College of the Pacific
Department of Chemistry
Welcome to the Department of Chemistry!
Our ACS-accredited department at the University of the Pacific (Northern California, east of the San Francisco Bay Area) has a long-standing tradition of student-centered education. Students are provided with opportunities to study chemistry in a lecture setting along with extensive hands-on experience in laboratories. Our faculty care deeply about the students at Pacific and are available inside and outside the classroom. Our department provides classes in the core-curriculum of majors in chemistry, biochemistry, pre-pharmacy, pre-dentistry, pre-medicine, biology, physics, physical therapy, and engineering. Senior students (B.S.) compete very well nationally for admission to the best professional schools and are very competitive on the employment market after graduation. Our Graduate students (M.S./Ph.D.) have secured leading positions in industry and academia nationally and internationally.
We hope you will find the department's web page useful. Please do not hesitate to contact the department directly for any remaining questions.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Jin Gong (Interim Chair)
Dr. Larry O. Spreer (Assistant Chair)
Chemistry Degree Programs
We offer a range of chemistry degrees that are designed to fit the needs of our students.
UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES IN CHEMISTRY:
- Chemistry Major (ACS-Certified)
- Biochemistry Major
- Chemistry-Biology Major
- Chemistry Major (emphasis on Medicinal Chemistry)
GRADUATE DEGREES IN CHEMISTRY:
What to Expect
(Chemistry/Biochemistry Undergraduate)
The first two years of work in all the programs is essentially the same: one year of general chemistry and one year of organic chemistry from the courses offered. After the fourth semester additional classes in areas of specialization will be taken according to the specific degree requirements.
Course work in the department is demanding, with a heavy emphasis on laboratory work (more laboratory opportunities than most universities in the United States) to provide the solid understanding that will serve our students well in their professional careers.
After admission to Pacific, students earning a Chemistry and Biochemistry degree can expect to receive training in all practical laboratory skills, analytical techniques, computational methods, and in most of the current instrumental methods such as magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry.
Read what students have to say about the department.
CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY RESEARCH
We encourage our chemistry and biochemistry majors to take advantage of the chance to work one-on-one with our faculty and Graduate students in research projects.
The Department of Chemistry has currently 16 faculty (5 full professors, 4 associate professors, 2 assistant professors, 5 adjunct/research professors).
What to expect (Chemistry Graduate)
Graduate students admitted to the Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chemistry Program (PSCP) are involved in research and earn their salaries as Teaching Assistants (TA) in the undergraduate laboratories.
Graduate research is supported by close faculty-student mentoring and by modern research equipment and facilities.
Despite its small size, the Department of Chemistry supports 19 graduate students with internal teaching assistantships and 4 postdoctoral research associates.
