Chemistry

Career potential

Chemistry is the study of properties and transformations of matter. A bachelor's degree from the University of North Texas in chemistry will prepare you for many industrial or government positions. To be a professional chemist or teach at a university, you may also need to earn a master's and possibly a doctoral degree in chemistry.

Chemists work for manufacturers of chemicals, electronic and scientific instruments, food, oil and gas, and paper. They also are employed by national and private laboratories, research firms and government agencies. The U.S. departments of Agriculture, Defense, and Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health have many jobs for chemists. Some chemists identify the presence and concentration of pollutants in air, soil and water for local or state governments and companies.

With a background in chemistry, you also may become a product developer or sales representative for a manufacturer of chemical products, pharmaceuticals or laboratory equipment. You might synthesize new useful materials or teach high school chemistry.

A major in chemistry also can prepare you to enter dental, medical or veterinary school, or a training program to become a chiropractor, medical technician, optometrist, pharmacist, podiatrist or other health care professional. UNT offers pre-professional advising if you want a health care career.

UNT chemistry alumni include a former president of Dow Corning Corp.-Europe, a former president of Diamond Shamrock, a former head patent attorney of Eli Lilly and Co., two past presidents of the American College of Surgeons, and many other outstanding researchers and university professors. Recent chemistry undergraduates have been heavily recruited for industrial and government positions. Other graduates have attended some of the top graduate schools and medical schools in the country.

The UNT Career Center office can help you prepare to pursue your career. The center has information about jobs and employers, and the staff can assist you with resume and letter writing, job search strategies and interview preparation.

Majoring in chemistry

The UNT chemistry program has been accredited by the American Chemical Society [1155 Sixteenth St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20036, telephone (800) 227-5558, www.acs.org]. This accreditation means the program has passed strict academic standards for excellence in education.

The chemistry department offers the following undergraduate degree programs.

Bachelor of Science in Chemistry - if you plan to become a professional chemist with an industry or university. This program is accredited by the ACS.

Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with a concentration in forensic science - if you desire a career in a private or forensic lab. The program is certified through ACS and currently seeking accreditation through the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry - if you desire a career in a chemistry-related area such as business, marketing and sales, professional health services (medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, medical technology, etc.), environmental studies, pharmacology and patent law.

Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry with teaching certification - if you intend to teach chemistry and related sciences at the elementary and secondary school levels.

Regardless of your degree plan, as a chemistry major you will take courses in:

• analytical chemistry - the study of the structure, composition and nature of substances
• inorganic chemistry - the study of noncarbon-based compounds such as those found in electronic components
• organic chemistry - the study of carbon-based compounds such as those found in medicines and plastics
• physical chemistry - the study of characteristics of atoms and molecules and chemical reactions

You may specialize in one of these areas as a professional chemist. You will also take courses in statistical measurements and methods, and you will learn to use the scientific instruments commonly employed in chemical research.

As a chemistry major, you may combine college and medical school in a joint program offered by UNT and the UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth. You can spend three years at UNT completing the core curriculum requirements for chemistry majors, then transfer to the health science center for four years of medical training. The basic science courses at the health science center complete requirements for UNT's bachelor of arts degree with a major in chemistry. At the end of seven years (instead of the usual eight years needed to complete a bachelor's degree and medical school), you are ready to serve in residency at a hospital or clinic.

Faculty members in UNT's chemistry department are dedicated to high-quality teaching. Four chemistry faculty members have been named Regents Professors for their outstanding teaching and research. Regents Professors devote at least one-half of their teaching load to introductory-level courses.

The chemistry department has its own Undergraduate Advising Office, dedicated to helping chemistry majors succeed. The department also staffs the Chemistry Resource Center and the Computational Chemistry Instructional Laboratory. The most qualified undergraduate and graduate students work with you if you need mentoring or tutoring in your classes or assistance with your chemical computations. Study groups are welcome. New students may join Alpha Chi Sigma, the professional chemistry fraternity, which is open to all chemistry majors and minors and those majoring in related fields. The chapter is very active, arranging chemical shows and mixers with other area Alpha Chi Sigma chapters. You also may apply for membership in the American Chemical Society as a student member.

The chemistry department has several scholarships, awards and jobs to assist you financially. The department and the university also can help you apply for national and international scholarships. Recent chemistry undergraduates have won prestigious national Barry M. Goldwater scholarships and have fared well in competition for National Science Foundation fellowships.

Getting hands-on experience

As a chemistry major, you may gain research experience and receive course credit for working in one of UNT's laboratories or research centers. Many of the department's professors have undergraduates perform research in their labs. This will give you an excellent opportunity to gain experience working as a research assistant. In the labs, you may analyze the atomic structure of materials, model chemical reactions using computer simulations, synthesize chemical compounds or analyze them using state-of-the-art computer-controlled equipment. Several undergraduate students have co-authored scientific publications in national and international journals based on their research work. Recent undergraduate researchers now hold chemistry faculty positions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Southern California. Or you may do research in water toxicology through the Institute of Applied Sciences, which includes the Environmental Chemistry Laboratory and the Water Research Field Station - one of six stations in the nation that helps government and industry assess the toxic effects of pesticides and other chemicals on the environment.

Upon completion of 12 semester hours at UNT with at least a 2.5 GPA, you may work in a job related to your major through UNT's office of Cooperative Education and Internships. You may earn academic credit and money and gain valuable work experience. Co-op employers pay extremely well, and the jobs usually last several semesters, often until graduation.

More than 1,800 employers work with the office to provide excellent learning opportunities, many of which become permanent full-time positions upon graduation. The office also assists with placing students in internships, which last for one full semester or summer.

Preparing for UNT

If you are a high school student, we suggest you prepare for college by becoming computer proficient and taking:

• English … 4 years
• Math … 4 years
• Social science — economics, geography, government, history … 4 years
• Science … 3 years
• Foreign language … 3 years
• Fine arts … 1 year

You will need to take courses in most of these subjects under the university core curriculum required of all undergraduates, in addition to your major courses. Talk with your high school counselor about preparing for college, including the entrance exams (SAT Reasoning Test or ACT) that you should take during your junior year.

As a benefit for transfer students, UNT participates in the Texas Common Course Numbering System. This system makes it easier to transfer credits for general academic courses from one Texas institution to another.

If you're attending a Texas community college, you should consult the UNT Transfer Guide, the UNT Undergraduate Catalog and an academic counselor to discuss your degree plan. Proper planning will help you receive the maximum amount of transfer credits.

You may declare a major in chemistry immediately upon enrolling at UNT.

Charting your path with academic advising

Faculty members in the chemistry department will help you each semester to select courses necessary to earn your degree. They also will give you career advice. The chemistry department's office is in the Chemistry Building, Room 101. The chemistry department's Undergraduate Advising Office is in the Chemistry Building, Room 207.

Curious about courses and other features of this major?
See the current catalog.