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John Carroll University / Academics / Chemistry and Biochemistry / Programs / B.S. Chemistry Major

Bachelor of Science (BS) in Chemistry

Some of the world’s most anticipated research and most profitable businesses emerge from the science of chemistry. New tools and technologies allow people with a strong background in chemistry to create breakthrough vaccines and other drugs, and to manipulate the fundamental building blocks of material to create self-healing electronics membranes and sustaining fuels. Emerging aspects of chemistry include sustainability/green chemistry, macromolecular chemistry with biomolecules (proteins, DNA/RNA, etc.), industrial polymers (plastics), and nanomaterials.

Pursuing a Bachelor degree in Chemistry at John Carroll University puts you on the path to be a part of that future. 

Professor's POV of Chemistry at JCU
Professor's POV of Chemistry at JCU

Chemistry at John Carroll University

Through the Bachelor in Chemistry program at John Carroll University, you will experience the close teaching and attention of seven full time and multiple part-time professors guiding a close-knit group of 50-60 majors. You will learn in small classroom groups and personal laboratory and research settings. You will be seen and heard by the same professors who will one day write critical medical and graduate school recommendations.

The full value of these advantages is proved by data compiled by The National Science Foundation. That data shows that private undergraduate liberal arts colleges produce more engineers and science PhD's per capita than their large state school counterparts. John Carroll  has been recognized with a Heuer Award for Outstanding Achievement in Undergraduate Science Education from the Council of Independent Colleges for making undergraduate research a capstone experience in the chemistry curriculum.

Chemistry and Related Degrees

You will master coursework (lecture and laboratory) in four of the five foundational areas of chemistry — analytical/instrumental, biochemistry, organic, and physical — with optional coursework in inorganic chemistry. You will be prepared for a variety of careers, from industry to integrated life science research to health professions. John Carroll students create many different opportunities, pairing this degree with criminology for a career or forensic chemistry, or minor in business to land a sales or marketing position in a pharmaceutical or chemical-related company.

You gain versatility with an B.S. Degree in Chemistry with a Concentration in Biochemistry, because John Carroll requires you to take analytical and physical chemistry courses, as well as core calculus and physics ensuring a solid foundation from which to focus your next move. This path prepares you well for any health professions program (Medical School, Dental School, Pharmacy, Nursing, Optometry, Physician Assistant, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy or Anesthesiology), a career in biomedical research or advanced degrees and research.

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By adding physics and mathematics courses, you gain advanced preparation for industry careers or a graduate or doctoral chemistry degree. Your Chemistry with a Concentration in Chemical Physics degree can also pave the way to apply for John Carroll’s 3+2 Engineering Program (offered with Case Western Reserve University).

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Many biochemistry concentration students participate in the Neuroscience Concentration, an interdisciplinary minor combining Psychology, Biology and Chemistry. You gain an understanding of the biochemistry with physiology of the human nervous system and brain. Opportunities to conduct research with neuroscience faculty or through relationships with Cleveland Clinic fulfill the Neuroscience research requirement.

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513.3

Data from Association of American Medical Colleges shows physical science (physics, chemistry) majors achieve mean MCAT scores (513.3) second only to those from mathematics (514.3).

28,000

Members of the American Chemical Society representing more than 140 countries. John Carroll’s chemistry program is approved by the American Chemical Society’s Committee on Professional Training.

98%

Acceptance rate for John Carroll University students entering dental/medical school or other health related professional school.

BS in Chemistry Program Highlights

Facilities

As a John Carroll student, you will enjoy state-of-the-art lab instruction and join a community of peers and mentors trained to operate and care for more than $2 million worth of instrumentation and equipment. From your first general chemistry lab through senior-level labs, you’ll be working on the same equipment — gas chromatographs, Infrared (IR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometers, and bomb calorimeters — used at major research universities.

