Chemistry
Department of Chemistry
College of Arts and Sciences
363 Natural Sciences Building
North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260-3000
Phone: 716.645.6800, ext. 2035
Fax: 716.645.6963
Web: www.chem.buffalo.edu
Email: chemug@buffalo.edu
Frank Bright
Chair
James W. McIver
Director of Undergraduate Studies
About the Program
Chemistry offers two degree programs, either of which serves as adequate preparation for graduate work. The B.A. program is designed for students who wish to pursue a very flexible course of study, and the B.S. program is for those who desire a more complete training in chemistry and plan to continue professionally in the field after graduation, either in graduate school or in industry. The curriculum for the B.S. degree meets the certification requirements of the American Chemical Society. A handbook describing these programs is available in the department undergraduate office and on the chemistry Web site at http://www.chem.buffalo.edu/UB_undergraduate_handbook.pdf.
About Our Degrees
Acceptance Information
Deadlines: Rolling
Number of applicants/year: 50
Number of accepted majors/year: 50
Total number of majors currently enrolled: 200
Degree Requirements
See the Undergraduate Catalog.
About Our Courses
Suggested Introductory Courses
- CHE 105 Chemistry: Principles and Applications (preferred) or CHE 101 General Chemistry I
- MTH 141 College Calculus I or MTH 121 Survey of Calculus and its Applications I (BA degree only)
- PHY 107 General Physics I or PHY 101 College Physics I (BA degree only)
- CHE 105-CHE 106 is suggested for chemistry majors and students intending to major in a chemistry-related field. CHE 101-CHE 102 is also acceptable for chemistry majors. Similarly, CHE 251-CHE 252 is an alternative to CHE 201-CHE 202 for qualified students and is strongly recommended to students intending to major in chemistry or a chemistry related field.
The typical class size for:
Freshman/introductory courses is: 50-300 (lecture), 25 (recitation)
Sophomore/intermediate courses is: 16-250
Upper level/advanced courses is: 10-35
In the Department of Chemistry, what do teaching assistants (TA's) do?
TA's commonly conduct recitation and laboratory sessions under faculty supervision. TA's also frequently assist in the grading of quizzes and exams.
For course descriptions, please see the Undergraduate Catalog.
About Our Faculty
Teaching Awards
Faculty members of the Chemistry department have been repeatedly recognized for their teaching abilities. Several professors have received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. Other awards include the UB Student Association's Teaching Award, the SUNY Chancellors’ Medal for Excellence in Faculty Service, the SUNY at Buffalo Lilly Teaching Fellow, the Distinguished Service Award from the New York Science Teacher's Association, the Chemical Manufacturer Association Catalyst Award (National Award for Excellence Chemistry Teaching) and the FNSM Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Graduate Student Association of SUNY at Buffalo Most Outstanding Graduate Faculty Award. Two of our professors have received the Milton Plesur Teaching Award. Additional awards include the CAS Excellence in Teaching Award and the Ernest Al Lynton Award for Faculty Public Service and Academic Outreach, NERCHE.
Research Awards
Faculty members are also active in research in their fields. The faculty includes four Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellows, as well as Fellows of the Lawrence M. Gelb Foundation, the Electrochemical Society, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry and the Royal Society of Chemistry. A number of professors have received the Western New York Section of the American Chemical Society's Schoellkopf Medal. In addition, faculty members have received the Buck-Whitney Award, the NSF Award for Special Creativity, the Gregori Aminoff Prize of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Martin Buerger Award of the American Crystallographic Association, the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research, and the Research Innovation Award. Some of our professors have also been awarded the following distinctions: Distinguished Professor, SUNY Outstanding Inventors Award, New York Section of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy Gold Medal Award, the National Science Foundation Creativity Award and the James D. Watson Investigator Award. Our professors hold Chaired positions: the A. Conger Goodyear Chair, the Capen Chair, the Einstein Chair, the Larkin Chair, and the Larkin Chair of Organic Chemistry. Professors on staff have received the SUNY First Patent Award, the UB Young Investigator Award, the SUNY Excellence in Pursuit of Knowledge, the Walton Visitor Award of the Irish Science Foundation, as well as the SUNY Entrepreneur Award and the Exxon Educational Foundation Fellowship. Additional awards include the Inventor of the Year from the local Niagara Frontier Technical Societies Council, which has been accepted by four of our professors. We are fortunate to have as members of our faculty the Chair-elect of the Bioinorganic Division of the American Chemical Society for 2005 as well as the Chair of the Organic Division of the American Chemical Society. Professors have been elected secretary of the Division of Biology Chemistry, ACS.
See a list of our undergraduate faculty.
