Chemistry at Purdue University has a ratio of 1 faculty member for every 8 undergraduates, which allows students to enjoy a great deal of individualized attention. It also offers opportunities for mentoring programs and cutting-edge undergraduate research in a wide range of fields from drug discovery to climate change. Chemistry majors can pursue one of two degrees: bachelor of science in chemistry, accredited by the American Chemical Society (ACS); or the more flexible bachelor of science with chemistry as a field of study, which allows for specializations in ACS-accredited biochemistry or chemistry education.
The B.S. program with chemistry as a field of study is designed for those who want less specialized training in chemistry than is required for the B.S. in chemistry (ACS) degree. Free electives allow a student to build a program of study in another area to complement a chemistry background. It is possible, for example, to concentrate elective credit hours in one of the following areas: administration, biochemistry, chemical literature, chemical physics, computer applications in chemistry, cosmochemistry, geochemistry, patent law, and preprofessional.
There is also the opportunity to complete in five years a dual degree with chemical engineering or material science engineering, after acceptance into the College of Engineering.
Points of Pride:
- Professor Ei-ichi Negishi was awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling in the mid-1970s. He met Purdue chemistry professor Herbert C. Brown and greatly admired his research, predicting, “Brown will change the whole world of organic chemistry and that is why I came to Purdue.” With Brown as a mentor, Negishi arrived in West Lafayette as a postdoctoral researcher in 1966.
- Herbert C. Brown was awarded the 1979 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research on boron.
- Purdue's analytical chemistry specialization has been ranked #2 in the nation, and the chemistry department as a whole regularly ranks in the top 20 nationwide.
- 70% of all our undergraduates complete at least one semester of undergraduate research.
- Immediate Past President of the ACS is Prof. Joseph Francisco, faculty member and associate dean of the College of Science.
- Highest percentage of female faculty members in a Chemistry Department in the United States. (C&EN News March 2010)