Major in Chemistry (B.A.)

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Major in Chemistry (B.A.)

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Take matter into your own hands.

Majoring in chemistry at Clark puts the physical makeup of our world — from nanoparticles to DNA and the elements on the periodic table — under your microscope and into your hands. You’ll engage in research as early as your first year and collaborate on new discoveries with leading professors in the field.

Chemistry requires a sense of adventure; as you explore the hidden structure and properties of matter, you’ll learn what the world is made of — not to mention what you’re made of. Through hands-on learning, lab work, and internship experiences, you’ll emerge with a bachelor of arts degree in chemistry, prepared for an adventurous and rewarding career.

Catalog Requirements for:

Major

Minor

Accelerated BA/Master's

Why Study Chemistry at Clark?

Conduct research alongside faculty members and doctoral students, using cutting-edge research equipment like our nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer in our state-of-the-art labs.
Customize your educational experience by choosing from the standard track or the American Chemical Society (ACS)-certified track.
Study with professors who have expertise in a diverse range of specialties, including an American Chemical Society Fellow and a John A. Timm Award recipient (the highest honor given by the New England Association of Chemistry Teachers).

Chemistry

Featured Courses

CHEM 250

PLS

Inorganic Chemistry

Investigate the structure and properties of inorganic substances while contributing to a rigorous research project that aims to produce results of sufficient quality and quantity suitable for publication.

CHEM 258

Crystallography, Diffraction, and Scattering Methods

Use diffraction and scattering techniques (including small angle and quasi-elastic neutron scattering) to investigate the structure and properties of a variety of biochemical, inorganic, and organic materials.

BCMB 237

Chemistry and Biology of Medicine

Explore how currently available drugs interact with biological systems at the molecular level to combat a range of infections and diseases, and read journal articles to see examples of drug development research.

BCMB 279

Computers in Biochemistry

Gain experience using software packages to analyze chemical and biochemical systems retrieval, such as analysis of DNA and protein sequence information, and simulations of protein dynamics and ligand binding.

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The Chemistry Path

As a chemistry major, you will select one of two tracks based on your career goals:

The American Chemical Society (ACS)-certified track, which meets the entrance requirements for graduate study in chemistry, is recommended if you want to pursue a profession in the chemical sciences.
The standard track, which offers more latitude in course selection, is appropriate for students who plan to pursue one of the health professions* (medical, dental, veterinary), public school teaching, technical sales, or other chemistry-related fields.

For your first two years, requirements are identical for the two tracks.

All students are required to take two courses each in calculus and physics. (If you’re planning to go on to graduate school, we strongly urge you to take additional advanced courses in chemistry, mathematics, physics, and biochemistry while at Clark.) You’ll also be required to demonstrate competence in communicating chemical concepts (for example, through reports based on research in the chemical literature, Academic Spree Day or Fall Fest presentations, directed study papers, honors theses, or publications), as well as take a standardized undergraduate chemistry knowledge diagnostic exam before graduation.

Tutoring in chemistry is available, free of charge, five days a week.

If you’re considering a career teaching chemistry at the high school level, we encourage you to check out the Noyce Scholarship program. A robust Prehealth Advising Program is available if you’re interested in pursuing a career in the health professions.

American Chemical Society Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry
The American Chemical Society Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry is awarded to an outstanding student who has displayed an interest and aptitude for analytical chemistry.

The American Chemical Society Undergraduate Award in Physical Chemistry
The American Chemical Society Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry is awarded to an outstanding student who has displayed an interest and aptitude for physical chemistry.

American Chemical Society, Division of Organic Chemistry Undergraduate Award in Organic Chemistry
The American Chemical Society, Division of Organic Chemistry Undergraduate Award in Organic Chemistry recognizes a senior who displays a significant aptitude for organic chemistry.

American Chemical Society, Division of Inorganic Chemistry Undergraduate Award in Inorganic Chemistry
The American Chemical Society, Division of Inorganic Chemistry Undergraduate Award in Organic Chemistry recognizes a senior who displays a significant aptitude for inorganic chemistry.

American Institute of Chemists Foundation Student Award
The American Institute of Chemists Foundation Student Award is awarded to one chemistry and one biochemistry and molecular biology senior for outstanding records of achievement.