Practical Experience and Special Academic Opportunities
Notable Program Features
Awards
- Academic Excellence in Chemistry Award
- American Institute of Chemists Award
- College of Arts & Sciences Award
- Hypercube Scholar Award
- Joseph & Louise Tufariello Award
- Merck Award
- WNY American Chemical Society Award
Junior Awards
- ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry Award
- Chemistry Alumni Award
- Chemistry Alumni Scholarship
- George H. Nancollas Scholarship
- Peter T. Lansbury Research Award
- Ralph F. Theuer Scholarship
- Who's Who
Sophomore Awards
Excellence in Organic Chemistry/Merck Index (8-10 annually)
First Year Awards
- Excellence in General Chemistry (CRC Handbook for Chemistry & Physics), 10-15 annually
- William Townsend Award for Freshman Chemistry Majors
Undergraduate Research and Practical Experience
Various opportunities exist in the department and elsewhere for research participation, as early as the sophomore year, for chemistry majors during the academic year and/or summers. Participation is strongly encouraged.
Extracurricular Activities
Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society (SAACS)
See the UB Student Association.
Complementary Programs and Minors
Minors that Complement a Chemistry Major
Majors that Benefit from a Chemistry Minor
Career Information and Further Study
The chemical industry introduces over a thousand new chemicals every year. Research chemists make new substances to order, predicting beforehand what characteristics can be expected. They prepare small amounts of the substances, while other scientists test samples. A new pharmaceutical, for example, must be widely tested for effectiveness and for possibly dangerous side effects. Chemical engineers design equipment and develop process details for large-scale economic production and packaging. Processes are tested on a small scale in a pilot plant before full-scale production begins.
Skills gained in this program include:
- Preparing chemicals by combining other chemicals
- Developing new products for specific purposes
- Using heat, light, energy, and chemical catalysts to change substances
- Improving industrial processes
- Developing new, more economical methods for making chemicals
- Setting up, standardizing and using scientific instruments and equipment
- Devising new equipment for making, analyzing, storing, or transporting chemicals
- Analyzing substances (such as ores or drugs) to discover their composition
- Analyzing biological substances, such as herbal cures or hormones, and finding ways to duplicate them artificially
- Testing products to see if they meet specifications
- Identifying contaminants in products or in the air and water
- Finding uses for chemicals, including byproducts
- Predicting what will happen when chemicals are mixed under various conditions, and warning of hazards
- Using logic, scientific thinking, and knowledge of natural laws to solve problems in industry, agriculture, mining, medicine, or space
- Organizing large projects by harnessing the talents of diverse groups of people and allocating responsibilities accordingly
- Teaching, instructing, and consulting various people and organizations on complex issues and theories
- Using complex pieces of equipment for data input and analysis
- Impacting political environments to produce changes
- Writing and explaining complex information in a way that is readily understandable to others
Career Choices
Various specializations are possible in chemistry. Environmental chemists study the chemistry of air, soil, and water pollution. Organic chemists specialize in carbon compounds. Biochemists study the chemical reactions (involving acids, proteins, steroids, and enzymes) that make life possible. Clinical chemists specialize in diagnostic tests, pharmaceutical chemists in drugs, and metallurgists in metals and alloys. Forensic chemists work with law enforcement to solve crimes.
What percentage of graduates goes on to find related employment?
>90%
Potential career areas include:
- Education
- Electronics
- Environmental science
- Food and drug administration worker
- Forensic science
- Government lab research
- Industrial research
- Medicine and health related fields
- NASA
- Oceanography
- Patent or environmental law
- Petroleum products
- Pharmaceuticals
- Pollution analysis
- Specialty chemicals
- Veterinary medicine
- Waste disposal research
Work settings include:
- Ceramic/glass distributors
- Chemical/pharmaceutical sales and retail
- Chemical producers
- Clothing manufacturers companies
- Conservation labs
- Dairy producers
- Drug research centers
- Engineering rirms
- Equipment (chemical) manufacturers
- Food manufacturers
- Government agencies
- Government health agencies
- Hospitals
- Industrial firms
- Industries with pollution
- Insurance companies
- Law office/self employed lawyer
- Medical schools
- Mining companies
- Museums
- National/state parks service
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Pharmacy
- Petroleum refineries
- Private research foundations
- Secondary schools
- Technical libraries
- Technical publishers/journal editors
- Universities/colleges
- U.S. Patent Office
Degree Level Required
An advanced degree is needed for research; a Ph.D. for teaching in a college or university. Without an advanced degree, chemists work as assistants or technicians, doing analyses, preparing chemicals to formula, or doing quality-control work. According to the ACS salary survey 2004, the median base salary for bachelor's degree graduates is $52,766 (with median salaries of $63,000, $58,000, and $36,000 for industry, government, and academia respectively). The median base salary for chemical engineers was $73,000 with a bachelor's degree.
Salary Information
Salaries can vary greatly among different occupations, geographic areas, organizations and companies.
What percentage of graduates goes on to graduate school?
45%
Links to Further Information About This Program
- Undergraduate Catalog
- Undergraduate Admissions
- Graduate Admissions
- Department of Chemistry
- College of Arts and Sciences
Last Modified: Tuesday, 7-Nov-2006 10:26:05 EST