Undergraduate Programs in Chemistry | Chemistry and Biochemistry | SIU

Programs

Current Chemistry degree description, requirements and courses can be found in Current Online Undergraduate Catalog.

Faculty

The School of Chemical and Biomolecular Sciences, with sixteen tenured and tenure-track faculty members whose expertise spans all major areas of chemistry, provides robust resources for a comprehensive education in the field. Introductory courses for chemistry majors are taught alongside the University Honors program and are distinct from non-major tracks, ensuring small class sizes. Upper-division courses are similarly kept small, allowing faculty to offer personalized attention to each student.

Our faculty members are highly engaged in research, securing external funding from prestigious agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Energy, NASA, and the American Cancer Society, among others. A portion of these funds is dedicated to supporting undergraduate students conducting research in faculty labs. Our research spans a wide range of experimental and theoretical chemistry, with a focus on the design and fabrication of new materials for , the synthesis of novel products and bioactive molecules, catalysis, the fundamental understanding of molecular interactions, and the development of advanced methods and instruments for separating molecules or detecting trace substances.

Graduate and Professional Programs

While your immediate goal may be a bachelor's degree and a job, at some point in the future you may decide you would like further education. SIUC offers master's and doctor's degrees in chemistry. Currently, about 40 students are enrolled in these programs. Also available are graduate programs in computer science, geology, mathematics, microbiology, physics, physiology, and zoology.

Many of our undergraduates have gone on to graduate work at major institutions throughout the country. Often they have begun their research careers as undergraduates in our school, working with faculty members. Some chemistry majors enter medical school - an undergraduate degree in chemistry is an excellent preparation for a career in medicine or other health-related fields.