Chemical Rubber Company Press Freshman Chemistry Achievement Award
The Chemical Rubber Company Press Freshman Chemistry Achievement Award, sponsored by the Taylor & Francis Group, is awarded in recognition of a student’s outstanding academic achievement in chemistry.

Organic Chemistry Prize
The Organic Chemistry Prize is awarded to an undergraduate student for his/her outstanding performance in organic chemistry.

Wen-Yang Wen Award for Excellence in Physical Chemistry
The Wen-Yang Wen Endowed Prize for Excellence in Chemistry was established by the family and friends of Weng-Yeng Wen to honor his retirement as a professor at Clark University. The income from this endowment is used to provide a prize for an outstanding upperclassman studying chemistry or biochemistry.

Skills you will learn include how to:

Solve problems that require the analysis of unknown substances or the synthesis of new molecules or materials.
Collaborate efficiently and productively with colleagues in other fields, such as biology, physics, materials science, environmental science, or biomedical engineering.
Read primary literature critically, analyze complex data, and identify relevant trends.
Communicate information effectively, both orally and in writing.
Work as part of a team.

Learn about our facilities and equipment available for teaching and research, and the resources at Clark’s Carlson Science Library.

During your junior year, you might be accepted into the chemistry honors program. Joining the program means you’ll work closely with a professor to create a thesis on a topic of your choice. Examples of recent honors thesis topics are:

Autonomous Ion-Selective Electrodes for Measuring Carbonate in Seawater Systems
Paraffin-Bearing Polymethacrylates and Polymethacrylamides as Solid-Solid Phase Change Materials: Effect of Spacer Length on Heat Storage Capacity
Polymer-Templated Wet Chemical Synthesis of Plasmonic Nanoparticles

Building your foundation

The Clark Experience

The Clark Core allows students to take courses across diverse disciplines, helping them develop critical thinking skills and respect for other cultures and perspectives. You’ll connect classroom learning with action through world and workplace experiences.

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At Clark, your education extends beyond the classroom. Visit the Career Connections Center to learn more about internship opportunities that complement your coursework and put your chemistry knowledge into practice.

The chemistry major is designed to help you learn outside the classroom. Many students take advantage of internship opportunities during the academic year or over the summer to connect what they’re learning with their professional development.

Other opportunities include:

Participation in a Study Abroad and Away program is an opportunity to gain world and workplace experience to complement your on-campus work. Clark approves semester, yearlong, and summer opportunities to earn credit through academic coursework, internships, community-based learning, or research. Explore our Study Abroad and Away page, where you can search programs by academic interest, location, and language; after you’ve identified some appropriate programs, ensure they fit into your four-year plan by talking with your faculty adviser as early as possible.

You can participate in Clark’s many clubs, organizations, and athletic teams as a way to complement your academic work. Here are some student organizations that might be of interest to you as a chemistry student:

Pre-health Society
Clark Sustainability Action
CU Student Chapter of the Association of Computing Machinery
Science-Fiction People of Clark

Internships

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Harvard Medical School; research intern
Camp Kinetic/Camp Kronos Jr. Museum
Calif.; assistant science counselor
IDEXX Laboratories
immunoassay research and development intern
Abbott Bioresearch Center
organic synthesis intern
Maine Medical Center Research Institute
vector-borne disease laboratory intern

Clark is committed to action-based learning, which means that as an undergraduate you can join faculty and graduate students in their research. Our faculty members have research interests in these subfields of chemistry: materials chemistry (including bio-inorganic, bio-organic, biophysical, inorganic, materials, organic, organometallic, physical, and polymer chemistry), biochemistry and molecular biology, among others.

The Chemistry Department is a supportive, collegial group of faculty, undergraduates, and graduate students. During the academic year, you can attend a weekly seminar and luncheon on a subject of current research interest. Most research groups also hold weekly meetings where you can exchange ideas and get feedback on research. You are also welcome to attend the department-wide Harry C. Allen Jr. Symposium each year.

As a Chemistry major, you are strongly encouraged to undertake an original research project as an undergraduate. This gives you an opportunity to apply the knowledge you’ve gained in the classroom, improve the breadth and depth of your understanding of chemistry, and contribute to our collective knowledge of the world around us.

You can conduct research as part of a course or internship, or participate informally in faculty research during your spare time. You also can apply for funding to support your own research on a project of your choice during the academic year or during the summer.

