Study in chemistry will provide you with a comprehensive program in all of the main areas of the major: biochemistry, analytical, inorganic, organic and physical chemistry. Certified by the American Chemical Society, students who graduate from the program are known by businesses and graduate schools to have excellent training.

Along with a strong technical background, you will also hone your communications skills - both written and verbal - and learn how to work productively and positively with others, all essential to working in successful organizations. You will develop your communication skills within chemistry by writing lab reports, discussing problem-solving and experiments in class, and making formal presentations in the Junior and Senior Seminars. Outside of the major, you will take courses across the curriculum in humanities and social science.

One of the strengths of the chemistry program is the partnerships you will build with the faculty members. You will receive a great deal of personal attention, and your professors will help you make the most of your abilities and ask that you live up to your potential. Unlike large, impersonal introductory courses at many colleges and universities, the chemistry classes at Wittenberg have a maximum enrollment of 35, and upper-level courses usually range from 5-10 students. This guarantees that your instructor will get to know you right from the start. Small classes and labs make certain that you get individualized attention and ensure your success in chemistry and science. Pre-medicine, pre-dentistry and pre-veterinary students often choose to major in chemistry. There also is a special program in chemistry that leads to a degree in engineering. Wittenberg also offers a major in biochemistry & molecular biology that is coordinated by the Chemistry and Biology Departments.

Degrees offered
B.A.: Chemistry
B.S.: Chemistry
Minor: Chemistry
B.A.: Biochemistry & Molecular
Biology
B.S.: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Minor: Biochemistry & Molecular
Biology

Degree Requirements
B.A.-Chemistry: Chemistry 121, 162, 201, 281, 300, 311, 400 and a minimum of eight semester hours from 271, 282, 290, 302, 303, 321, 352, 372, 380, 382, 491 and 492. Also Mathematics 201 and 202 and Physics 200 and 218.
B.S.-Chemistry: Chemistry 121, 162, 201, 271, 281, 300, 302, 311, 321, 352, 382, 400, and four more semester hours in Chemistry, Biology 170, Mathematics 201 and 202, and Physics 200 and 218. Note that this degree program leads to certification by the American Chemical Society.

Minor-Chemistry: Chemistry 121, 162, 201 and a minimum of 8 semester hours from 271, 281, 302, 311, 380 (with at least one course from 281, 311, or 321).
B.A. - Biochemistry/Molecular Biology: Biology 170, 310, 312, Chemistry 121, 162, 201, 271, 372, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 400, Physics 200, Mathematics 201 or 131, plus one additional course from Mathematics 202, 205, 227.
B.S. - Biochemistry/Molecular Biology: Biology 170, 310, 312, and one additional Biology course from 215, 224, 237, 316, 319, 323 or 324, Chemistry 121, 162, 201, 271, 281, 302, 311, 372, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 400, Mathematics 201 and 202, and Physics 200 and 218.
Minor - Biochemistry/Molecular Biology: Biology 310, Chemistry 201, 271, 372, plus two courses from Biology 215, 237, 312, 316 and 319.

Resources

Advances in modern science rest heavily on the intelligent use of scientific instruments and computers. As a chemistry major, you will use modern equipment in every course that you take. A wide array of instrumentation is available, including computer-interfaced Fourier transform infrared, ultraviolet-visible, Fourier transform nuclear magnetic resonance, and atomic absorption spectrophotometers, a gas chromatograph/ mass spectrometer, pulsed and continuous-wave lasers, gas and liquid chromatographs, and an electrochemical workstation.

Chemists must also be very familiar with the many ways that computers are used in science. You'll learn how to use computers for scientific word processing, data collection and analysis in spreadsheets, and to perform sophisticated theoretical calculations using molecular modeling software. The Chemistry Department houses more than 40 computers, including microcomputers and 3-D workstation computers located in the Computational Chemistry Lab.