Chemistry / Chemical Physics (Honours Only)
Bachelor of Science
(Faculty of Science)
Note: Chemistry and Chemical Physics are two seperate, individual degree programs administered by the Department of Chemistry.
Chemistry is a central science, connecting closely with biology, math and physics, and playing a role in virtually everything we do. Whether it’s developing a better toothpaste, ensuring the food we eat is safe, or investigating new methods of energy creation, your role as a chemist can make a big difference in the world around you. This program will provide you with both the experimental and theoretical background for career opportunities in research, product and food development, education and more. The Applied Chemistry program includes a year of workplace experience, making it five years in length.
Transfer Students:
- Transfer students must present the competitive average plus the following specified courses:
Chemistry:
Students must meet the competitive Chemistry Average.
As a Chemical Physics student, you’ll use the principles of physics and math to explain or predict solutions to some of the world’s most challenging theoretical chemistry problems. With a strong foundation in physics, math and chemistry you will be well prepared to explore challenging, cutting-edge fields such as molecular modeling and quantum chemistry and to pursue careers in engineering, medicine, agriculture and other fields.
General Admission Requirements
To be considered for admission applicants are required to present the appropriate high school subjects and a competitive average.
Application/Document Deadlines
Why Study Chemistry or Chemical Physics?
Curiosity
If you are curious about science and enthusiastic about discovering how and why things work, a chemistry degree may be just the thing for you. Chemists ask questions at the molecular level. To enjoy studying chemistry, you need to be motivated and dedicated, enjoy solving problems, and have the patience to work carefully and systematically in the laboratory. To be good at chemistry you also need to learn the discipline’s own sub-language which allows you to communicate with other chemists around the world.
Active problem solving
Much of the learning in chemistry occurs when students are actively working on problems in class, tutorials or the laboratory. Problems help expose what you don’t know! An example of this problem-solving ability is being able to deduce molecular structures from spectroscopic data, a key chemistry skill that is introduced in second year. Each core (required) chemistry course includes work in the laboratory – the place to acquire practical skills and put theory into practice through active, experiential learning.
The Department of Chemistry offers a number undergraduate degree programs.
The Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Chemistry offers a solid foundation in chemistry for a technical or professional career, and for further studies at the graduate level. The five-year BSc in Applied Chemistry program (also known as the “Co-op” program) covers all of the material included in the Chemistry majors program, but is enhanced by four four-month work terms employed within the chemical industry. All honours programs require that students complete a full-year research project (Chemistry 502), and that they maintain a minimum B+ average.
The BSc Honours Chemical Physics program focuses on the world where chemistry and physics overlap. With a greater emphasis on mathematics, it provides an excellent background for students wishing to specialize in areas within computational chemistry, including molecular modeling and quantum chemistry.
What do I need to get in?
You’ll need to meet the admission requirements of the Faculty of Science.
What will I study in my first year?
Your first year chemistry courses cover the basics of structure and bonding, and of physical chemistry, which underpin all of the chemistry subdisciplines. Some of the topics covered will be familiar from high school, but are treated in considerably more depth than is normally encountered in high school. The first year chemistry program also includes courses in physics and in calculus which provide the basic skills required for many higher level chemistry courses.
What will I study in later years?
Beginning in second year, you’ll embark on a program which provides a solid foundation in all of the chemistry core subdisciplines of analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical/theoretical chemistry. Once this core has been completed, you’ll be able to specialize further in one or more subdisciplines through the choice of higher level options in the final years of your program.
What can I do with my degree?
Chemists have global career opportunities in areas such as the development of fuels, plastics, drugs, foods, new materials and other consumer products. Chemical research is carried out in the laboratories of academic, government, industrial and medical institutions. Graduates also find work in such diverse areas as information technology sales and marketing, education, and environmental science. A degree in chemistry can also be a stepping stone to another professional degree such as law, medicine, veterinary medicine or dentistry. Many of our students pursue high level degrees, and have been accepted into M.Sc. and Ph.D. programs not just here at the University of Calgary, but in major Universities throughout Canada and the United States.
Additional Information
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