Majors & Minors

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Accredited by the American Chemical Society, the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department empowers students to study chemistry in an expanded liberal-arts environment.

Contact

Maha Zewail-Foote

Maha Zewail-Foote

Professor of Chemistry and Chair

Location

Fondren-Jones 340
Maha Zewail-Foote

Maha Zewail-Foote

Professor of Chemistry and Chair

Chemistry and Biochemistry
Chemistry and Biochemistry (Credit: Southwestern University)

Majoring or minoring in chemistry (the study of matter, energy, and their interactions) and biochemistry (the study of chemical processes and reactions within living systems) enables you to develop a sophisticated understanding of the world around and within living organisms. Leading to either a bachelor of science or bachelor of arts, Southwestern’s wide-ranging curriculum provides you with a wealth of course options, from foundational courses in organic chemistry and quantum mechanics to electives in food, environmental, and medicinal chemistry. Our accomplished faculty—who have won prestigious grants from such agencies as the Robert A. Welch Foundation, the Merck Company Foundation, the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Foundation, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute—and our state-of-the-art teaching and research laboratories empower you to engage in hands-on, collaborative learning experiences, including undergraduate research, internships, and community-based projects. SU students and faculty have coauthored publications in several major peer-reviewed journals and regularly present their research at national meetings of the American Chemical Society.

Our current students are successfully prepared for placement in top-tier graduate and medical schools. Several of our recent chemistry graduates have been awarded highly competitive graduate research fellowships from the National Science Foundation, and our alumni have gone on to build careers in the sciences and beyond, including medicine, law, tech, pharmacy, and petrochemical.



AFTER SOUTHWESTERN

Featured Alumni Stories

For many alumni expats, Southwestern provided various springboards to becoming a global citizen—jumping-off points discovered not in a foreign country but, rather, directly on campus and within U.S. borders.

Finding Common Ground

Southwestern University alumni take a path to global citizenship.

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Mauro Garcia ’18 participates in the Sarah and Ernest Butler Opera Center Young Artist Program at the University of Texas at Austin.

From Chemist to Countertenor

Mauro Garcia ’18 expands his vocal horizons at the Butler Opera Center Young Artist Program.

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Scott Rocher ’04 and Blithe Casterline Rocher ’05

For the Love of Tech

Scott Rocher ’04 and Blithe Casterline Rocher ’05 reflect on their Southwestern Experience.

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EXPLORE SOUTHWESTERN

Chemistry & Biochemistry News

Community Engaged Learning with Purl Elementary School

Community Engaged Learning with Annie Purl Elementary School

Follow along as local elementary school students enjoy a campus tour and conduct science experiments with the Chemistry Department. 

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Fondren-Jones Science Center

Representative Carter and Southwestern University Announce $1.5 Million Grant from the National Science Foundation

The grant will help attract, retain, and graduate students with high financial need who are majoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

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Mister Squinty

Dogs Are Man’s Best Friend, but Cats Are a Pirate’s First Mate

Meet Southwestern University’s Cat Partners club and its furry, feline family.

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