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 a 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. Five specialized 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 allow students to develop advanced skills in organic chemistry that are relevant to applications in the pharmaceutical and biomedical industries.
- The Pre-Med 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 destinations within the UAE and the Gulf region encompass quality control, analytical and technical roles, education, consultancy, as well as research and development (R&D) roles. 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, analyse 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
The normal credit load of the BSc Chemistry program is 125 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), Chemistry Core Requirements (60 credits), Science Electives (11 credits), and Free Electives (6 credits) .
Chemistry Core Requirements (60 Credits)
Free-Elective-6-Credits
Chemistry Science Elective Requirements (11 credits)
The BSc Chemistry program has five tracks: (i) Environmental Chemistry, (ii) Forensic Chemistry, (iii) Materials Chemistry, (iv) Medicinal Chemistry and (v) Pre-Med. Each of these tracks requires a certain set of courses (termed “Science Electives”) that students are expected to complete, totalling 11 credits.
A complete list of the Science Elective courses is given below.
Expected List of Science Electives for each BSc. Chemistry Track
Chemistry students select one of five available tracks as described above. These tracks are provided as a means for chemistry students to specialize in a particular area of Chemistry (e.g. Forensic Chemistry) beyond the knowledge gained in the core curriculum. In the case of the Pre-med track, the Science Electives have been chosen to fulfill KU requirements for enrolling on the MD program. The following courses are approved by the Chemistry Department for each track. Note that at most 4 credits of Science Electives may be satisfied from a different track following departmental approval. In special circumstances, a student may also be allowed to satisfy at most 4 credits of Science Electives via alternative advanced chemistry free elective topics (where they exist) subject to departmental approval.
Environmental Chemistry Track (11 credits)
| CHEM 461 | Environmental Chemistry | 4 |
| CHEM 462 | Pollution Science and Control - Management, Technology and Regulations | 4 |
| CHEM 463 | Methods for Environmental Trace Analysis | 4 |
Forensic Chemistry Track (11 credits)
| CHEM 471 | Fundamentals of Forensic Science | 4 |
| CHEM 472 | Forensic Chemistry and Evidence Analysis | 4 |
| CHEM 473 | Fundamentals of Forensic Toxicology | 4 |
Medicinal Chemistry Track (11 credits)