The Union College Chemistry Department is certified by the American Chemical Society and offers small classes and laboratory settings. Our faculty members are dedicated teachers with a wide range of expertise in everything from organic and inorganic chemistry to analytical, nanoscience and materials, and environmental chemistry.
At Union, you will enjoy extraordinary opportunities for research. In addition to participating in the campus wide Steinmetz Research Symposium, Chemistry students present at national and regional conferences. Students also participate in summer research with faculty mentors; approximately 30-40 summer research chemistry fellowships are awarded each year.
The Chemistry Department at Union College has many advantages:
- Our small class and laboratory sizes allow for close interaction between students and faculty.
- Our excellent collection of chemical instrumentation used in laboratory teaching and for research.
- Our strong tradition of student-faculty research leading to publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at national and regional conferences. This research occurs throughout the academic year and the summer.
- Our situation as part of a liberal arts college, allowing chemistry and biochemistry majors to explore interests in fields such as arts, classics, history, economics, and others.
- Union’s strong tradition of the term-abroad experience, of which the predominance of our majors take advantage.
- Our national award-winning Chemistry Club which sponsors plant tours, attendance at monthly professional society meetings, and social events.
- The opportunity for students to do internships at local chemical and technical firms.
A recent survey showed that 100% of the 70 students who graduated in the past 5 years with a Chemistry or Biochemistry major were either employed or enrolled in graduate or medical school. Here is a breakdown of those students' current status:
- 14% enrolled in MD or DO programs
- 10% enrolled in other health-related graduate programs
- 24% enrolled in graduate school in chemistry or biochemistry
- 16% enrolled in graduate school in other programs such as law, educational studies or MBA
- 36% went directly to employment, mainly in chemical or biotechnology corporations