100% for more than 25 years. That’s the placement rate for Augustana chemistry majors (about two-thirds) who continue to graduate school at major universities. That’s good chemistry.
Or you could take your passion for chemistry directly into a career, working in the chemical industry or technical sales, or teaching at the secondary level. If teaching is in your future, you’ll complete Augustana’s secondary education program along with your chemistry sequence, for the chemistry teaching major. (See also Augustana’s biochemistry major and pre-pharmacy program.)
As a chemistry major you’ll be heavily involved in research — in and out of class, on and off campus, with professors and others, during the school year and in the summer. What you find out in the process will change your future.
On campus, you’ll spend a lot of time in the recently expanded Hanson Hall of Science: four floors with two large lecture halls, 37 teaching and research labs, seminar rooms, four study lounges, classrooms with 30-150 seats, a greenhouse and The Commons — a three-story polygonal atrium where you’ll hang out with faculty and friends.
Disciplinary knowledge
Gain a deep understanding of your subject and how it connects to other subjects.
Quantitative literacy
Interpret, represent and summarize information. Use math and statistics to solve problems.
Critical thinking and information literacy
Judge and construct arguments, raise questions and define problems. Make a conclusion based on evidence.
Intellectual curiosity
Set yourself up for lifelong intellectual growth. Take responsibility for your own learning.
Creative thinking
Combine ideas to create something new. Use imaginative ways of solving problems.
• Augustana’s program is nationally accredited by the American Chemical Society.
• Our success in graduating students who go on to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry has been recognized by the Dow Chemical Company Foundation, awarding Augustana and 41 other colleges an annual four-year scholarship, which we offer to one or two outstanding first-year students.
• Chemistry has long-established connections for chemistry internships. Examples include working part-time and/or summers at a local city water treatment plant, an environmental analytical lab or a paint research lab. Each year, Augustana chemistry majors are among the select students taking part in the prestigious Summer Internship Research Program at the Texas Medical Center in Houston.
• The student chapter of the American Chemical Society offers tutoring and hosts events highly popular with the community, especially the annual Chemistry Week open house and Night of Explosions.
• Chemistry students have access to grants for off-campus research experiences. One of these is Augie Choice: $2,000 to support each Augustana student’s internship, research project or study abroad.
• Many chemistry and biochemistry majors attend and present their research at regional and national conferences, such as the Argonne Undergraduate Research Symposium at Argonne National Laboratories near Chicago, the Midstates Consortium for Math and Science Undergraduate Research Symposium, and the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Alyssa Bowen '20 is a research and development technician at Engineered Polymer Solutions, Chicago.
Lauren Endress '20 is a graduate research assistant in chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Austynn Eubank '19 is a research engagement specialist at Gartner in Fort Myers, Fla.
Kim Pham '19 is a Doctoral Diversity Program Research Scholar at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Dat Tran '18 is pursuing a Ph.D. in quantitative and computational biomedical science at the Baylor College of Medicine.
Hayden Holland '18 is pursuing a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry at Marquette University.
Joshua Zgrabik '17 is a doctoral candidate at the University of Iowa focusing on inorganic chemistry.
Tyler Rolfe '15 is a chemist at Apex Material Technologies, Chicago.
“I never expected to be continuing my education to pursue a Ph.D.”Read More
“The chemistry faculty have helped me in so many ways to grow as a student and as a person.”Read More
“I learned that I actually like science and mathematics, which were things that I despised when I was in high school.”Read More
As summer interns, more than 150 Augustana students discovered what they want to do in life, what they don't want to do, and how to use what they've learned in class to be collaborative problem-solvers.
To continue research on alternative sources of energy, Dr. Pam Trotter mentored Alfred Dei-Ampeh ’19, who mentored Elizabeth Zehner ’21.
Augustana held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $8.5 million, four-story expansion of Hanson Hall of Science on May 10, 2018.
