At Worcester State, you will develop a solid understanding of the principles of central science through hands-on experimentation and research. The Chemistry Department’s curriculum emphasizes hands-on preparation, competence with instrumental techniques, teamwork, problem-solving, and interdisciplinary collaboration. It offers students extensive contact with modern equipment and abundant research opportunities. The Department’s strong reputation, location and ACS certification provides a solid training for graduate school and industry positions.
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The ACS, with its more than 160,000 members, is the major professional society in the United States for practicing chemists. The ACS sponsors major professional meetings and publishes a large number of scientific journals. Through its Committee on Professional Training, the ACS evaluates undergraduate professional education in chemistry throughout the U.S. Students who successfully complete an undergraduate curriculum which meets the ACS guidelines receive certification by the Society. These guidelines are lengthy but basically require 400 clock hours of traditional classwork in chemistry courses covering the fundamental areas of the discipline, and 500 clock hours of formal laboratory experience in chemistry. Math and physics courses are also specified.
Complete details of the ACS guidelines for degree certification may be found below:
Guidelines for Bachelors Degree Programs
All Chemistry majors who complete the BS curriculum will be nominated by the Department to receive certification by the ACS.
BA majors who desire to qualify for American Chemical Society certification for their degree must complete the following courses:
Complete 5 credit hours of CHEM 397: Undergraduate Research or CHEM 398: Undergraduate Research/Senior Capstone Project. The research project must culminate in a written report. Students who carry out chemistry-based research in other departments may petition the Undergraduate Committee to count this research toward ACS accreditation. Certification by the ACS is viewed favorably for admission to graduate or professional programs. Certified graduates are eligible to become Members of the Society after graduation; other chemistry graduates may become Associate Members after graduation, and Members after three years of professional experience in chemistry or chemical engineering.
Explore a wide range of rewarding professional opportunities with your degree from Worcester State:
The central theme of research in my group is the design and development of organometallic complexes for use in catalysis with a focus on green chemistry. The development of atom economical reactions, minimization of extraneous solvent use, and use of [...]
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Generally Teaches: Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry [...]
My research interests are broadly in the field of green and environmental chemistry and designed to facilitate undergraduate participation. Our group works with a class of non-volatile and non-flammable solvents termed ionic liquids (ILs). We are [...]
As the fall semester began, Weichu Xu, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, realized the pandemic meant visits to the lab would be restricted for many students and impossible for those in isolation, so they would need extra help to prepare for and understand experiments.
Worcester State University’s Chemistry Department has been enriching the summers of local high school students by running an Environmental STEM Connections program.
To the average high school student, having fun on summer vacation means getting away from teachers and classrooms, and taking a break from learning.
