 Monmouth College’s chemistry program
emphasizes research and hands-on learning to teach students about the workings of the world.
Our well-equipped labs include spectrometers, chromatographs and lasers, the kind of equipment
that students at other, larger schools would not be able to use.
On-campus facilities are housed in Haldeman-Thiessen Science Center, a modern and
fully-equipped science building. Facilities include three laboratories devoted to chemistry
students, and a computer lab featuring Macintosh and PC machines. Students also have the
opportunity to spend summers or full semesters studying at such prestigious research centers
as the Argonne, Brookhaven and Oak Ridge national laboratories.
Monmouth College’s chemistry program prepares students for such careers as health care,
biochemistry, petroleum research, biological research, education, and many others.
Hands-on Department
- Faculty interact with students in both the classroom and
the laboratory
- Students use the department's equipment and various
instrumentation
- Senior research projects serves as the capstone to the
department
Computer Applications
- Both Macintosh and Windows computers are used
- Introductory courses such as Analytical Chemistry use
computers to analyze results
- Third year students complete a course which encompasses:
- word processing
- spreadsheets
- on-line database searching
Equipment/Facilities
The chemistry department is well equipped. Equipment includes: a Hewlett-Packard gas-chromagraph
mass-spectrometer, a Nicolet fourier transform infrared spectrometer, a Perkin-Elmer high
performance liquid chromatograph and a Varian ultra-violet visible spectrometer. Each of these
instruments is computer-controlled. The department has numerous Macintosh and IBM-compatible
computers which are available for students use, both during the day and after hours. There are
also numerous other pieces of equipment (electronic balances, Spectronic 21s, pH meters, gas
chromatographs, ir spectrometers and an atomic absorption spectrometer). In addition, the
chemistry department has three specialized research laboratories for use by research students
working closely with individual faculty members.
Off-campus Programs
In recent years chemistry students have participated in summer research programs at
institutions such as the University of Missouri, the University of Chicago, the University of
Oklahoma, the University of Iowa and Brown University. They have also spent summers at Argonne
and Brookhaven National Laboratories and in the France exchange program. Chemistry students
accompanied by faculty attend many of the meetings of the Iowa-Illinois section of the
American Chemical Society.
Chemistry Major
A major in chemistry consists of Chemistry 130, 140, 220, 225, 230, 310, 315, 320, 325,
330, 335, 340, 350 (taken four times for a total of four credits), and 420 or 430. In
addition, two semesters each of calculus and physics are required. German is the preferred
foreign language for chemistry majors. The culminating experience for chemistry majors
consists of an independent study project (Chemistry 420 or 430) and four semesters of seminar
(Chemistry 350).
Chemistry Minor
A minor in chemistry consists of seven courses: Chemistry 130, 140, 220, 225, 230, and
either a combination of 310 and 315 or a combination of 330 and 335.
Teacher Certification
A chemistry major can prepare to teach chemistry at the secondary level by completing the
major requirements noted above and the other requirements cited in the Education Department
section, including Education 342. The candidate should also complete eight semester hours of
biology to qualify to teach general science.
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