1. EL Activity Form - This form describes the type and duration of the experiential learning activity, and should be completed by the student and signed in order by the student, the activity advisor, the student's academic advisor, and the department chair.
2. Experiential Learning Narrative - The student must write a 500-word reflection on their experiential learning activity. For prompts and guidance on completing the end-of-activity narrative, click here.  Re-visit this page in future to view a growing portfolio of exemplary end-of-activity narratives (under construction).
3. The EL Activity Form and Experiential Learning Narrative should be emailed to the chemistry office, chem@mst.edu

EL Requirements for Bachelor Degrees in Chemistry 

The Chemistry BS degree and the Chemistry BA degree require each student to complete experiential learning activities appropriate to the student’s course of study, proposed by the student, and agreed upon by the student’s major advisor and department chair. Especially for the BA degree program, these activities will often be part of the multidisciplinary capstone course but other activities may also be proposed.  The criteria employed in the approval process are as follows.

1. Activities must be university sponsored or affiliated;
2. Advisor will ensure activities are of sufficient duration, intensity, and rigor to demonstrate successful application of learned principles appropriate to the expectations of the degree program;
3. Focus must be on “learning by doing” in creative and innovative activities that fall outside the realm of the traditional lecture classroom experience and contribute significantly to professional and personal development;
4. The student will produce a written summary reflection essay that documents the experience(s) from the student’s perspective and is of quality suitable for inclusion in a portfolio that might be submitted to potential employers or graduate school admissions committees.
5. A list of example activities is provided at the end of this document.

List of Example Activities

This list is not meant to be all-inclusive or restrictive. The Major Advisor and Chair must come to consensus on activities they will accept within the structure and expectations of their degree programs; however, activities must embody the spirit and intent of the Missouri S&T definition and implementation guidelines delineated in the experiential learning standard operating procedures adopted by the Faculty Senate.

• Undergraduate research (OURE projects, NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates, Honors Academy senior research project, CHEM 4099, etc.). A list of projects offered for undergraduate research engagement is available at the DoC website Research Opportunities.
• Co-Op, summer internship, and externships in industry or at a research center
• Significant participation on a student design team
• Study abroad
• S&T sponsored service learning (e.g., EWB, Bio Sci and Psychology capstone service learning or internship projects, Miner Challenge)
• Significant involvement in national/international competitions such as Chem-E Car, IEEE Robotics, etc.
• Field camp/ field trip experiences of significant duration and intensity
• Practicum or formalized student teaching
• Mentor/coach/tutor over a sustained period in an S&T sponsored mentoring program (Student Success Coaches, Peer Learning Assistant, On-Track Mentor, Opening Week Mentor - which continues through the academic year with programming such as ReConnect1 and 2)
• Paraprofessional, mentoring, peer teaching positions ( Resident Assistants, Programming Resident Assistants, Chancellors Leadership Academy Advisors, Peer Involvement Advisors, Miner Mentors, Joe’s P.E.E.R.S., Health Related Careers Mentoring Program, Admissions Ambassadors, PRO Leaders)
• Leadership positions within student governing boards ( Student Council, Student Union Board, Inter-fraternity Council, PanHellenic Council, Greek Chapter Executive board, Residence Hall Association, National Residence Hall Honorary, Residence Hall Executive Board, Cultural Activities Planning Committees, Student Judicial Boards, Student Athlete Advisory Committee)
• Year-long leadership involvement experiences (Global Leaders Institute, Chancellor’s Leadership Academy, Student Leadership Conference Chair, Intercollegiate Athletics Team)
• Leadership workshops and retreats (NRHA Leadership Trip, Greek Chapter retreats, Backpack to Briefcase, Student Leadership Conference, Sue Shear Leadership Academy)
• Activities provided in campus residences that are judged as an effective conduit for Missouri S&T to connect students’ in-class experiences to their life within the campus community. A variety of activities are provided to support academic success and enhance professionalism, time management, leadership, project management, and interpersonal, and communication skills.
• CHEM 4297, Organic Synthesis and Spectroscopic Analysis will meet the requirement of one semester of experiential learning for chemistry students.

Undergraduate students- are you interested in research? The Mission Statement of the Department of Chemistry emphasizes research experience as an important part of development and learning. Read about the faculty that are interested in recruiting undergraduate students to work in their labs. Refer to the faculty directory to obtain contact information and just drop a brief email to a prospective mentor to initiate communication.