Chemistry Major & Minor
![Students pursuing a chemistry major at Carthage College in the classroom.](/live/image/gid/79/width/1440/height/550/36247_22_Promo-SB-SciCenter-09.rev.1667577842.jpg)
At A Glance
Carthage offers a rigorous, broad-based curriculum approved by the American Chemical Society that prepares students to be successful in competitive graduate, medical, and pharmacy schools and to obtain good jobs in the chemical industry. By meeting a few extra requirements, chemistry majors at Carthage can add this ACS distinction to their degree.
Degrees Offered
-
Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry
Bachelor of Science in Chemistry (degree approved by the American Chemical Society)
Minor
- Chemistry
Special Programs
Earn your chemistry degree at Carthage
Students who choose to study chemistry at Carthage conduct significant research guided by faculty, have access to modern equipment and instrumentation, have the option to obtain a degree certified by the American Chemical Society, and join an active community of fellow chemists on campus.
- <div class="lw_widget lw_widget_type_blockquote"><blockquote class="blockquote"><div class="blockquote__image"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/134/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1734,1318/39987_anna_polietaieva_sv.rev.1718314019.webp 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/134/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1734,1318/39987_anna_polietaieva_sv.rev.1718314019.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/134/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1734,1318/39987_anna_polietaieva_sv.rev.1718314019.webp 3x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/134/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1734,1318/39987_anna_polietaieva_sv.rev.1718314019.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/134/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1734,1318/39987_anna_polietaieva_sv.rev.1718314019.jpg 3x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/134/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1734,1318/39987_anna_polietaieva_sv.rev.1718314019.jpg" alt="Anna Polietaieva ?27" width="183" height="183" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/134/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1734,1318/39987_anna_polietaieva_sv.rev.1718314019.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/134/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1734,1318/39987_anna_polietaieva_sv.rev.1718314019.jpg 3x" data-max-w="1734" data-max-h="1318" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </div><div class="blockquote__content"><div class="blockquote__quote"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="icon icon-round-left-quote" width="48" height="33"><use xlink:href="#icon-round-left-quote"/></svg><p> “As a liberal arts school, Carthage highlights exploring different disciplines and connecting them. The combination of both, and of course the lake view, were the main reasons I chose Carthage.”</p></div><footer class="blockquote__footer"><span class="blockquote__author"><a href="/live/profiles/2771-">Anna Polietaieva</a> ’27</span></footer></div></blockquote></div>
- <div class="lw_widget lw_widget_type_blockquote"><blockquote class="blockquote"><div class="blockquote__image"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/99/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1498,1499/36057_Julia_Radtke_24.rev.1666275263.webp 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/99/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1498,1499/36057_Julia_Radtke_24.rev.1666275263.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/99/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1498,1499/36057_Julia_Radtke_24.rev.1666275263.webp 3x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/99/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1498,1499/36057_Julia_Radtke_24.rev.1666275263.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/99/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1498,1499/36057_Julia_Radtke_24.rev.1666275263.jpg 3x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/99/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1498,1499/36057_Julia_Radtke_24.rev.1666275263.jpg" alt="Julia Radtke?s Student Profile Image" width="183" height="183" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/99/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1498,1499/36057_Julia_Radtke_24.rev.1666275263.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/99/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1498,1499/36057_Julia_Radtke_24.rev.1666275263.jpg 3x" data-max-w="1498" data-max-h="1499" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </div><div class="blockquote__content"><div class="blockquote__quote"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="icon icon-round-left-quote" width="48" height="33"><use xlink:href="#icon-round-left-quote"/></svg><p> “I liked the small class size and science programs offered at Carthage. When I was touring the school, I got to sit in on a physics class, and I liked it.”</p></div><footer class="blockquote__footer"><span class="blockquote__author"><a href="/live/profiles/2110-">Julia Radtke</a> ’24</span></footer></div></blockquote></div>
- <div class="lw_widget lw_widget_type_blockquote"><blockquote class="blockquote"><div class="blockquote__image"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/30/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,536,538/38126_Diego-Alessandro-Castaneda-25.rev.1688735551.webp 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/30/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,536,538/38126_Diego-Alessandro-Castaneda-25.rev.1688735551.webp 2x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/30/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,536,538/38126_Diego-Alessandro-Castaneda-25.rev.1688735551.jpg 2x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/30/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,536,538/38126_Diego-Alessandro-Castaneda-25.rev.1688735551.jpg" alt="Diego Alessandro Castañeda ?25" width="183" height="183" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/30/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,536,538/38126_Diego-Alessandro-Castaneda-25.rev.1688735551.jpg 2x" data-max-w="536" data-max-h="538" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </div><div class="blockquote__content"><div class="blockquote__quote"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="icon icon-round-left-quote" width="48" height="33"><use xlink:href="#icon-round-left-quote"/></svg><p> “The Chemistry Department at Carthage is a tight-knit community; I’ve even seen some of my friends who have already graduated stay connected with us.”</p></div><footer class="blockquote__footer"><span class="blockquote__author"><a href="/live/profiles/2480-diego-alessandro-castaneda">Diego Alessandro Castañeda</a> ’25</span></footer></div></blockquote></div>
Undergraduate Research for chemistry majors
Chemistry students also have performed summer research off campus at Cornell University, the University of Minnesota, Virginia Tech, the Medical College of Wisconsin, and other research universities.
Active chemistry Community
As a Carthage chemistry student, you belong to an active community of chemists. Because classes are small — averaging 17 students — students build relationships with professors and fellow chemistry majors. Get involved in student organizations such as Chemistry Club, Pre-Health Club, and honorary chemistry fraternity Theta Chi Delta.
Opportunities for chemistry students
Special Academic Programs for chemistry majors
Pharmacy
In this dual-degree program, students spend three years at Carthage and four years at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago to earn both a bachelor’s in chemistry and a doctorate in pharmacy.
Pre-Health
Aspiring healthcare professionals frequently consult with a pre-health coordinator to select courses that match their abilities and goals. Many of these students participate in a medical mission trip to Nicaragua, one of the College’s most popular J-Term study tours.
Engineering
In this dual-degree program, you will spend three years at Carthage and the final four to five semesters at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland or Washington University in St. Louis.
![ACS Logo ACS Logo: Approved Chemistry Program](/live/image/gid/30/width/225/height/223/934_21413_ACS_Logo.rev.1638389805.jpg)
ACS-approved Curriculum
The Carthage chemistry curriculum is approved by the American Chemical Society, which recognizes baccalaureate chemistry programs that are rigorous and broad-based. Earn a degree certified by the ACS.
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR Chemistry majors
Carthage awards two full-tuition Math/Science Scholarships each year to incoming students. These scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrate ability in chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and other natural sciences and are renewable for four years.