Chemistry (BS)

Research Experience for Undergraduates

You’ll embark on a faculty-mentored research project in an area you’re passionate about, and you can share your findings with the campus community at our annual USF Research Exhibition.

Additionally, you might even get to present a paper or poster at an industry meeting or conference. Our chemistry majors travel with faculty members to events such as:

• American Chemical Society, regional and national conferences
• Carnegie Institute
• Undergraduate Research Conference at Butler University
• Conference for Undergraduate Women in the Physical Sciences
• Ohio Valley University Malacologists Meetings

Summer Research Opportunities

Chemistry majors can gain experience as faculty research assistants, or apply for summer fellowships through the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates, which offers programs at:

• American Chemical Society Nuclear Radiochemistry Summer School, New York
• Kellogg Biological Station Lab, Michigan
• Bioenergy Systems Program, Nebraska

Internships & Service Learning

Chemistry majors also gain real-world experience in industrial settings through internships with local companies such as:

• Allen County Prosecutor’s Office
• Brookhaven National Laboratory
• Cooke Polymer Technology
• Corteva Agriscience
• Fort Wayne Metals Lab
• A&L Great Lakes Laboratory

Sometimes our project-based scientific research benefits the greater community. Since 2017, USF chemistry majors have teamed up with the Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health to test and analyze area homes for lead-based paint. To learn more about this award-winning community-based research project, led by Dr. Geyer read the full story.

Faculty & Facilities

You will learn, experiment, collaborate and discover in state-of-the-art facilities. USF’s Achatz Hall of Science features high-tech classrooms and chemistry labs equipped with modern tools and instrumentation, such as spectrophotometers and fluorometers.

Our dedicated chemistry faculty has a diverse range of research interests and professional experience, including forensic, inorganic and organic chemistry.

Campus & Community Involvement

Join your fellow science- and math-minded Cougars in Sigma Pi, an active student organization that:

• Judges local high school science fairs
• Offers peer tutoring
• Organizes an annual National Chemistry Week celebration
• Sponsors a research exhibition

The professors and staff at USF are driven to making sure students find their paths. It starts the second you come to campus and continues all the way through. There are so many people there who will help you find the opportunities that match who you are and what you want to do with your life.

Erin Skinner ’19
Master’s candidate at Miami (Ohio) University

Career Opportunities: Chemistry Degree Jobs

With a chemistry degree, jobs are plentiful. You can work in product development, research, quality control, health and safety, education, lab management and regulatory affairs in settings such as:

• Colleges and universities
• Government agencies
• Conservation and environmental protection
• Food and beverage production
• Pharmaceuticals
• Public health

As you advance in your career as a materials scientist or chemist, salary potential can also grow.

Where You’ll Find Our Chemistry Graduates

• Lead chemist, Valbruna Slater Stainless Inc.
• Chemist, Lannett Company
• Research chemist, The Shepherd Color Company
• Histologist, Florida Hospital
• Biology teacher, Northwest Allen Schools
• Science teacher, Warsaw Community Schools
• Quality manager, Equipto Electronics Corporation
• Quality control analyst, Alexion Pharmaceuticals
• Production engineer, Cook Polymer Technology

USF chemistry majors and minors also pursue graduate and doctoral programs such as:

• Purdue University Fort Wayne (Master’s of Education in microbiology)
• Purdue University (Ph.D. in earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences)
• University of Saint Francis (Master of arts in education)
• Vanderbilt University (Ph.D. in chemistry)