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Why Major in Chemistry at Allegheny College

Our Chemistry program sets students on a path of mastery of fundamental concepts of matter and provides hands-on lab experience. As you experiment and investigate, you’ll gain the knowledge and skills to be successful in a wide range of careers and graduate programs where you can solve challenging global problems.

Unusual Combinations
Students often combine Chemistry with:

Division

  • Mathematics and Natural Sciences

Program Type

  • Major
  • Minor

Number of Credits

64 for major26 for minor

Where Chemistry Alumni Work Today

Research Operations Associate

Okta
Carolyn Shetter ’14

Strategy Insights & Planning Associate Consultant

ZS

Timothy Grabnic ’13

Maintenance Manager/Reliability Engineer

AkzoNobel
Gregory Eyer ’12

Head of Demand COE, North America

Viatris

Eric Rohanna ’03

Vice President of Global Operations

ChemTreat
William Andrews ’01

High School Teacher

Pittsburgh Public Schools
Joe Hayes

Patent Law

Chuck Yeomans ’08

Buyer of Commodities

Covestro
Britteny Barclay (Hunt) ’17

Veterinarian

Katie Cornill

OB GYN Resident

Hannah Fischer

Forensic Chemist

Brittany Claassen

Associate Director, Supplier Quality Engineering Lead Cell Therapy Global Quality

Bristol Myers Squibb
Sarah Bottini

Associate Professor and Chair of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Berry College
Alice Harper Suroviec

Pharmacist at Mayo Clinic

Christina Rivera

Physicians Assistant

Blue Ridge Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine
Celeste Halcombe

Your Four-Year Journey

Chemistry Overview

Year 1: Understanding

In cases where students present appropriate transfer credits or a high enough AP Chemistry score, foundation courses may be waived, enabling first-year students to begin in Organic Chemistry.

Year 2: New Approaches

Your second year courses will include Organic Chemistry I and the sophomore seminar, where you will learn to write and speak as a chemist. You’ll also begin to explore core courses in sub-disciplines like biochemistry and physical chemistry. Intermediate courses like Analytical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry II, and Multistep Synthesis are common options for spring semester sophomores. Participation in summer research with faculty is often a possibility.

Year 3: Delving Deeper

In your third year, you will begin to take advanced seminar courses in subdisciplines you find interesting while completing outstanding core courses like Inorganic Chemistry or intermediate courses like Quantum Chemistry or Biochemical Metabolism. You will enroll in the Junior Seminar, which builds on the work accomplished in your sophomore seminar, in preparation for your Senior Comp. Laboratory work emphasizes the transition from guided experiments to independent research projects.

Year 4: The Comp

The focus of your senior year is the two-semester Senior Comp, which is carried out with close mentorship from a faculty advisor. Exemplary work can result in publication in chemical journals. You will also complete outstanding required courses for the major while applying to either graduate school, medical, dental, or veterinary school, or interviewing for a variety of positions in the chemical industry.

Featured Courses

Research and Internships

Internships

Academic

Allegheny student-faculty collaborative summer research internships are available through the Lord Fellowship, the Walsh Fellowship, and funding through the URSCA office. Upper class students can also pursue internships at larger research universities through the NSF-REU program.

Government

Each summer, an Allegheny Chemistry major is selected for a summer internship at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), which is funded by the Ruth Ann Verrell Fellowship.

 

Industry

Allegheny students are often successful in landing industrial internships. Recent hosting companies include: Acutec Precision Aerospace, Inc.; Bayer Crop Science; Parker Hannifin Corporation.

Allegheny Chemistry Students Put Ideas into Motion

We’ll encourage you to apply your knowledge with innovative teaching-learning techniques and extensive hands-on lab experiences, leading into unique research activities and real world applications.

Our chemistry students reinforce their education through internships, research with faculty, student organizations, study away, and more.

Facilities and Strengths

The Doane Hall of Chemistry maintains an array of instruments and equipment to support teaching and research, including:

  • FT-NMR
  • GC-MS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer)
  • HPLC-MS (High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer)
  • FT IR’s (Infrared Spectrometer)
  • UV-vis spectrometer
  • microwave reactors
  • Stopped Flow
  • Fluorimeter
  • Surface Enhanced Raman spectrometer
  • and much more!

Instruments are incorporated into the curriculum, so that students enter the research laboratory with familiarity and hands-on experience with these important tools.

Beyond the Lab

Allegheny chemistry students will find that there is no shortage of activities to get involved in beyond the lab, including:

  • Lord Lecture Series
  • Department Lecture Series
  • Professional conferences, including the American Chemical Society, the National Organic Symposium, and the National Conference on Undergraduate Research
  • Student Organizations, including Chemii Club and Phi Lambda Upsilon

Student-Faculty Collaboration

Many chemistry students carry out independent research or collaborative research with faculty in addition to the Senior Comp.

Chemistry majors frequently present their findings at regional and national meetings; successful projects can lead to publication in professional journals. Seniors are also often invited to present at the Annual Cook – Lahti Scholars Symposium.

Recent Senior Comps

The Senior Comp is the culmination of four years of experience, imagination, and study. It is the moment when you demonstrate what you’ve learned by teaching us something new.

  • From Ketone to Gem-Dimethyl Functionality using α-Unsubstituted Vinyl Sulfones and the Gilman Reagent
  • Utilizing Virtual Fragment Library Screening to Identify New Inhibitor Scaffolds for Rok1p
    Synthesis of [Cp*NiP(Mes)(CH2)3(Mes)PCp*] for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction
  • Exploration of Surface Crowding on the Interaction of Surface-Immobilized Testosterone and Monoclonal Antibody Via Surface Plasmon Resonance
  • Microwave Assisted Organic Synthesis Of 4-Quinolone Derivatives From Meldrum’s Acid
  • New Phosphonate Lipid Tubules and Their Use as a Delivery Device

Faculty and Staff

Elizabeth Guldan

Associate Professor

Ph.D., University of Minnesota; B.S., University of Wisconsin

Tim Chapp

Associate Professor

Ph.D., Dartmouth College; B.S., St. Lawrence University

Frequently Asked Questions About the Chemistry Program

What type of degree is an Chemistry major?

Students who major in Chemistry at Allegheny College will earn a Bachelor of Science degree.

Are there any clubs and activities available for Chemistry students?

Chemii Club-  Involve the Allegheny Community in the importance and potential impacts of chemistry through a multidisciplinary approach.

Explore all Allegheny College clubs and organizations.

Program Contact

Timothy Chapp

Associate Professor and Chair

Email814-332-5324