Chemistry

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, 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. 

Distinctions

• 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.

Recent graduates

Lindsey Edwards '23 is pursuing a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.

Kylie Jozwik '23 is attending Vanderbilt University to pursue a Ph.D. in biological sciences.

Megan Anderson '22 is an engineering research assistant at LyondellBasell Chemical Manufacturing in Houston.

Liam Russell '21 is pursuing a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biophysics at the University of Denver.

Sarah Litwin '20 Greenberg is a senior functional chemist at Stepan Company in Chicago.

Lauren Endress '20 is a development engineer at Particulate Solid Research Inc., specializing in fluidized bed and particle technology.

Dat Tran '18 is pursuing a Ph.D. in quantitative and computational biomedical science at Baylor College of Medicine.

Joshua Zgrabik '17 is a postdoctoral researcher at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Alexandria, Va.