Purposes
- To prepare students for entrance into graduate school and eventually for professional work in chemistry or related fields;
- To prepare students, who don’t wish to attend graduate school, to enter the field of industrial chemistry immediately after graduation;
- To prepare students to teach chemistry or physical science at the secondary education level;
- To provide students with the opportunity to participate as partners with their professors in nationally reported research projects;
- To provide students with a general knowledge of chemistry and its relation to society.
Tradition of Excellence
The strength and reputation of the Chemistry program has been well established over the past 45 years. Quality classroom instruction coupled with personal contact with caring faculty lays the foundation for students’ success. Small classes and deliberate faculty mentoring provide students the knowledge and confidence to pursue their career goals. At PLNU, the faculty understand that chemistry is a laboratory science, and almost all courses in the major have a significant laboratory component. Students become very familiar with the instrumental tools of modern chemical investigation. Undergraduate research has, and continues to be, the hallmark of the Chemistry department. Over 230 students have had the opportunity to work side by side with university faculty in the summer research programs. Results of these studies are published in peer-reviewed professional journals with students included as co-authors. Over 90 such articles have been published since 1965 as part of the Chemistry department undergraduate research program. Most importantly, students learn to think like scientists as they tackle their own research project. Undergraduate research requires funding and the Chemistry faculty has been very successful in competing for public and private grants (the total exceeds $2 million). As remarkable evidence of loyalty and support, Department alumni also contribute nearly $30,000 annually to partially fund the kind of research from which they themselves benefited. Students, faculty, and alumni connect in significant ways to make chemistry education at PLNU a respected and vital experience.
Career Opportunities
The professional success of graduates in the Department of Chemistry attests to the quality of the program. More than 80 percent of students who apply to medical schools are accepted (almost twice the national average). Higher percentages are accepted into Ph.D. programs in Chemistry and related fields. PLNU alumni can be found on the faculty of numerous medical schools and universities. They are also making important contributions in school classrooms and industrial labs. The same quality undergraduate education is offered to all students, and the department is proud of each achievement.
Majors |
Chemistry
Biology-Chemistry
Environmental Science B.S. |
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Faculty |
Sara Yu Choung, Ph.D.
University of California, Berkeley
Victor L. Heasley, Ph.D.
University of Kansas
Kenneth A. Martin, Ph.D., Chair
University of Kansas/Wichita State University
Dale F. Shellhamer, Ph.D.
University of California, Santa Barbara
Gary L. N. Smith, Ph.D.
University of Oklahoma
Anjanette J. Turbiak, Ph.D.
University of Michigan |
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