Chemistry Program | University of Houston-Clear Lake

Program Overview/Mission

The Chemistry Program offers opportunities for students seeking the degrees of Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry, Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Master of Science in Chemistry. The UHCL Chemistry Program was created in the 1980s, and achieved the prestigious status of American Chemical Society (ACS) accreditation in 2003, followed by re-accreditation in 2009. As well as being on the ACS list of approved chemistry programs nationwide, our Chemistry Program has also been rated as one of the top 20% nationwide chemistry programs and one of the top chemistry programs within the state of Texas. Students enrolled in the Chemistry Program may choose high quality content courses in all of the traditional areas of Analytical, Inorganic, Organic, and Physical Chemistry, as well as in the closely related fields of Biochemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Petrochemical and Process Chemistry, and Chemical Engineering. Moreover, chemistry majors and other interested students are encouraged to participate in the research activities of our Chemistry Program. Research opportunities are available for both graduate students and undergraduate students at all levels from Junior to Senior each year.

By undertaking research projects, students become part of a faculty member’s research group and work with graduate students, post-doctoral and other research scientists on projects of cutting-edge scientific significance. Participating undergraduates often receive scholarship supported by endowments from the Welch Foundation in the form of Chemistry Departmental Research Grant, and become co-authors on papers in scientific journals. Additionally, undergraduate students may earn an ACS certified BS degrees in chemistry if they complete the appropriate curriculum. Undergraduate students with an ACS certified BS degree, a scholarship and co authorship in a paper have great advantages in their future career development. In order to encourage students to undertake undergraduate research, the Chemistry Program has provided academic year and summer projects; in addition, our faculty members are more than willing to discuss research opportunities with students if there is a type of chemistry that students would like to explore, even if they never had them in class.

Chemistry B.A. and Chemistry B.S.

Plans in Chemistry lead to the bachelor of arts (B.A.) or bachelor of science (B.S.) degrees. The Chemistry Program has completed evaluation and assessment and re-accreditation by the American Chemical Society (ACS) in 2009 and is on the ACS's list of approved chemistry programs nationwide. Therefore students may now obtain ACS-certified BS degrees in chemistry if they complete the appropriate curriculum. Students enrolled in the Chemistry plan may choose from high quality content courses in all of the traditional areas of Organic, Analytical, Physical and Inorganic Chemistry, as well as in the specialization areas such as Biochemistry, Chemical and Biological Technology, Forensic Chemistry, Petrochemical & Process Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry for Pre-Health Profession Students. Moreover, students are encouraged to further enhance their studies by undertaking research with one of the Chemistry plan's faculty in any of these areas. In regard to such research, it should be noted that the Chemistry plan has received endowments from the Welch Foundation in the form of a Chemistry Departmental Research Grant. Those funds have been expended in support of the research efforts carried out by the plan's faculty during the training of students. The Chemistry plan also has an endowment from the Zeon Chemicals Company.

The B.A. degree is recommended for students preparing for careers in interdisciplinary areas such as medicine, secondary school teaching, patent law and environmental science. The B.S. degree is designed to meet the needs of students planning careers as professional chemists and is recommended as preparation for graduate training or for a career in the chemical industry.

Chemistry M.S.

The plan in Chemistry leads to the master of science M.S. degree. Graduate students enrolled in the Chemistry plan may choose from high quality content courses in all of the traditional areas of Organic, Analytical, Physical and Inorganic Chemistry, as well as in the closely related fields of Biochemistry and Environmental Chemistry. Moreover, students are encouraged to further enhance their studies by undertaking research with one of the Chemistry plan's faculty in any of these areas. In regard to such research, it should be noted that the Chemistry plan has received endowments from the Welch Foundation in the form of a Chemistry Departmental Research Grant. Those funds have been expended in support of the research efforts carried out by the plan's faculty during the training of students. The Chemistry plan also has an endowment from the Zeon Chemicals Company.

Chemistry M.S. with a Specialization

Specialization in Biochemistry and Medicinal Chemistry

Biochemistry Chemistry is the science of the chemical transformations that characterize living systems. Biochemistry deals with the structures, functions and interactions of cellular components such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids and other biomolecules—although increasingly processes rather than individual molecules are the main focus. Among the vast number of different biomolecules, many are complex and large molecules (known as biopolymers), which are composed of similar repeating subunits (called monomers).

