Our department offers courses in the traditional areas of analytical, biochemistry, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry, as well as specialized classes in areas like biochemistry and molecular biology, environmental, forensic, materials, biophysical, polymer, and computational chemistry.
You can earn a B.S. with a major in either chemistry or biochemistry and molecular biology at Carolina. Our department's program has been approved by the American Chemical Society (ACS), one of the world's largest professional science associations and the publisher of several dozen high-impact journals in chemistry and biochemistry. The ACS-certified degree is highly valued by employers and postgraduate schools alike.
Our department encourages undergraduates to participate in laboratory research, working alongside advanced students, graduate students, and postdoctoral workers interested in sharing their experience and skills. Research time can be used to earn credits toward graduation or can sometimes be part of a paid internship experience.
The Office of Undergraduate Research on campus administers the Magellan Scholar Program which funds undergraduate research.
Undergraduate Research Initiative (URI)
Undergraduate research offers students a valuable opportunity to delve into in-depth learning experiences and conduct experiments within their specific field of study. However, engaging in undergraduate research at R1 institutions, such as USC, poses challenges due to the substantial number of students served. To address these challenges, Dr. Olja Simoska and Dr. Amir Hosseini have developed a unique course-based undergraduate research experience called the Undergraduate Research Initiative (URI) within the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at USC. This initiative aims to reform, modernize, and expand the undergraduate curriculum, offering specialized training for students. The envisioned outcome of this program is better-prepared undergraduate students who are more likely to excel in the sciences, particularly in chemistry. The program empowers undergraduates to contribute significantly to new knowledge and scientific discovery early in their academic journeys. The URI trains and brings in college students in research labs into their first year. Participating students register for a two-course sequence: (1) an interdisciplinary, inquiry-based research methods course, followed by (2) a semester of research in one of the six proposed chemistry research “streams” (e.g., focus or research). For students interested in applying, please contact Mia Lacey at mlacey@email.sc.edu.