Undergraduate Degree Programs

Few fields of study have greater impact on our everyday lives than chemistry. The clothes we wear, the cars we drive, the food and pharmaceuticals we consume - all of these and more are directly or indirectly influenced by our knowledge of chemistry and our ability to manipulate and control the behavior of molecules. The wide applicability of chemistry means that students of the science can not only go on to careers in chemistry itself, but will be well prepared for disciplines as diverse as health sciences (medicine, dentistry, pharmacy), biochemistry (molecular biology and biotechnology), materials science (plastics, fiber optics, composites), earth sciences (geochemistry), environmental science and law.

The Department of Chemistry at the University of Wyoming offers an excellent opportunity for students to obtain the background necessary to compete in today's fast moving technological marketplace. The faculty of the department have a proven track record in providing a high quality educational experience to undergraduates. This excellence has been recognized by the university in the form of the many teaching and advising awards received by the faculty, as well as in comments by former students.

Ninety-one percent of our chemistry graduates ranked the Department of Chemistry as an "A" or "B" in each of the categories of teaching, quality of faculty, and overall quality of education received. Our graduates have demonstrated their preparation for competitiveness by their acceptance to medical programs (including Johns Hopkins and the Universities of Utah and Washington), to graduate chemistry programs (including Stanford University and the Universities of Utah, California-Berkeley, Caltech, and Columbia), and to industrial positions (including Union Carbide and DuPont).

Education in the Department of Chemistry isn't confined to the classroom. Numerous opportunities to participate in undergraduate research are available, providing training in the use of state-of-the-art instrumentation and the unique experience of being involved in cutting-edge research. We regard the undergraduate research experience so highly that we now require every B.S. Chemistry major to participate in a faculty-directed research project. The range of subjects for research span the interests of 12 active research faculty and include:

Analytical Chemistry: Development of methods for the determination of the presence and concentrations of molecules of environmental or medical importance, development of new battery materials.

Inorganic Chemistry: Design of metal based anti-cancer agents, development of new catalysts for industrial processes, understanding industrially important processes through computational analysis.

Organic Chemistry: Mechanisms of organic reactions, detoxification of chemical weapons agents, design of new pharmaceuticals.

Physical Chemistry: Laser spectroscopy, nonlinear optics, nanostructural materials for drug delivery and microelectrodes, characterization of glassy materials.

The Department of Chemistry offers a variety of degree programs designed to suit individuals with a wide range of interests and career goals:

Bachelor of Arts program requires the basic chemistry courses but is sufficiently flexible to allow students to pursue interests in other fields.

Plans 1 or 2 for a Bachelor of Science degree provide the more intensive study of chemistry appropriate for those continuing in the field, with the more rigorous of the two programs (Plan 2) leading to a professional degree approved by the American Chemical Society. A minor concentration in environment and natural resources from the Helga Otto Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources is also available to chemistry majors.

Plan 1 BS Requirements

Plan 2 BS (CACS) Requirements