Graduate Program

Welcome to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Chemistry and biochemistry are fundamental to our understanding of the physical and biological world. The principles and applications of chemistry and biochemistry are diverse, interesting, and challenging. The graduate programs in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry are designed to develop well-educated, independent scientists who will contribute to diverse circumstances where chemical/biochemical knowledge and skills are needed. We anticipate that your time here will be stimulating, challenging, and rewarding. After completion of the program, students will be:

Productive and Ethical Contributors

Graduates of this program will demonstrate the necessary skills to become productive, ethical, and independent scientists. They will be prepared to further their education through postdoctoral training, enter industry, and/or begin an academic career.

Understanding and Give Critical Evaluation of Current Research

Program graduates will understand and critically evaluate current research in their chosen subdiscipline in chemistry. Coursework that builds upon the student's undergraduate education will provide the initial steps to achieve this outcome. Continued critical reading of current literature is essential for reaching this outcome.

Proficient in Laboratory Techniques

Program graduates will demonstrate proficiency in laboratory techniques necessary to contribute to knowledge in their chosen subdiscipline of chemistry.

Effective In Writing, Communication, and Presentations

Program graduates will learn to effectively write scientific manuscripts describing their research and to make oral presentations of their research at scientific meetings.

Skilled In Research

Program graduates will demonstrate the ability to identify new research opportunities, plan effective strategies for pursuing these opportunities, and conduct research that contributes in a meaningful way to current knowledge in their chosen subdiscipline of chemistry or related areas.

Department Mission Statement

As a department, we strive to integrate undergraduate and graduate education in a manner that provides an exceptional educational experience for our undergraduate students, offers opportunities in research at the cutting edge of our disciplines for our graduate students, and creates an environment conducive to excellence in scholarship and teaching for members of our faculty. We are committed to providing effective, rigorous, learning experiences for all our students, both majors, and non-majors, in and out of the classroom. Undergraduates have access to a variety of meaningful research projects in well-equipped and well-funded laboratories under the direction of faculty who are current in their disciplines. In those same laboratories, graduate students work with undergraduate students on significant research projects as they prepare themselves to work as independent scientists. Post-doctoral research associates participate with and extend the reach of faculty members in providing mentoring to undergraduate and graduate students. Our research efforts should produce discoveries that move science forward and contribute to society in meaningful ways.

It is our goal to create a department toward which the best LDS undergraduate and graduate students will gravitate because of the high quality of the instruction, the range and quality of the learning opportunities outside the classroom, and the combined faith and scholarly excellence of the faculty.