemistry.
2. Preparation of students who choose to pursue degrees in the health sciences (medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, etc.).
3. Preparation of students who choose to gain employment in a science related field with an undergraduate degree.
4. Preparation of students who choose to become chemical educators.
5. Education of students to think critically and independently.
6. Improvement of students’ communicative, creative, analytic, and information-gathering skills.

To accomplish these goals, the chemistry faculty will provide the following:

1. Honest evaluations of students’ abilities and potential.
2. A climate of mutual trust and respect among faculty, staff, and students.
3. The application and involvement of basic scientific principles and methodologies.
4. Competitive opportunities for mentorship through undergraduate research, employment, and other engaged methods.

Program Learning Outcomes

• Students should be able to use the peer-reviewed scientific literature effectively and evaluate technical articles critically. Computer applications and resources will be emphasized as a method to navigate the literature.
• Students should be able to present information in a clear and organized manner, write well-organized and concise reports in a scientifically appropriate style, and use technology such as poster preparation software, word-processing, chemical structure drawing programs, and computerized presentations in their communication.
• Students should understand responsible disposal techniques, understand and comply with safety regulations, understand and use material safety data sheets (MSDS), recognize and minimize potential chemical and physical hazards in the laboratory, and know how to handle laboratory emergencies effectively.
• Students should be able to define problems clearly, develop testable hypotheses, design and execute experiments, analyze data using appropriate statistical methods, and draw appropriate conclusions.

Program Information

• All courses must be passed with a “C” (2.0) or better to be counted in the major.
• All prerequisite courses must be passed with “C” (2.0) or better.
• All Chemistry majors must successfully complete an exit exam before graduation.
• Knowledge of computer science is strongly recommended.
• This degree does not include the requisite number of upper-division hours. Students completing this degree will fill the upper-division requirement with elective credit.
• Credits greater than 10 years old will not be accepted in this major.
• Some courses are taught every other year. Consult your advisor for scheduling help.
• Chemistry - Professional Emphasis is recommended for students who wish to receive professional career preparation. This degree emphasis follows the guidelines set forth by the American Chemical Society.

Admission to Chemistry Program

The objective of requiring admission to the chemistry program is to ensure preparedness for upper-division chemistry courses. A secondary purpose is to facilitate tracking and advising of students.

The requirements for obtaining admission to the chemistry programs are as follows:

1. To be considered for admission to SUU’s chemistry program, students must have:
   • A cumulative GPA of at least 2.5.
   • Completed the following, or its equivalent, with a grade of “C” (2.0) or better:
     • Chemical Principles series with laboratory (CHEM 1210 , CHEM 1215 , CHEM 1220 , CHEM 1225   )
     • Calculus series (MATH 1210 , MATH 1220 )
2. No pre-chemistry students may enroll in courses with numbers greater than 2999 without formally declaring themselves chemistry majors.
   • The College of Science and Engineering Student Success Advisors will ensure that this requirement has been met.
   • Non-chemistry majors or minors may take upper-division chemistry courses only with permission of the instructors.

American Chemical Society (ACS) Certification

The SUU Professional Chemistry Emphasis is certified by the ACS. Graduates can become certified ACS graduates by completing a few requirements in addition to those for the major. This certification provides additional benefits to the graduate. Please contact any chemistry faculty member for details.

Program Prerequisites

The Department of Physical Science strongly recommends that students complete the following courses as part of their General Education , as they are prerequisites for required major courses and/or requirements for graduation. Students who do not complete these courses as part of General Education can potentially add additional credits and time to their degree. These courses may or may not need to be taken before starting any major courses; consult a Student Success Advisor for details.

•  MATH 1210 - Calculus I * (can be used to fulfill General Education Quantitative Literacy)

* Note: Students who are not prepared for this math course may need additional math credits/preparation. Please consult your Student Success Advisor for more information.