Real Teaching

Teaching matters in chemistry, and you will learn from some of the best. Four of our seven full-time faculty members have received John Carroll’s prestigious Lucrecia Culicchia Outstanding Teaching Award. Our work with you extends from classroom to lab to advising sessions and to faculty-sponsored research. Chemistry faculty advise on everything from your honor’s thesis research project to a graduate or medical school application. Our advisors and staff have received the O'Hearn Advising Award and the staff Archbishop John Carroll Learning Award. Faculty, advisors and staff routinely guide students on career goals, help them prepare graduate, medical and pharmacy school applications, and mentor students as they prepare for their honor's thesis research projects. 

Amazing Experience

John Carroll chemistry majors benefit from real-world research and learning experiences, whether in integrated life science, medical or chemical industry settings. Major companies (Sherwin-Williams, Lubrizol) offer R&D internships that assign you to a specific lab and project team with routine feedback from supervising professions. Overall, some 70-80 percent of chemistry majors participate in undergraduate research, either on-campus with a faculty member or off-campus at a local or regional chemical company, university or biomedical research institution like the Cleveland Clinic or the Cancer-focused Summer Undergraduate Research Program at Case Western Reserve University, which supports 32 undergraduates seeking a future career in cancer research.

Inspired Futures

Business

A chemistry major combined with a minor in business is excellent preparation for a career in bio(chemically) related field if one’s goal is management or an M.B.A. This would also allow a student to complete the B.S. in Chemistry and M.B.A. at John Carroll in five years of full-time study. Interested students should consult with their advisor early in their freshman or sophomore year.

Criminology

A chemistry major combined with the criminology sequence in sociology is excellent preparation for employment in forensic chemistry

Education/Health/Communications/Law

Students wishing to teach chemistry or general science in secondary schools should confer with the Department of Education and School Psychology during freshman year. Upon graduation, many of our students pursue graduate or health-related professional programs. You also could pursue a career in another field, such as business, education, information science, journalism, forensics or law by combining chemistry with a second major or interdisciplinary minor.

Featured Faculty

"What do students do after graduation? A better question might be what can’t they do? Skills that you develop in taking science, math, and the JCU Integrated Core courses prepare you for a wide variety of positions after graduation. Our chemistry majors thrive as chemists, biochemical research scientists, and as leaders in product or regulatory compliance. They also are doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and optometrists. Some of the top employers include Energizer, Lubrizol, Sherwin-Williams, the Cleveland Clinic, and Case Western Reserve University."
— Michael Nichols, PhD, Chair, Department of Chemistry

Featured Courses

CH 221 Organic Chemistry

Organic chemistry focuses on the study of molecules containing the carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bond and their reactions. New technology and insights allow organic chemists to control matter at the atomic level. Theorists envision using organic chemistry to create molecular machines that will be able to travel through the circulatory system, cleaning the arteries as they go; sending out troops to track down and destroy cancer cells and tumors; or repairing injured tissue at the site of the wound, even to the point of replacing missing limbs or damaged organs.

CH 441 Instrumental Analysis

This hands-on class trains you to use industrial/research grade instruments. You will get time working with electrochemistry, chromatography, and qualitative characterization of pure substances through interpretation of IR, NMR, and mass spectra. Unlike a larger university, John Carroll can offer you plenty of hands-on experience in Design of Experiment (DOE) and data collection and analysis. You graduate with working knowledge taken directly from models used in industry. As a result, you emerge from immersive lab courses prepared on day one to step into graduate programs and industry positions.

Notable Alum

Washington Jolewis

Jolewis Washington, Chemistry '17

Status: Quality Control Analyst at Forge Biologics Focus: Major in Chemistry, Minor in Women's and Gender Studies JCU Experience: JCU was the college experience I needed rather than the one I wanted. The University gave me an opportunity to discover my passions and develop the zeal necessary to reach my goals. What inspired your future?

I recognized that life is like a science experiment. It is full of trial and error. I must gain knowledge from mistakes and improve on the next experiment. This enabled me to reach the place I am now and will be a driving force as I work to improve the future of medicine.

JCU Northeast Map

Chemistry Alumni Across the Region

John Carroll University alumni live, work, teach and support communities throughout the region from Northeast Ohio to Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, Columbus, Buffalo, Rochester, Pittsburgh, New York City, Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

Useful Links

Undergraduate Bulletin Chemistry Minor ACS Certified Degree Options