Goals and Objectives for the Undergraduate Chemistry Major

Overview

Students pursuing a baccalaureate chemistry degree should have:

1. General familiarity with the following areas in chemistry: analytical, biochemistry, inorganic, and physical.
    
2. Ability to work effectively in a laboratory environment.
    
3. Ability to use the power of computers in applications in chemistry.
    
4. Ability to communicate effectively in both speech and writing.
    
5. Ability to think critically and analyze chemical problems.
    
6. Ability to work in teams.
    
7. Ability to think abstractly as well as concretely.
    
8. Ability to function in their careers following graduation.

The following goals can be met partially by a chemistry department:

1. Timely and effective advising of students.
    
2. Capstone experiences for students.
    
3. Opportunities for students and faculty to interact with alumni.
    
4. Development of a dialogue with colleagues in departments servicing chemistry students.

Laboratory Knowledge and Skills

Students pursuing a baccalaureate chemistry degree should have:

1. Basic analytical and technical skills to work effectively in the chemistry and biochemistry fields.
    
2. Ability to perform accurate quantitative measurements with an understanding of the theory and use of contemporary chemical instrumentation, interpret experimental results, perform calculations on these results, and draw reasonable, accurate conclusions.
    
3. Ability to synthesize, separate and purify, and characterize compounds using published reactions, protocols, standard laboratory equipment, and modern instrumentation.
    
4. Ability to use information technology tools such as the Internet and computer-based literature searches, as well as printed literature resources to locate and retrieve scientific information needed for laboratory work.
    
5. Ability to present scientific and technical information resulting from laboratory experimentation in both written and oral formats.
    
6. Knowledge of the issues of safety, ethics, and society in the use of chemicals in their laboratory work.

Computer, Library, and Information Skills

Students pursuing a baccalaureate chemistry degree should have:

1. Ability to make effective use of the library and other information resources in chemistry, including
    
1. Finding chemical information from primary literature.
2. Critically and ethically evaluating chemical information.
3. Finding and evaluating chemical information in non-peer reviewed sources.
    
2. Ability to make effective use of the computer in chemistry applications, including
    
1. Using a computer as a tool in writing and data analysis to communicate scientific information.
2. Having an appreciation of computer applications in the modeling and simulation of chemical phenomena.
3. Having an appreciation of computer applications in data acquisition and processing.

Oral and Written Communication Skills in Chemistry; Ethics in Chemistry

Students pursuing a baccalaureate chemistry degree should have:

1. Opportunity to practice effective written and oral communication throughout the chemistry curriculum to ensure that they have obtained adequate skills in technical writing.
    
2. Ability to present scientific information to both scientists and non-scientists in oral and written formats.
    
3. Knowledge of current ethical issues in chemistry and ability to apply ethical principles in classes and research.

Quantitative Reasoning Skills

Students pursuing a baccalaureate chemistry degree should have:

1. Sufficient quantitative reasoning skills to successfully pursue their career objectives, a related career, graduate program, and further professional training.
    
2. Opportunities in a chemistry curriculum to develop and refine their
    
1. Proficiency in algorithmic and calculation skills.
2. Ability to collect and interpret numerical data accurately.
3. Ability to solve problems competently using extrapolation, approximation, precision, accuracy, rational estimation, and statistical validity.
4. Ability to relate theories involving numbers and the practice of the theory.
5. Proficiency in the scientific method (formulating hypotheses and arriving at appropriate answers and conclusions).

Knowledge of Chemical Principles and Facts; Appreciation for Chemistry as a Discipline

Students earning a baccalaureate chemistry degree should have:

1. A mastery of critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and data analysis skills leading to the ability to
    
1. Collect and analyze data.
2. Apply fundamental chemical principles to gather and explain data.
3. Design experiments or model systems to test hypotheses.
4. Assess the relative validity of several possible solutions to the problem.
    
2. A working knowledge of chemical principles appropriate to a chemistry degree program
    
3. A broad set of factual chemical knowledge concerning the properties of substances, molecules, and atoms.
    

Note:  Specific assessment goals for Items 2 and 3 will depend on the nature of the specific chemistry curriculum.  At the general level it is extremely difficult to establish a specific subset of assessment criteria.