Chemistry
Chemistry at Western is designed to provide a foundation in the major themes of modern chemistry as applied to the natural, industrial and commercial worlds. This foundation allows for advanced studies in a wide range of research areas, from materials to energy, synthesis, biology, and biochemistry.
If you like solving puzzles, you will enjoy piecing together the information provided by interactions of light with matter to determine the structures of your new creations!
Do you want to explore the chemistry of materials and be part of the development of innovative substances for sports, medicine, alternative energy and the environment?
Do you want to understand the chemistry of living systems which helps us to understand life?
To learn more about all of our modules see Modules at a Glance.
What You’ll Learn
A degree in chemistry at Western means learning the tools and techniques of chemistry along with the theoretical background required to interpret experimental results and develop new reaction pathways and compounds. The broad range of knowledge acquired and the numeracy, deductive and inductive skills secured are key in the development of our career-ready graduates (testimonial).
Distinguishing Features
Community Mentorship
Explore Chemistry is a mentorship initiative designed to help first-year science students explore their interest in the discipline. Participants are paired with senior students early in the fall term to get a sneak preview of the Chemistry experience. They are invited to meet with and learn from industry guest speakers and later in the year shadow a fourth-year student engaged in their honors thesis research in the lab.
Facilities Tailored for Optimal Learning
Our first-year labs are flooded with natural light, offer large workstations designed to support learning collaborations and are fitted with computer-controlled modular equipment to simulate an authentic lab environment found in government and industry.
Professional Development
Chemistry students are highly sought interns in industry and government. The Science Internship Program facilitates discipline-relevant placements for 8 to 16 months. Those students completing a senior thesis project also acquire both research and corporate skills, in particular in their preparation for mock interviews with representatives from our alumni and industry community.
Authentic Learning
Part of becoming a professional chemist involves gaining hands-on research experience, preparing technical manuscripts and presenting posters at discipline-specific conferences. On average, 25 chemistry students secure summer research positions with the department each year. All of our students acquire experience in poster development and presentation in analytical chemistry, while students in the Undergraduate Thesis course routinely participate in the annual Southwestern Ontario Undergraduate Student Chemistry Conference (SOUSCC).
Honors Specialization Modules
In addition to Chemistry modules, we offer two Honors Specializations modules jointly with the Department of Biochemistry. The Biochemistry and Chemistry module has an emphasis in chemistry and is available to students enrolled in the science program. The Chemical Biology module has an emphasis in biochemistry, and is offered to students enrolled in the Basic Medical Sciences Program. These modules comprise of courses from both disciplines, and offer senior thesis courses enabling students to gain experience in interdisciplinary research laboratories.
Careers
In addition to the option if entering professional areas such as finance, law, medicine, business and teaching, options for Chemistry graduates includes research in government, industry and academic laboratories; process development and control work; detection and characterization of trace substances; and technical sales and service.
Careers Transcript
- Government (Science Policy)
- Professional School
- Pharmacologist
- Production Management
- Quality Control Technician
- Technical Writer
