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University Majors

California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo
Chemistry B.S.

The Chemistry and Biochemistry Department has two roles in the university: to provide professional education for students who are majors in chemistry and biochemistry and who plan careers in the natural sciences and related fields, and to provide instruction in the fundamentals of chemistry to students with majors in fields related to chemistry, especially in the life sciences, agriculture, and engineering. The Chemistry and Biochemistry Department provides curricula leading to the Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, the Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with a certified concentration in Polymers and Coatings, the Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, the Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry with a concentration in Polymers and Coatings, the Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry with a concentration in Molecular Biology, and the Master of Science in Polymers and Coatings Science. The BS in Chemistry and the concentration in Polymers and Coatings are certified by the American Chemical Society. The baccalaureate curricula in biochemistry and chemistry include required courses in general chemistry, analytical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry. Advanced undergraduates choose electives from courses which cover a broad range of specialized topics, such as clinical chemistry, environmental chemistry, geochemistry, glass chemistry, immuno-chemistry, industrial catalysis, nuclear chemistry, nutritional biochemistry, pharmacology, and polymer chemistry. The curriculum emphasizes laboratory work, especially work with many kinds of current instrumentation, across the fields of chemistry. It also emphasizes project work: every undergraduate completes a senior project, an intensive research project designed and carried out by the student and supervised by a faculty advisor. A senior project may be pure or applied research in chemistry or biochemistry or it may be interdisciplinary work which combines chemistry with another field such as art, biology, civil or environmental engineering, psychology, or soil science. Under the department's cooperative education program, many bachelor's degree candidates work full-time in industry or government for one or two quarters, for pay and academic credit.

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CSU GE-Breadth/IGETC recommended for this major? Yes
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