Chemistry

What is the right size for a Chemistry Department? At USF, we think we've found the answer. A Chemistry Department should be big enough to offer a wide range of opportunities for its students. But a Chemistry Department should also be small enough for its students to get to know their professors personally and for their professors to get to know them as individuals. A Chemistry Department should be big enough to contribute to the advancement of knowledge through important research projects that push the frontiers of Chemistry. But it should be small enough for its undergraduate students to take an active part in that research.

Each year about ten new undergraduate Chemistry majors join our Department. In their first week on campus, they meet many of our faculty and the members of our support staff. In time, most of these undergraduates find themselves working closely with one of our professors on a research project designed to probe the mysteries of Chemistry in some specific area of their interest. Along the way, they will experience a rich mix of courses in the most important sub-disciplines of Chemistry.

Following foundational work in chemical principles, our majors have the opportunity to expand their horizons through courses in organic, analytical, physical, inorganic and biochemistry. Many classes are small and theory and practice are closely linked through lectures and a first-rate laboratory experience.