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Chemistry

About 65 percent of Fort Lewis College chemistry and biochemistry graduates continue their education to earn doctoral and professional degrees.

Fort Lewis is 19 among more than 1,200 colleges offering bachelors in chemistry whose graduates go on to earn higher degrees, according to the National Science Foundation. In Colorado, Fort Lewis College Chemistry Department is second in the number of doctorate degrees granted to chemistry graduates.

The National Science Foundation study selected the Chemistry Department as one of 24 Academic Excellence programs nationwide.

The small class size is just one of the benefits of studying chemistry at Fort Lewis. The Chemistry Department offers several programs and events designed to bolster student success. The Friday afternoon seminars offer speakers who are professors and research scientists from other research universities, government labs and industrial settings.

Their talks help students learn about graduate studies and careers in chemistry, biochemistry and related areas of biotechnology. Students build relationships, resulting in summer internships, graduate programs and employment after graduation.

Undergraduate research opportunities distinguish Fort Lewis College from other colleges and universities. Chemistry professors have active research projects. They encourage students to work on faculty research projects during the summer and throughout the academic year.

The Chemistry department is well equipped with new 400 MHzNMR as well as several FT-IR spectrometers, GC-FID, GC-MS, HPLC, flame AA, and capillary electrophoresis chromatography, just to name a few. The laser lab, featuring three lasers and a time-of-flight mass spectrometer, would be the envy of most undergraduate colleges. Students gain hands-on experience using the Chemistry Department's instrumentation through lab work.

Fort Lewis College Chemistry and Biochemistry graduates have pursued careers in law, business and health. In fact, the Chemistry and Biochemistry options prepare students interested in medicine and health professions. Some majors also choose Chemistry for Secondary Teachers.

For more information, please click here to see the Department of Chemistry website or contact our professors. Ask them why the Colorado Commission on Higher Education has named the Chemistry Department a Program of Excellence.