Collaborate with faculty

Some students co-author papers with a faculty mentor and attend professional conferences where they present their research and network with other chemistry professionals. Examples include (names of Clark undergrads are indicated by *):

Doyle, R.P., Chen, X., Macrae, M.*, Srungavarapu, A.*, and Granados-Focil, S., Macromolecules, 2014, 47, 3401. “Poly-(ethylene-imine)-based polymer blends as lithium single-ion conductors.”
Mendecki, L.M., Fayose, T., Stockmal, K.A.*, Wei, J., Granados-Focil, S., McGraw, C.M., Radu, A.,   Analytical Chemistry., 2015, 87, 7515. “Robust and ultrasensitive polymer membrane-based carbonate selective electrodes.”
Selmani, V.*, Robbins, K.J., Ivancic, V., Lazo, N.D., Protein Science 2015, 24:420-425. “K114 (trans, trans)-bromo-2,5-bis (4-hydroxystyryl)benzene is an efficient detector of cationic amyloid fibrils.”
Forman, R.L.*; Landee, C.P.; Wikaira, J.L.; Turnbull, M.M. Eur. Chem. Bull. 2014, 3, 190-4. “Synthesis, structure, and magnetic behavior of [Cu2(2-amino-5-(trifluoromethyl)pyridine)4(OH)2](ClO4)2•(2-amino-5-(trifluoromethyl)pyridine).”
MacArthur, N.S.*, Wang, L., McCarthy, B.G.*, Jakobsche, C.E., Synth. Comm., 2015, 45, 2014. “Using N-Nitrosodichloroacetamides to Conveniently Convert Linear Primary Amines into Alcohols.”

Research involvement at this level provides you with an excellent background for future graduate work in chemistry, or a breadth of experience that will assist you in future work in the allied health fields, teaching, or other science-related fields.

Fall Fest and Academic Spree Day

Clark’s annual ClarkFEST is an opportunity to share your research or creative work with the Clark community while you hone your presentation skills. Some projects chemistry students and recent alumni have presented are:

The Effect and Synthesis of 2-Pyridone Substitutions of Pyrazine on the Magnetic Exchange of 2-Pyridone/Pyrazine Linear Chains of Copper (II) Perchlorate
A Geometric Model for EDTA-Restricted Crystal-Face Growth Rates in the Synthesis of Cu₂O
Synthesis of Inhibitor Molecules for the Study of Lysyl Oxidase
Synthesis of Linear Alkyl Ethers for Temperature Regulation: Optimization of Reaction Conditions and Process Scale-Up
Construction of Cell for Lithium Polymer Matrix Analysis Through PFG NMR

You can also submit your research results for publication in our student-run Scholarly Undergraduate Research Journal.

At Clark you’ll get more than a great education; you’ll also be prepared for a long, productive career and life of consequence. And once you’ve completed your degree, you can join other Clark alumni who have gone on to work for great organizations and attend some of the best graduate schools in the world.

The chemistry major prepares you for a variety of exciting next steps. You might go on to graduate school to further your knowledge of the field, enter one of the health professions (medical, dental or veterinary), or become a public school teacher. Other career paths include product development; technical sales; marketing and communications; hazardous waste management; forensic science; chemical engineering; and intellectual property law.

Graduate School Placement

Graduate schools attended by chemistry graduates from Clark include:

Brown University; MPH (public health)
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy; Pharm.D.
Yale University; Ph.D., Chemistry
Tulane University Law School; J.D.
University of Akron, Ohio; Ph.D., polymer science and engineering

Career Outcomes

Merck Pharmaceuticals
chemist
MDS PharmaServices
clinical director
Colgate Palmolive
chemist
San Mateo County, Calif.
forensic pathologist
University of Hartford
professor

Faculty and Programs in the Department of Chemistry

Learn More

Major in Chemistry (B.A.)

Why Study Chemistry at Clark?

Featured Courses

Inorganic Chemistry

Crystallography, Diffraction, and Scattering Methods

Chemistry and Biology of Medicine

Computers in Biochemistry

The Chemistry Path

Academic Achievement Awards

Skills You Learn

Facilities

Honors Program

Related Programs

The Clark Experience

Study Abroad and Away

Student Clubs and Organizations

Collaborate with Faculty and Present Your Research