Why Wooster?

› Wooster is a national leader among private four-year undergraduate institutions in the number of graduates who ultimately earn a Ph.D. in chemistry. Students are taught by full-time faculty members in both lecture and laboratory sections.

› The challenging and stimulating atmosphere of small classes demands better preparation and provides opportunities for discussion and questions. Professors become well acquainted with students, and they are able to advise them on course selection and career direction.

› The department also has an active summer research program with funding from individual faculty grants, the National Science Foundation, and other sources. As a result of collaborations with faculty, students have been co-authors on more than 49 publications since 1995.

› Students learn to operate a wide range of modern, computer-controlled instruments such as spectrophotometers and gas chromatographs in their laboratory work. During their senior research, students may use other major equipment such as Fourier transform infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers, an inert atmosphere glove box, high-performance liquid chromatography, and a computer graphics workstation.

› The department is housed in Severance Hall. Completely renovated in 1999 at a cost of more than $8.3 million, it contains laboratories for general chemistry, organic and inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, and analytical and biochemistry. It also houses networked classrooms, a computer room with space for 24 students, a computer graphics lab, and a cluster of workstations dedicated to computer chemistry experiments. There are also dedicated labs and desk space for seniors working on their Independent Study projects.

Life After Wooster

For the 10-year period between 1996-2006, 42 percent of Wooster chemistry graduates entered Ph.D. programs in areas including chemistry, biochemistry, plant pathology, and epidemiology at schools such as MIT, Michigan State, University of Arizona, and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Another 9 percent went on to medical and dental schools, studying at institutions including Case Western Reserve, Ohio State University, and Northwestern. About 29 percent of Wooster chemistry majors were employed in chemistry-related positions at places like Merck Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly & Co., Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Ashland Specialty Chemical.