Bachelor of Science in Chemistry Requirements

Chemists continue to make an enormous contribution to society, for example: development of batteries for portable electronic devices; discovery of drugs and medicines for treating disease; polymers for drug delivery, medical implants and aerospace, flavors and preservatives used in food or water purification and many others. A world of opportunities and huge range of careers awaits students who major in chemistry.

The BSc in Chemistry program gives students a broad education in chemistry and supporting subjects in the early stages to provide a holistic set of skills (e.g. computational, analytical, numerical and synthetic), knowledge and methodologies for observing the physical world. Chemistry students can pursue their interests in more specialized sub-disciplines of chemistry or prepare for medical school. Four tracks, designed to serve the UAE’s needs, are currently available:

• The Environmental Chemistry track promotes sustainable development through environmental monitoring and assessment, green chemistry and renewable energies.
• The Materials Chemistry track considers modern applications of downstream petroleum-based industries such as polymers and plastics and also novel nanomaterials such as carbon and metal oxide materials.
• The Forensic Chemistry track will support the analytical and investigative skills linked with industrial and medical applications as well as criminology in the police force and other investigative agencies.
• The Medicinal Chemistry track will support students who wish to proceed to medical school or the medical industries through additional study of biomedical applications of chemistry.

Upon successful completion of the degree, Chemistry graduates can pursue further studies (MSc or PhD) or careers in business, industry and academia, locally or internationally. Typical employment fields within the UAE and the Gulf region encompass quality control, analytical and technical roles, education, consultancy, as well as research and development. Such employment exists within industrial and government laboratories, university and industrial research centers, environmental protection agencies, chemical manufacturing plants and forensic chemistry laboratories (e.g. criminology and clinical science). Many students study for higher degrees, in particular, undertaking research towards a doctorate. Some Chemistry graduates go on to medical school for training and future employment in a medical field.

Chemists develop and synthesize life-saving tests and drugs within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and life sciences sectors and although these are nascent industries within the UAE, the BSc in Chemistry program paves the way for training a new generation of graduates who can play a leading role in developing these crucial sectors of the UAE economy.

Program Educational Objectives

The BSc in Chemistry program aims to produce graduates who will:

• Possess substantial technical skills and theoretical knowledge of chemistry, and will be able to apply these appropriately in a variety of professional or academic contexts.
• Be competent in a broad range of technical and non-technical transferable skills, which are needed to have successful careers and assume leadership roles in industry, business and the government sector.
• Be prepared to pursue advanced studies in a range of disciplines, including but not limited to those allied to chemistry.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with a BSc in Chemistry will:

• Have specialized knowledge of the major sub-disciplines within chemistry, and the capacity to apply that knowledge in a professional context.
• Have a broad understanding of the sciences, mathematics and other disciplines relevant to chemistry and be able to integrate that knowledge to solve problems.
• Be able to efficiently search for, retrieve and critically evaluate technical literature and data.
• Be able to design and implement laboratory or computational experiments, analyze the resulting data, and apply appropriate safety measures.
• Be able to use the scientific method, apply critical thinking and reason analytically to solve chemical problems and conduct research.
• Be able to communicate effectively in oral or written form, to a range of scientific and non-scientific audiences.
• Be able to work productively in multidisciplinary teams to solve problems, debate different points of view, and exercise self-reflection following professional norms.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the societal and economic importance of chemistry, and the significance of ethical and environmental concerns for acting responsibly among chemists.

Degree Requirements

BSc Chemistry Program

The normal length of the BSc program is 127 credits. To be recommended for graduation with a BSc in Chemistry, students must satisfactorily complete the courses in the specified categories as set out below. The categories cover an extended set of the University General Education Requirements (GERs, 48 credits), as well as the Chemistry Core (62 credits), Technical Elective Requirements (10-11 credits) and free electives (6 credits).

Chemistry Technical Elective Requirements (10-11 credits)

The BSc Chemistry program has four tracks: (i) Environmental Chemistry, (ii) Forensic Chemistry, (iii) Materials Chemistry or (iv) Medicinal Chemistry.

For the Environmental Chemistry, Forensic Chemistry and Materials Chemistry tracks, students are expected to complete 12 credits of Technical Elective requirements. There are no restrictions on the combination of Free Elective courses students may take in Years 2 and 3 of the program for these tracks.

The Medicinal Chemistry track may be used to satisfy KU’s Pre-MED requirements if appropriate Maths/Science/Engineering Free elective courses are taken in Years 2 and 3. Students interested in pursuing an MD degree MUST register for both BIOL 111 (3 cr.) in place of the Maths/Science/Engineering Free Elective in the Spring semester of Year 2 AND BIOL 112 (4 cr.) in place of the Maths/Science/Engineering Free Elective in the Spring semester of Year 3. The Technical Elective course requirements for the Medicinal Chemistry track has a load of 11 credits comprising: CHEM 312 (3 cr.), CHEM 423 (4 cr.) and CHEM 424 (4cr.). Students who do not take BIOL 111 and BIOL 112 in Years 2 and may still opt for the Medicinal Chemistry track and its associated technical elective courses in Year 4.

A complete list of the technical elective courses in the programs is given in the following table.

CHEM 391, CHEM 491, and CHEM 495: At most four credits of the technical electives may be satisfied from a different track after departmental approval. In special cases, a student will be allowed to satisfy at most four credits of technical electives via alternative advanced chemistry free elective topics, subject to departmental approval.

Chemistry BSc Tracks

Chemistry students select one of four available tracks. These tracks are provided as a guide for the selection of courses and do not appear as a separate transcript record. The following courses are approved by the Chemistry Department for each track.

Environmental Chemistry Track (11 credits)

Materials Chemistry Track (11 credits)

Forensic Chemistry Track (11 credits)

Medicinal Chemistry Track (10 credits)