Department of Chemistry
At KU Chemistry, our faculty are dedicated to mentoring both undergraduate and graduate students and to helping each student achieve scientific maturity. In addition to required classroom and laboratory courses, students can participate in research projects led by our faculty. Our Department’s research programs place KU Chemistry at the leading edge of scientific research. The research performed by our faculty and students applies chemical knowledge to develop compounds that fight disease, create cleaner and more efficient chemical processes for industry, and apply chemistry in other manners that benefit society.
Our highly recognized faculty excel at both teaching and research. KU Chemistry spans two buildings: Gray-Little Hall on main campus and the Multidisciplinary Research Building (MRB) on west campus. Our graduate students come from throughout the U.S. and across the globe to pursue their educational and research goals. Many other students pursue graduate degrees in related areas of medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, chemical engineering, biochemistry, and geochemistry, making a community of more than 350 chemistry-oriented research students. To aid the research efforts of our faculty and students, the Chemistry Department and University support a range of core research labs and facilities. These include a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Laboratory, X-ray Crystallography Laboratory, Ralph N. Adams Nanofabrication Facility, and Advanced Computing Facility. KU Chemistry faculty and students are involved in multidisciplinary centers, such as the Adams Institute for Bioanalytical Chemistry and the Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis, which enable cutting edge research to solve urgent problems related to human health and the environment.
Undergraduate Program
The undergraduate program in the Department of Chemistry has two primary missions: 1) to enable majors to master the discipline in preparation for further study or immediate employment; and 2) to empower majors in other disciplines to acquire a foundational knowledge of chemistry.
The curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree, a rigorous program certified by the American Chemical Society, consists of a full spectrum of chemistry courses as well as supporting courses in mathematics, physics, and biochemistry. The B.S. degree is designed to prepare students for a professional career in chemistry. The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree, with fewer required courses, allows students to obtain a broader knowledge of areas outside chemistry, or to tailor their chemistry program for specific or unique objectives. We also offer a Minor in chemistry for those seeking a secondary area of study.
Graduate Program
For a student wishing to earn a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in chemistry, the selection of a graduate school is one of the most important career decisions. Graduate studies in Chemistry at KU aim to prepare students to become independent, creative chemists ready to tackle the challenges of the 21st century.
The KU Chemistry Graduate Program provides exceptional and diverse opportunities for students interested in a career in cutting-edge research, higher education, or any number of chemically related positions requiring an advanced degree. Our outstanding faculty provide mentoring and guidance to graduate students during their journey from undergraduate to professional.
Undergraduate Programs
Chemistry course work educates undergraduates to become professional chemists or to do graduate work in chemistry. It also provides the basic chemistry background for students entering such fields as biochemistry, biological sciences, dentistry, engineering, environmental science, geology, medicine, pharmacy, physics, and secondary-level science education. Courses in chemistry provide general knowledge and appreciation of chemistry and its impact on society.
Advanced Placement
Students who have taken the Advanced Placement Examination in chemistry should have the results forwarded to the Office of Admissions. Students who score 4 or 5 need not take CHEM 130 and CHEM 135 and receive 10 hours of credit. Those who score 3 receive credit for CHEM 130. Students who score at least 50 on the College Level Examination Program general chemistry examination receive 5 hours of credit in CHEM 130.
Courses for Non-majors
Undergraduates taking chemistry as preparatory study for another field should consult the courses listed for that field in this catalog. CHEM 110 is an introductory course for the non-science major who wants to study the general principles, methods, role, and significance of chemistry in the modern world, for pre-nursing students, and for students who plan to take no additional courses in chemistry. Pre-medical students and chemistry or other science majors should not take CHEM 110. CHEM 110 includes a laboratory. Engineering students who need only one semester of chemistry should take CHEM 150. CHEM 130 is an introductory course for students who plan to take more than one year of college chemistry, including chemical engineering, pre-medical, pre-pharmacy, and pre-dental students and students in biological sciences who must take organic chemistry. Students should continue with CHEM 135 in the same academic year that they take CHEM 130.
Graduate Programs
The department’s graduate program, its Ph.D. program in particular, produces graduates with the basic knowledge, skills, and experimental training necessary to enter productive careers in academic, industrial, and government positions. Faculty and graduate students work collegially, not only in the search for new knowledge at the frontiers of chemistry, but also toward the solution of problems of fundamental societal concern.
Although the department believes it is essential to provide graduate students with a knowledge base spanning the traditional areas of analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry, it nurtures its particular strengths in several important research areas at the interface of chemistry and the biological/medical sciences. The Department of Chemistry at KU is a worldwide leader in graduate training and research in bioanalytical chemistry, and its additional interactions with the pharmaceutical and biological sciences have led to strong graduate research programs in diverse areas such as bio-inorganic, bio-organic, and biophysical chemistry.
The department also recognizes its central science role by maintaining strong research and Ph.D. programs in areas that interface closely with molecular biosciences, physics, chemical engineering, mathematics, and computer science, for example, in drug discovery, theoretical chemistry, materials, molecular modeling, and laser spectroscopy. The entering Ph.D. student can be assured of finding vigorous programs spanning a full range of chemical studies, and the graduating Ph.D. student can be equally confident that his or her training and skills are marketable commodities.
The department’s M.S. program is a traditional companion to the Ph.D. program and shares the same goals. It is encouraged for students who prefer a program with less depth and a research (thesis) project that is manageable in 2 to 4 semesters. Although most entering graduate students choose the Ph.D.—the most desirable degree for those who wish to work as independent scientists in academic, industrial, or institutional settings—the M.S. serves a useful and essential role for students with other ambitions.
Research support facilities include the Instrumentation Design Laboratory, Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Molecular Graphics and Modeling Laboratory, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Laboratory, and X-ray Crystallography Laboratory. Anschutz Library contains more than 300,000 books and periodicals spanning the fields of chemistry, biochemistry, physics, geology, and pharmacy.
Non-Degree Seeking
Students who are interested in enrolling in graduate level coursework in the Department of Chemistry without formal admission to a graduate program at KU are encouraged to apply for graduate non-degree seeking student status. See the department’s degrees webpage for further details.
