Our Educational Mission

The overarching goal of all of the Chemistry and Physics programs is to provide the highest quality instruction to students to prepare them to be active participants in the enterprise of science. Our ACS certified Chemistry BS degree, BSE (Chemistry Education), and our Pre-professional Chemistry BA programs provide the flexibility today's students need to ensure that they remain at the cutting edge of their chosen field. Our Physics BS and BSE (Physics Education) programs challenge students to think broadly about the application of physics to real world problems.  Our B.S. in Forensic Science prepares students directly to work in a forensic science lab. In addition, we also offer a Minor in Chemistry and a Minor in Physics for those students who want to further enhance their educational experience.

Whether your interests are in environmental science, biomedical science, science educations, or pharmacy our faculty and staff work with you to enable you to reach your fullest potential. Our students are fortunate to work with some of the leading researchers in their fields. All of our students graduate having had opportunities for research experience and training with advanced analytical and computer modeling methods.

Our MS program in Chemistry is a dynamic program integrating students into research in high demand fields. Our MS students have successfully gone on to pursue PhD degrees at some of the top research institutions in the country. In addition many of our former MS students are now prominent researchers in the chemical industry. Ours is a small MS graduate program so that student-faculty interactions are the strength of the research enterprise. Our full time MS students are supported through teaching and/or research assistantships.

Our interdisciplinary Environmental Science PhD program integrates the fields of chemistry, geology, and biology with an understanding of policy, law, and economics to provide students the necessary skills and knowledge to be leaders in the field of Environmental Science. Chemistry PhD students work on a variety of research topics including the chemistry of environmental tobacco smoke, the development of sensor technologies through laser spectroscopy, the study of trace element chemistry in river systems, and the linkages between ecology and hydrology at the groundwater/surface water interface. Our PhD students are funded through federal grants to faculty as well as through assistantships provided by the Environmental Sciences PhD Program. Our students present and publish their research in some of the highest ranked journals in their fields. Our recent graduates have landed research and/or teaching positions at major research institutions, small universities, and in private and government agencies.