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Welcome to the Undergraduate Admissions Information page for the Department of Chemistry at Oregon State University

Opportunities for Chemistry Majors at Oregon State University!

Chemistry at OSU has an outstanding record of placing its graduates.   86% of the chemistry graduates were placed at the time of graduation on average for the last four years. On average, 42% have gone on to graduate or professional schools and 44% into the workforce or government. Chemistry awards the B.S. with American Chemical Society accreditation in Advanced Chemistry and Advanced Biochemistry (Track One) and offers Track Two B.S. degree choices from among eight options.  The B.A. degree in Chemistry is also available.  You can earn a Track Two B.S. degree with an option in:  Biochemistry, Business, Chemistry Education, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Chemistry, Forensic Science, Materials Science, and Premed.   More information on the undergraduate chemistry curriculum with specifics on each option can be found on the Chemistry Advising page.  Over the past several years, chemistry graduates have gone on to graduate work at:
UC Berkeley, Harvard, UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, Arizona, UBC, Univ. of Pennsylvania, and Univ. of Utah.

For more information on the Chemistry major degree, please contact the head Chemistry Advisor, Dr. James Ingle at (541)737-6743 (James.Ingle@oregonstate.edu).   If you plan to be in the Corvallis area and would like to stop in for a guided tour of the Chemistry department, we would be happy to schedule a visit. Please contact Dr. Pastorek at (541) 737-6732, Christine.Pastorek@oregonstate.edu

Competitive tuition awards. There a number of great opportunities for scholarships available to chemistry majors:  Click here for information on Department Scholarship awards. In the past our best Chemistry majors have been successful earning the National Goldwater Scholarship - this pays for in-state tuition and can be renewed (a strong record of undergraduate research is a component).  There have been four national Goldwater Scholarship holders in chemistry over the past ten years. The College of Science offers additional scholarships for undergraduate students who have completed 30 university credits.  If you are a high school senior, check with your HS advisor and ask about other scholarship programs that might be available for Oregon residents.

International Degree.  In the recent past, Chemistry majors have opted to study in England, Australia, Germany and France, for example. You can earn an international degree along with your chemistry degree. For more information on travel abroad, see Study Abroad link at the International Education web page.

New computer interfaced experiments have been added to the laboratory portion in the General Chemistry sequence for science majors (CH 221, 222, 223). Students gain first hand experience in modern chemical analysis in a small group setting. A special laboratory section for Chemistry majors is offered. The three hour per week laboratory sections are limited to 24 students and there is a one hour problem solving session per week in the same small group setting.

Honors College Chemistry courses.  Incoming freshmen admitted to the OSU Honors College can enroll in Honors General Chemistry, CH 224 H, 225 H, 226 H.   Special projects of the students design are an important part of this program.   Contact the Honors College directly at (541) 737-6400 for more information or see Honors College at OSU.   Honors College credit is also offered at the sophomore level for Experimental Chemistry I, CH 361H and CH 362H, and the junior level for Experimental Chemistry II, CH 461H, CH 462H (WIC), CH 463H (WIC).

Integrated Laboratory Program - Experimental Chemistry I and II sequences

The Chemistry department at OSU offers its undergraduate chemistry majors many opportunities to learn to do real chemistry first hand through a distinctive six-term laboratory sequence, Experimental Chemistry I & II (for example, see from the main department web page, Chemistry Classes  - Fall -  CH 361/361H, CH 461/461H or CH 464/464H). Students work on project styled experiments and use state of the art computer controlled scientific instrumentation throughout this advanced integrated laboratory sequence. The small class setting of 10-25 students promotes opportunities for personal interactions with faculty and guarantees student access to expert scientists and modern chemical instrumentation. Students receive intensive hands-on experience using computers for data acquisition, data analysis, molecular modeling and computational chemistry and electronic database searching. For more information on the Integrated Lab Program please contact Dr. Christine Pastorek (541)737-6732 or Christine.Pastorek@oregonstate.edu

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Chemistry majors are also encouraged to engage in undergraduate research in which they have the opportunity to work with professional research faculty. Many undergraduates start on research projects during the spring term of the sophomore year and often this can extend into a paid summer research experience.  Students wishing to earn upper division credit while doing research can enroll in Research, CH 401.  

What steps should you be taking to start school this fall?

If you have not been admitted yet, go to the OSU Admissions WebPage

If you have already been admitted, it is strongly suggested that you participate in the Summer Advising and Registration Program for New Undergraduates (START).  See web page at: http://oregonstate.edu/admissions/Level3/start.html

first year students (2005):
June 23 and other dates
transfer students (2005):
July 8 and other dates

What to expect of START program in the Chemistry Department.

OSU CONNECT program

If you plan to be in the Corvallis area and would like to stop in for a guided tour of the Chemistry department, we would be happy to see you. Please contact Dr. Pastorek at (541) 737-6732, internet: Christine.Pastorek@oregonstate.edu to schedule a visit.

Other General Information about OSU

For more information on student services and financial aide, see the web at: Student Site, Oregon State University Students must apply by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)-a form that is obtained from the student’s High School. According to the current Univ. Bulletin-General Catalog, page 30, "All eligible students and parents can receive some type of financial assistance regardless of the family’s income and assets." The FAFSA forms are due on or before February 1 for fall term. Financial aid includes: grants, loans and Federal work-study. Scholarships for incoming freshmen are normally invited at the time of admittance. Forms are available on line at: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

All degrees granted by OSU include the Baccalaureate Core. The "Bac Core" includes 48 credits in Skills, Perspectives, and Synthesis and emphasizes writing, critical thinking, cultural diversity, the arts, sciences, literature, lifelong fitness, and global awareness. A writing intensive course in the major is included. Experimental Chemistry II, CH 462 (Winter term) and CH 463 (Spring term) are two WIC courses for the chemistry major.

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last updated: 11/13/2004
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