Chemistry (B.A.) - Indiana University of Pennsylvania

B.A., Chemistry

College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

What You'll Do

In chemistry, when you combine things, the results can be powerful. As a Chemistry major pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree at IUP, you’ll have the opportunity to combine a comprehensive education in chemistry with coursework in another field to create a powerful educational foundation on which to build your career.

You’ll appreciate the flexibility in our B.A. in Chemistry major, which allows you to coordinate a minor in a separate area such as Environmental Science, Health Sciences, Geology, English (for technical writing), Criminology, Computer Science, or Business Administration.

You’ll also appreciate that our American Chemical Society-approved curriculum provides the fundamental science and mathematics requirements needed for a career in chemistry. Also, unlike many schools, IUP encourages you to be active in research, starting in your freshman year.

What You'll Become

The B.A. in Chemistry prepares you for a career as a chemist in industry or the government. In a recent labor report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 41 percent of chemists and material scientists worked in manufacturing firms—mostly in chemical manufacturing; about 18 percent worked in scientific research and development; and 12 percent worked in architecture, engineering, and related services.

Those percentages may change, according to the report, as chemical manufacturing industries see an anticipated employment decline until about 2016. Job growth is expected in smaller, specialized, scientific services firms as manufacturers continue to outsource research and testing.

The most promising areas for job growth are pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and environmental research. A graduate degree can be helpful. The B.A. in Chemistry satisfies the entrance requirements of various professional and graduate schools.

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Special Features

Student groups for Chemistry include the American Chemical Society and the Alpha Chi Sigma service fraternity.
Students in the Chemistry Department have access to a Perkin Elmer Zeeman atomic absorption spectrometer, a thermoelectron 4700 high resolution IR, a Jacso 400 IR spectrophotometer, an Aglient GC-Mass spectrometer, a Bruker 300 MHz NMR, three x-ray diffractometers, various UV/visible spectrophotometers, various gas chromatographs, and liquid chromatographs.
A forensic science course explores the chemistry of drugs, arson, poisons, hair, fibers, glass, and fingerprints and the methods used in forensic evidence collection, processing, and crime scene reconstruction.
The American Chemical Society Club members help with volunteer water sampling of the Penn Hills II and Richards abandoned mine drainage sites near Clymer, Pa.