• Undergraduate Programs
  • The Chemistry Major
  • The Biochemistry Major
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  • The Biochemistry Minor
  • Program Information
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• The Chemistry Major
• The Biochemistry Major
• The Chemistry Minor
• The Biochemistry Minor
• Program Information
• Course Descriptions
• Course Materials
• Course Schedules
• Undergraduate Catalogs
• Undergraduate Admissions

Undergraduate Programs

CBC has approximately 100 Biochemistry and 40 Chemistry majors. Teaching is a great strength of the department. Three faculty have received teaching awards. CBC recognizes and fulfills the need for excellent undergraduate teaching.

Chemistry and Biochemistry Scholars Program:

Qualified students are awarded scholarships and are guaranteed research opportunities throughout their 4 year programs. Students are selected by the Admissions office from among applicants indicating interest in chemistry and/or biochemistry.

Concentration in Medicinal Chemistry:

Undergraduate students may specialize in the exciting area of medicinal chemistry.

Co-op Program:

Students may opt to work in major-related job for up to two terms during their undergraduate tenure.

Research Opportunities:

In addition to many research opportunities in CBC laboratories, students may conduct research at a number of off-campus sites, such as the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Tufts Veterinary School, Pfizer, and universities overseas.

Career Opportunities in Chemistry and Biochemistry:

Forensic science, drug design and discovery, design and applications of advanced materials (conducting polymers, high temperature superconductors, stronger lightweight metal alloys, flexible ceramics, nanoscale memory and circuit devices), energy production and use (hydrogen from water, photovoltaics, synthesis of fuels from CO₂ coal gasification), applied catalysis (large-scale synthesis, production of ammonia from atmospheric nitrogen, enzyme-based catalysis), medicine, law, education, science writing, and much more.

Advanced Degrees:

Our undergraduates have been accepted at prestigious institutions such as MIT, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Illinois, Cornell, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Cal Tech, UCLA, Florida, Brown, Harvard. Our students are welcomed for the advanced skills in laboratory research resulting from the MQP experience.

Chemistry and Biochemistry Policy on Credit Exams for CH1010-1040:

Students can earn credit for the general chemistry courses, CH1010-1040, by achieving scores of 70 or better on course-specific examinations offered by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Exams must be taken in the order in which the courses are offered, and a student may not take any exam past the first failed exam. For example, a student who passes the CH1010 exam but fails the CH1020 exam is not eligible to take the CH1030 exam. This student will receive credit for CH1010 only. Students who score 4/5 on the Advanced Placement Examination or 6/7 on the International Baccalaureate Exam are automatically awarded 1/3 unit of credit for CH1010 and are eligible to take the CH1020 exam without having first passed the CH1010 exam. The credit awarded is non-graded credit. Exams will not be returned. Note this policy applies only to WPI students. General Chemistry Credit exams will be given before the start of each term. Please contact Mary Ballard at maryb@wpi.edu for information on when the exams will be offered.

Please feel comfortable to contact any member of the CBC faculty by phone or email with questions about chemistry and biochemistry at WPI. -Thanks to Professor N. Kildahl

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Last modified: April 15, 2008 10:40:32