Medicinal Chemistry is the chemistry discipline at the intersection of chemistry, especially synthetic organic chemistry, and pharmacology and various other biological specialties. It is involved with design, chemical synthesis and development for market of pharmaceutical agents or bioactive molecules, so called drugs. In addition, it also evaluates the properties of existing drugs.

Specialization in Petrochemical and Process Chemistry

Petrochemical and Processing Chemistry is a branch of chemistry that studies the transformation of crude oil (petroleum) and natural gas into useful products or raw materials. These petrochemicals have become an essential part of the chemical industry today, and can readily be applied to fundamental human needs, such as health, hygiene, housing and food. It is a fascinating science and an inventive business sector, constantly adapting to new environments and meeting new challenges.

In petrochemical and processing procedure, crude oil and natural gas are extracted from the ground, on land or under the oceans, with oil wells; then ships, trains, and pipelines transport extracted oils and gasses to refineries; and then are processed in the refineries that cause various physical and chemical changes in the crude oil and natural gas. Refining is the processing of one complex mixture of hydrocarbons into a number of other complex mixtures of hydrocarbons. The raw materials used in the petrochemical industry are known as feed stocks. These feed stocks then undergo processing through an operation called cracking. Cracking is defined as the process of breaking down heavy oil molecules into lighter, more valuable fractions. Once these operations complete, new products are obtained that serve as building blocks of the petrochemical industry: olefins, i.e., mainly ethylene, propylene, and the so-called C4 derivatives, including butadiene—and aromatics, so called because of their distinctive perfumed smell, i.e., mainly benzene, toluene and the xylenes. Then petrochemicals go through various processes that eventually contribute to the final output of products like plastics, soaps and detergents, healthcare products like aspirin, synthetic fibers for clothes and furniture, rubbers, paints, insulating materials etc.

Students with specialization in petrochemical and processing chemistry will learn the subjects involving the systematic design, development and operation of the processing for the extraction, transformation and recovery of economically useful materials. Therefore, they will feel easy to fit the job market in Houston, the petroleum capital of the world.

Goals and Objectives

Objectives of B.A. and B.S. Degree in Chemistry

The curriculum for undergraduate students seeking a B..A or B.S. degree in Chemistry Program has the following objectives to train and allow students to:

Apply basic scientific methods and mathematics to design and analyze chemistry problems.
Apply core chemistry fundamentals to design and analyze realistic chemical problems. This capability includes the specification, design, implementation, and testing of concepts that explain the said problems.
Work in groups and/or supervise the planning, design, implementation, and testing of real-world chemistry projects.
Understand professional and ethical responsibility.
Clearly convey technical material through both formal written papers and oral presentations.
Establish a pattern of life-long learning by taking part in individual and group projects, in which students must discover the solution and develop the knowledge themselves.

Objectives of MS Degree in Chemistry

The MS program in Chemistry has the same set of objectives as our undergraduate program, except that a greater depth and breadth will be expected from our MS candidates. In general, MS students will be trained to:

Apply basic scientific methods and mathematics to design and analyze chemistry problems.
Apply core chemistry fundamentals to design and analyze realistic chemical problems. This capability includes the specification, design, implementation, and testing of concepts that explain the said problems.
Work in groups and/or supervise the planning, design, implementation, and testing of real-world chemistry projects.
Understand professional and ethical responsibility.
Clearly convey technical material through both formal written papers and oral presentations.
Establish a pattern of life-long learning by taking part in individual and group projects, in which students must discover the solution and develop the knowledge themselves.

These objectives are the driver of our curriculum to retain our prestigious American Chemical Society (ACS) accreditation that is also used to meet the requirement of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Program Degrees

Minors

Minor in Chemistry

Accreditation Information

The Chemistry B.S. degree program at University of Houston-Clear Lake completed evaluation, assessment and re-accreditation by the American Chemical Society (ACS) in 2009 and 2014 and is on the ACS's list of approved chemistry programs nationwide.