Faculty

James W. Lane, Professor
Lorena Rios Mendoza, Assistant Professor
Michael A. Waxman, Professor

Chemistry Program

UW-Superior offers a challenging major in chemistry that provides students with several options, depending on their career goals. Students majoring in chemistry may seek jobs as professional chemists or teachers after they graduate, pursue advanced degrees in graduate school, or use their degree as the foundation for attending medical or veterinary school. The one-on-one attention students receive provides the opportunity to develop deeper scientific insights, sharpen their independent-thinking skills, and gains hands-on experience.

Students completing the 56-credit chemistry major are well prepared to seek entry-level jobs as professional chemists or to pursue graduate school or medical school. The major emphasizes chemistry but also includes courses in mathematics and physics.

Students interested in careers or advanced study in biochemistry can complete the chemistry major while selecting courses that cover the topics recommended for study by the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

A severe shortage exists of secondary education teachers in chemistry. UW-Superior offers a chemistry major leading to certification to teach chemistry at the high school level. Students benefit not only from a quality education in chemistry but also from UW-Superior's strong Teacher Education program.

Graduates of the chemistry program work at companies such as 3M, Intel, Dow Corning, Potlatch Corp., Pfizer Pharmaceutical and Murphy Oil. Others have gone on to graduate or medical schools such as the University of Wisconsin- Madison, Medical College of Wisconsin, Marquette University, University of Illinois, Purdue University, University of Minnesota and North Dakota State University.

Special Accreditation

The Chemistry major is approved by the American Chemical Society (ACS). Students may take additional chemistry courses to prepare for graduate school and to meet requirements of the American Chemical Society to have transcripts marked "ACS-certified Major (General Option)."

Student Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate command of facts, theories, and concepts of chemistry/physics, and ability to use this knowledge for problem solving and the development and understanding of higher-level concepts.
• Utilize a variety of sources to access scientific information and critically evaluate which sources are most reliable and useful for a particular application.
• Understand and follow a written, abbreviated experimental procedure as well as make modifications to the procedure and troubleshoot the procedure if unexpected results occur.
• Apply knowledge and skills gained from lecture and laboratory courses to independently create a plan for an experiment or project
• Read and evaluate a set of original research papers in order to create their own critical analysis presented in written and oral form.

Chemistry Major (comprehensive) Requirements

56 total credits

All grades in required courses for this major must be C or higher, except that two grades of C- may be counted toward the major. No minor is required.

Chemistry Core required courses (56 credits required):

Recommended: MATH 242

CHEM 346/348	Physical Chemistry II -- 5 credits
CHEM 375/376	Instrumental Analysis -- 5 credits

American Chemical Society (ACS)-Certified option: This option is recommended especially for students who plan to attend graduate school in chemistry as well as for students desiring additional theoretical and laboratory training in specialized areas of chemistry. In addition to the required courses listed above, students also must complete:

CHEM 346/348	Physical Chemistry II -- 5 credits
CHEM 375/376	Instrumental Analysis -- 5 credits
CHEM 360 and 366 (3 additional credits) Biochemistry and Inorganic Chemistry -- 3 credits
CHEM 367	Inorganic Chemistry Lab -- 1 credit
A total of six credits of 400-level courses in Chemistry, excluding CHEM 497.
One additional laboratory credit, which also may count for 6 credits of 400-level coursework mentioned above. A student who maintains a cumulative GPA of 2.000 for the aforementioned coursework is eligible to have his or her transcript marked "ACS-certified (General Option)" and to receive a certificate from the American Chemical Society indicating receipt of an ACS-certified degree

Biochemistry option: Chemistry majors interested in attending medical, veterinary or pharmacy schools or graduate school in biochemistry are advised to take:

Students who also choose BIOL 340 will complete a minor in biology.

This is not a formal biochemistry major, students choosing this option will have completed the topics recommended for a biochemistry major by the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Chemistry Major - Forensic Chemistry concentration (comprehensive) Requirements

63 total credits

Forensic chemistry is increasingly used to solve crimes and provide evidence in court. The U.S. Department of Labor and the American Chemical Society are both optimistic about the job prospects for forensic chemists.

The Forensic Chemistry Concentration emphasizes analytical chemistry along with Criminal Justice courses dealing with handling evidence and other legal issues. The courses for this concentration satisfy the admission requirements for many forensic chemistry and forensic science graduate programs.

Those interested in attending graduate school in forensic chemistry or forensic science or pursuing a career in the field of forensics are required to take the following courses specifically tailored to the needs of this field.

Required courses (63 credits required):

* CHEM 381 - Topic: Introduction to Physical Chemistry

** A year of high school biology or BIOL 130 Principles of Biology is recommended.

Chemistry Major- Secondary Education - Early Adolescence-Adolescence Level (EA-A) Requirements

A severe shortage exists of secondary education teachers in chemistry. Many high schools must hire students with only a minor in chemistry. Students with this major will be very competitive in the secondary education job market, especially if they also have a secondary education major in biology or mathematics.

35 total credits

Required courses (35 credits required):

Graduates may obtain this major only if they complete all requirements for secondary education certification. A teaching minor or second teaching major is required with this major.

1. Students may substitute CHEM 320-323, 327 for CHEM 312/313.
2. Students may substitute CHEM 345 for CHEM 381.
3. Students may substitute PHYS 201 for PHYS 107 and PHYS 202 for PHYS 108.
4. Students must satisfactorily complete all DPI and UW-Superior requirements for secondary education certification, including coursework in Biology and Earth Science and NSEd 339 Teaching Science in the Secondary School.

Chemistry Minor Requirements

22 total credits

Required courses (22 required credits):