Every material in the universe is made up of matter – chemists break things down to the simplest of forms.

At Emmanuel, you will study and research in a lab, but you will impact everything beyond it. Our distinguished faculty prepares students for the careers of the 21st century, engaging them in a rigorous academic curriculum, opening doors through faculty-student research collaborations and encouraging the pursuit of advanced research and internship opportunities.

A First-Class Experience

Get to know the people and programs that will define your academic journey.

Women in STEM

Led by Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Program Director Michelle Watt, the College received nearly $300k from the Henry Luce Foundation’s Clare Boothe Luce (CBL) Program for Women in STEM in support of 24 CBL undergraduate research awards in chemistry, biophysics, bioinformatics, and mathematics.

Meet the Faculty

Our distinguished faculty publish, exhibit and research. Present, compose and chair. Inspire and collaborate.

The Curriculum

View the 2022-2023 Academic Catalog to find course titles, numbers and descriptions.

Requirements for B.S. in Chemistry

  • CHEM1101 Principles of Chemistry I (SI-L) (NSL) and CHEM1102 Principles of Chemistry II (SI-L) (NSL) or CHEM1103 Chemical Perspectives (SI-L)
  • CHEM2101 Organic Chemistry I
  • CHEM2102 Organic Chemistry II
  • CHEM2104 Analytical Chemistry
  • CHEM3105 Physical Chemistry I: Thermodynamics
  • CHEM3106 Physical Chemistry II: Quantum Mechanics
  • CHEM3160 Senior Seminar
  • CHEM4194 Internship in Chemistry
  • MATH1111 Calculus I (QA) (QR)
  • MATH1112 Calculus II (QA) (QR)
  • PHYS2201 General Physics I (Calculus based)(SI-L)
  • PHYS2202 General Physics II (Calculus based)(SI-L) (NSL)
  • Three electives selected from upper-level chemistry courses, except INT3211, CHEM4178, CHEM4194-4195

View the 2022-2023 Academic Catalog to find course titles, numbers and descriptions.

Requirements for B.S. in Chemistry - ACS

  • CHEM1101 Principles of Chemistry I (SI-L) (NSL) and CHEM1102 Principles of Chemistry II (SI-L) (NSL) or CHEM1103 Chemical Perspectives (SI-L)
  • BIOL1105 Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology (SI-L) (NSL) 
  • CHEM2101 Organic Chemistry I
  • CHEM2102 Organic Chemistry II
  • CHEM2104 Analytical Chemistry
  • CHEM2211 Biochemistry
  • CHEM2115 Inorganic Chemistry
  • CHEM3105 Physical Chemistry I: Thermodynamics
  • CHEM3106 Physical Chemistry II: Quantum Mechanics
  • CHEM3160 Senior Seminar
  • CHEM4194 Internship in Chemistry
  • MATH1111 Calculus I (QA) (QR)
  • MATH1112 Calculus II (QA) (QR)
  • PHYS2201 General Physics I (Calculus based)(SI-L)
  • PHYS2202 General Physics II (Calculus based)(SI-L) (NSL)
  • Two electives selected from upper-level chemistry courses, except INT3211, CHEM4178, CHEM4194-4195

View the 2022-2023 Academic Catalog to find course titles, numbers and descriptions.

Requirements for Minor in Chemistry

  • CHEM1101 Principles of Chemistry I (SI-L) (NSL) and CHEM1102 Principles of Chemistry II (SI-L) (NSL) or CHEM1103 Chemical Perspectives (SI-L) 
  • Four upper-level chemistry courses excluding CHEM4160, CHEM4194, CHEM4195 and INT3211.

At the completion of the Chemistry degree the student will be able to:

  • Apply knowledge of the sub-disciplines of chemistry including biochemistry, inorganic, organic, analytical, and physical chemistry.
  • Develop testable chemical hypotheses, design and execute experiments to test the hypotheses, analyze the data, and draw meaningful conclusions.
  • Effectively communicate chemical knowledge and research to general and specialized audiences.
  • Execute chemical literature searches to assess experimental design, results, and conclusions in scientific scholarly articles.
  • Utilize laboratory skills of experimental design, chemical synthesis, purification, data and error analysis, and computational analysis with full regard to safe laboratory practices.
  • Follow a high standard of ethics in regard to the scientific method.

Students seeking teacher licensure in chemistry must complete a major in chemistry, as well as complete required education courses and ­student teaching. Education requirements are available through the education department.  Interested students should also consult the chemistry department regarding the optimal selection of electives.

Students seeking Initial Licensure in Massachusetts must pass the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL).

 

Where Essential Values and Skills Meet the Real World

Where Essential Values and Skills Meet the Real World

Along with areas of knowledge and major requirements, you will cultivate essential values in the classroom and complete two courses in each area:

  • Social Justice (SJ): Develop knowledge, skills, values and motivation to participate beneficially in activities of personal and public concern.
  • Diversity & Multiculturalism (DM): Understand the complexity of identity the historical truths of different cultural perspectives to address bias and examine contemporary social issues. 

One hundred percent of Emmanuel students complete an internship or other experiential learning as part of the core curriculum.

Students in the chemistry department often work side-by-side with Emmanuel faculty and other professionals in the field on NSF award-winning research to train on lab equipment and procedures, giving them a competitive advantage above other undergraduates and equipping them for post-graduate jobs at Sanofi, Pfizer, MilliporeSigma, Amgen and other research and health care institutions.

In all majors, the Capstone Experience involves completing a significant piece of work that requires the integration and application of learning from multiple courses.

The culminating experience for all chemistry majors is the Internship in Chemistry, which is intended to help you connect chemistry to a real-world experience and to help refine and achieve your career and educational goals. During the capstone course, you will also write and present a scientific review article on a topic relating to your internship experience.