S&T offers both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees for undergraduate chemistry students. The ACS Committee on Professional Training (CPT) reviewed the department’s 2021 periodic report, determined that the program meets all requirements in the ACS guidelines, and recommended continuation of ACS approval of the B.S. program. Thus, the department can continue to provide certificates to its graduates. The department’s next periodic report is due in 2027.
The Bachelor of Arts degree offers a broad liberal arts education and allows the chemistry major to choose a curriculum to focus on individual career goals. Additionally, one may choose to follow the “Secondary Education emphasis” curriculum that has been designed for students interested in teaching at the secondary education level. The Department of Chemistry is working closely with the Department of Teacher Education and Certification to bring the best of modern pedagogy to STEM education and vice versa. This program is approved by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Students intending to teach in other states are responsible for investigating the reciprocity agreement of that state agency.
The Bachelor of Science degree places strong emphasis on chemistry education and is certified by the American Chemical Society. Students may opt for more specialized curricula, and the designed emphasis areas include Biochemistry, Polymer & Coatings Chemistry, and Pre-medicine.
Information about the required coursework for both degrees and a suggested timeline for the completion of these courses can be found here:
This degree program is most appropriate for chemistry majors studying to become bone fide chemists. The B.S. in Chemistry opens the door for employment opportunities in the chemical industry and it is the traditional gateway degree to enter graduate school to pursue M.S. and/or Ph.D. degrees. All B.S. curricula place high value on the students’ preparation for research and are approved by the American Chemical Society (ACS). The emphasis areas are defined by the appropriate sets of electives courses.
This degree plan allows students to build a solid foundation in the chemistry major while enabling aspirations to apply chemistry knowledge within the contexts of other disciplines. Students should pursue this degree in preparation for careers in chemical business/sales/marketing, in legal fields including patent law, in environmental policy, and so on. This degree might also be an option of students interested in STEM education.
This degree plan is specified by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for education and certification of secondary education teachers (i.e., high school) in chemistry and science teaching careers.
Get a head start on your academic experience at Missouri S&T with Hit the Ground Running (HGR), a fast-paced and informative three-week program for select incoming S&T students. For more information, visit the Hit the Ground Running homepage.
S&T’s university's library has a subscription to the Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) and the JoVE academic videos, which are designed to help students understand and conceptualize many of the topics they are learning in lectures and labs. These resources are available at no cost to faculty or students and are designed to work seamlessly with our existing learning management system (LMS).
Current S&T students may apply to transfer to a degree program provided the conditions listed here have been met. For more information, students may contact the change in major/transfer adviser in the Department of Chemistry, Dr. Klaus Woelk at woelk@mst.edu.
Current S&T students may apply for a Minor in Chemistry. For more information, students may contact the minor adviser in the Department of Chemistry, Dr. Paul Nam at nam@mst.edu.
CHEM 4297, Organic Synthesis and Spectroscopic Analysis (LAB 2.0 and LEC 1.0) serves as the senior capstone course of the Department of Chemistry. This course examines advanced methods for the multistep synthesis of organic compounds and their characterization by mass spectrometry (MS), IR spectroscopy, 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, etc. Students in this class are given a series of different unknowns that they need to identify based on spectroscopic techniques. In the second half of the semester, each student is given a different synthesis project. The student needs to come up with a synthetic route, execute the synthesis in the lab, characterize intermediates and final product, write a report (paper) and give an oral presentation.
All students at Missouri S&T are required to participate in appropriate experiential learning activities. Experiential learning refers to learning stimulated by a variety of structured activities that differ significantly from the traditional lecture format. Experiential learning activities are designed to require students to go beyond mastering basic skills and knowledge in the application of that material to problem solving challenges. These activities involve collaboration and reflective learning and allow students to learn in environments that align with their aptitudes.
Students can take CHEM 4099, Undergraduate Research (IND 1.0–3.0) for a maximum total of 9h credit over all semesters. As a rough guideline, 3 hours spent in a lab and/or a library working on research warrant 1 hour credit. Students often like to do research for many hours without wanting to sign up for all that many credits; that is fine and common practice. If a student signs up for 1h credit and works six hours in lab/library, usually nobody will complain. Students usually take 1 or 2 credits in a given semester, and in rare cases 3 credits. Students frequently continue research without signing up for CHEM 4099 once they have already accumulated 6h credits. Students may continue to enroll in CHEM 4099 after they have accumulated 6 credits, the credit will show up in the transcript, but it will not count in an audit. Undergraduate research begins with finding a research adviser and students will learn about their advisers’ preferences re/ CHEM 4099 credits and expected time-on-task. Changing the number of credits for CHEM 4099 in a given semester is possible and follows the standard add/drop process. [This entry was updated on April 8, 2022, to reflect catalog changes taking effect in FS22.]
Students on co-op may earn academic credit during the period of the co-op. To do so, co-op students need to enroll in CHEM 2002, Cooperative Work Training with 1 – 3 credits arranged through departmental advisor. When applying for co-op through Handshake, students need to declare their interest in academic credit for co-op. The Department of Chemistry will be alerted and the request will be considered by the co-op student and the student’s adviser. Once the request is approved by the adviser and signed by the department, it will be sent to the co-op office.
Associate Professor and Associate Chair
(573) 341-6281 | grubbsg@mst.edu |
328 Schrenk Hall
The Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education serves as Chair of the Undergraduate Recruiting and Scholarship Committee, UGRSC.
The committee’s charges are regulated by the Undergraduate Recruiting and Scholarship Committee Rules (Version 4: 02/24/2022).
Follow Chemistry