The UW-Platteville Department of Chemistry and Engineering Physics offers two distinct majors in chemistry and engineering physics in addition to minors in chemistry and physics. Each of these programs are described separately below.
Five chemistry programs are offered to meet the varied needs of our students. They include: the standard chemistry major (Standard Major) the American Chemical Society (ACS) approved major (American Chemical Society (ACS) Approved Major) the biochemistry emphasis (Biochemistry Emphasis) the criminalistics emphasis (Criminalistics Emphasis ACS-track; DNA-track); and the chemistry minor.
For admission to the chemistry program, students must declare a chemistry major or submit at initial registration, or submit a change of major form to the Registrar's Office prior to graduation.
Once admitted to the chemistry program, students must maintain a level of academic quality to continue being a chemistry major. If students do not maintain the following standards, they will be dismissed from the chemistry program.
In order to realize the mission of the university and the vision of the college, the chemistry program has the mission of providing students with information, theories and applications relating to the properties and interactions of matter, methods used to obtain such insight, and abilities to critically analyze and synthesize such information. Foremost, the chemistry program has a commitment to the preparation of majors in the field of their choice with a strong background in the chemical sciences.
As such, the chemistry program will maintain an intellectual environment and educational experiences which will:
The chemistry major is designed to equip the graduates with the necessary skills, knowledge and attitudes to secure meaningful employment in industrial or governmental laboratories, enter graduate and professional schools or teach at the secondary school level.
* not required for the criminalistics emphasis-DNA track
Students are encouraged to take the following additional mathematics and substitute physics courses:
Students in secondary education should add to the 38-credit chemistry requirement GEOGRPHY 3330 Environmental Conservation. Students who expect to enter a graduate program in chemistry are advised to elect additional advanced courses in chemistry or elect the ACS-approved majors.
The ACS major is recognized by the American Chemical Society and designed to give the graduate a stronger focus on chemistry. ACS majors are required to take MATH 2840 Calculus and Analytic Geometry III. The curriculum includes all courses required for a chemistry major plus:
Plus one additional two-credit course selected from:
Study of a foreign language is recommended for students who plan to pursue graduate studies. In addition, substitution of PHYSICS 2240 and 2340 for the minimum physics courses is strongly encouraged for ACS-approved chemistry majors.
The biochemistry emphasis is designed to provide the appropriate chemistry and biology background for the graduate who plans to enter fields such as health, agriculture or safety. The biochemistry emphasis includes all courses required for the chemistry major as well:
This program gives a chemistry major sufficient background in criminal justice to qualify for criminalistic laboratory work. The curriculum includes all courses required for a chemistry major, plus:
CRIMLJUS 3730 Women and the Law, CRIMLJUS 4030 Criminal Law and CRIMLJUS 4330 Criminal Procedure and Evidence are highly recommended electives. Criminalistics emphasis majors are required to take the following general education courses:
Students electing the criminalistics emphasis ACS track are required to complete all requirements for the ACS-approved chemistry major. Students electing the criminalistics emphasis DNA track are required to complete the core chemistry major, criminalistics emphasis courses listed above and:
The chemistry minor is designed to provide a broader background with a chemistry perspective for students in other majors including those preparing to teach secondary school.
AND 16-19 credits (to achieve 24 credits total) of chemistry courses higher than CHEMSTRY 2000, which includes four credits worth of chemistry laboratory experience.