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Â鶹Æƽâ°æ College
Department of Chemistry

What does the ACS certified degree mean?


Your American Chemical Society certified chemistry degree means that Â鶹Æƽâ°æ has prepared you for a wide variety of careers relying on chemistry knowledge and skills.  You will have taken courses in all areas of chemistry, with breadth and depth.  You will have used a variety of modern chemical instrumentation, had access to current chemistry journals, and spent significant quality learning time in chemical labs (400+ hours).

On your resume, you can specify that you earned an ACS certified degree, and employers will know you have graduated from a Chemistry department that meets high standards.  

The American Chemical Society provides some more detail with .

The American Chemical Society's Committee on Professional Training oversees certification of Chemistry degree programs and provides .

What's the difference between the ACS CERTIFIED DEGREE and the regular B.A. at SKidmore?


At Â鶹Æƽâ°æ, the ACS certified degree in Chemistry and the regular B.A. in Chemistry require similar amounts of coursework, though the ACS degree has a couple extra specific requirements.  Usually a Â鶹Æƽâ°æ Chemistry major will need to take all the major foundational courses and pursue research with a faculty member to meet the lab requirements.

Here are suggested course timelines for completing either version of the degree that you can compare. 

ACS Degree requirement checklist:

 

ACS degree requirement Â鶹Æƽâ°æ  Course     Lab   hours 
Introductory

 

  • CH125

 

not counted

Foundational

  • Analytical
  • Biochemistry
  • Inorganic
  • Organic
  • Physical

 

  • CH232
  • CH341
  • CH314
  • CH221
  • CH332

 

  • 48
  • 48
  • 48
  • 48
  • 48

In-Depth
Any 4 courses that have a lecture beyond foundational level and total at least 12 credits (not including lab credits).  Typically a Â鶹Æƽâ°æ student includes:

  • Organic Chemistry 2 with lab
  • Physical Chemistry 2 with lab
  • Biochemistry: Intermediary Metabolism
  • Special Topics in Chemistry (which can be repeated for different topics)



 

  • CH222
  • CH333
  • CH342
  • CH351



 

  • 48
  • 48
  • 0
  • 0

Lab hours Requirement
400 lab hours beyond introductory level.    If you take all of the courses noted above, you have 336 lab hours.  You can earn the remaining lab hours from additional lab coursework and/or collaborative research with a faculty member. The research courses can be repeated. 

  • Experimental Biochemistry Lab
  • Introduction to Chemical Research
  • Intermediate Chemical Research
  • Capstone in Chemistry; Student-Faculty Collaborative Research
  • Senior Thesis in Chemistry

SPECIAL NOTE:  to meet ACS requirements, you must also write a comprehensive written report to count your research work towards the lab hours.  

 

 

  • CH343
  • CH171
  • CH271
  • CH371
  • CH385

 

 

  • 48
  • 36
  • 72
  • 108
  • 108