/ Chemistry Department

Degree Programs

With several majors and minors, the chemistry department allows you to tailor your studies to your specific career goals ÑÇÖÞÉ«°É” whether you hope to pursue dentistry, chemical engineering or environmental science.

Our students graduate with a very high success rate when applying to grad schools and professional programs. Studying chemistry and biochemistry at Hope gives you the best of both worlds ÑÇÖÞÉ«°É” a liberal arts education that offers smaller class sizes, and a large, diverse faculty with a well-equipped laboratory equal to what youÑÇÖÞÉ«°É™d find at a larger university. Plus, our research program was the first of its kind to offer student/faculty collaboration. YouÑÇÖÞÉ«°É™ll find that youÑÇÖÞÉ«°É™re well-prepared for medical, dental or veterinary doctoral programs if you choose biochemistry, and your options are wide-ranging with a chemistry degree.

We offer degrees that are certified through national scientific organizations ÑÇÖÞÉ«°É” including the American Chemical Society (ACS).

"The Hope College Chemistry Department provided me an incredible foundation of chemistry knowledge from which to build logical sequences into my lesson plans. Because I know the chemistry content inside and out, I can create engaging lessons for my students and allow them access to the information from multiple entry points."
ÑÇÖÞÉ«°É”Anna Krueger ÑÇÖÞÉ«°É™16, chemistry teacher in Memphis, Tenn.

View biochemistry and molecular biology degree programs 

Majors

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WHICH MAJOR IS RIGHT FOR ME?Ìý

If youÑÇÖÞÉ«°É™re planning to teach high school or are an education major, you should work toward a B.A. degree. If youÑÇÖÞÉ«°É™re interested in grad school or work in the chemical industry, choose the more extensive B.S. degree. If you know that you want to pursue grad school and ultimately get a Ph.D., you should plan on fulfilling the requirements of the American Chemical SocietyÑÇÖÞÉ«°É™s (ACS) certified program, which requires more hours in the lab than a B.A. or a regular B.S.

If youÑÇÖÞÉ«°É™re planning to enter medical or dental school, or pursue a career in secondary education, we can design a program to guide you down those paths. We recommend discussing your plans with the chairperson of your department or a chemistry advisor early in your program, since there are many paths to achieving your career goals.

Detailed Degree Requirements Summary

Minors

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Program Outcomes

Chemistry B.S. Student Learning Outcomes

Hope College students completing a Chemistry B.S. degree will:

  • Demonstrate knowledge in all major fields of chemistry including analytical, biochemistry, inorganic, organic and physical
  • Understand the theory and practice of laboratory techniques and major instrumentation, and use safe procedures in a chemistry laboratory
  • Demonstrate problem-solving skills, chemical information skills (including reading the literature) and computer/computational skills
  • Demonstrate an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data
  • Be proficient in scientific communication including laboratory notebooks, laboratory reports, research proposals, journal articles, oral and poster presentations and working in groups
  • Demonstrate an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility, of the impact of chemistry in a global, social context, and of the importance of inclusive excellence in chemistry
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the connections between chemistry and other science disciplines
  • Have a successful transition to their post-college activities
Chemistry B.A. Student Learning Outcomes

Hope College students completing a Chemistry B.A. degree will:

  • Demonstrate knowledge in organic chemistry and at least two of analytical, biochemistry, inorganic,and physical
  • Understand the theory and practice of laboratory techniques and major instrumentation and use safe procedures in a chemistry laboratory
  • Demonstrate problem-solving skills, chemical information skills (including reading the literature) and computer/computational skills
  • Demonstrate an ability to conduct experiments, as well as analyze and interpret data
  • Be proficient in scientific communication including laboratory notebooks, laboratory reports, journal articles, oral and poster presentations, and working in groups 
  • Demonstrate an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility, of the impact of chemistry in a global, social context, and of the importance of inclusive excellence in chemistry
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the connections between chemistry and other science disciplines
  • Have a successful transition to their post-college activities