A chemistry degree from Pacific provides you with a strong foundation in chemical principles and prepares you for diverse careers and advanced studies. Gain a competitive edge through hands-on research opportunities and work with faculty on cutting-edge treatments for diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's. You'll develop critical problem-solving skills, which will set you up for success in health sciences, dental, pharmacy or graduate school.
At Pacific, you can expect a student-centered chemistry experience. You'll gain essential laboratory skills and deep subject understanding, giving you a competitive edge. Faculty closely mentor you, so you are prepared for top professional schools, a rewarding career or leading positions in industry and academia.
The chemistry program prepares you for real-world experiences. Through rigorous coursework, you'll gain the skills needed for internships and research. Recent majors have secured positions at leading health care companies including Varian, Genentech and Gilead Sciences.
Whether you are preparing for graduate school or a job in industry, Pacific's research, internship and networking opportunities can help you achieve your goals. The career paths in chemistry range from research to writing and are more diverse than you might think.
Pacific’s chemistry department immerses students in research across organic synthesis, biochemistry, theoretical chemistry and spectroscopy. Undergraduates co-author publications, share findings at conferences and take part in funded summer projects. The program fosters hands-on contributions to innovative, forward-looking scientific exploration.
Current grants (close to $1 million) support this research and have funded:
The TSQ fortis mass spectrometer pairs a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography. It enables precise analysis of diverse compounds such as organic molecules, peptides, oligonucleotides, natural products, drug candidates and organometallic structures.
The Shimadzu MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer measures the mass-to-charge ratio of molecules, while fragmentation reveals structural details. With Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization, large biomolecules of proteins, DNA, RNA and polysaccharides can be examined. This creates a deeper understanding of complex chemical and biological systems.
The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer can reveal how atoms connect within chemical structures, while uncovering three-dimensional geometry and diffusion rates that expose ligand interactions with biomacromolecules. The JEOL 600 MHz NMR employs a 14.1 Tesla superconducting magnet, radiofrequency pulses, gradient fields and precise temperature control for advanced analysis.
The high-performance liquid chromatography instrument separates UV-active compounds into complex mixtures using reversed or normal phase chromatography. The Shimadzu iSeries system includes an LH40 fraction collector and photodiode array detector, supported by a wide range of stationary phases and column dimensions from analytical to preparative scales.
The fast protein liquid chromatography purifies and analyzes proteins and complexes using ion exchange, affinity, hydrophobic and size-exclusion methods. Operating at low pressure with aqueous buffers, FPLC preserves the biological activity of delicate protein samples while ensuring precise, reliable separation and characterization.
The isothermal titration calorimeter measures heat changes as molecules interact in solution, allowing researchers to study ligand–protein, ligand–DNA, DNA–DNA, and protein–protein binding while defining key thermodynamic parameters such as binding affinity, stoichiometry, enthalpy and entropy. Together, these measurements provide deep insight into molecular recognition and interaction.
The circular dichroism spectrometer detects differences in how chiral molecules absorb left- and right-circularly polarized light. It tracks conformational changes, stability and interactions and is widely applied in life sciences to examine nucleic acid, peptide and protein secondary and tertiary structures with precision.
Undergraduate opportunities
As an undergraduate, you can join research groups and collaborate with graduate students and faculty mentors to fulfill chemistry elective requirements. Summer internships are also offered, with opportunities to earn course credit or receive pay as a research associate.
Graduate opportunities
Graduate students in the pharmaceutical sciences and chemistry program receive salaries as teaching assistants in undergraduate labs. Alongside conducting research, they are granted up to nine units of tuition remission each semester.
Pacific’s Department of Chemistry mentors 24 graduate students and several post-doctoral fellows.
Graduate research focus areas ("tracks") in chemistry
Synthesis and drug discovery/design: This track focuses on creating and developing new compounds, both synthetic and from natural products, as potential drugs, while advancing chemical synthesis methods and structure elucidation.
Bioanalytical/physical chemistry/biochemistry: This track explores chemical, biochemical and biomedical questions using cutting-edge experimental and computational tools. This includes advanced synthesis, instrumentation and molecular techniques.
Gabby started college with the goal of becoming a research scientist at a national lab. In fact, she decided to study chemistry at Pacific because of the university’s research opportunities. As a recipient of Pacific’s Stauffer Charitable Trust Challenge Grant, she was able to work on synthesizing molecular switches which have a potential use in cancer drug delivery systems.
If you wish to qualify to teach chemistry at the secondary level, you should complete the Single Subject Credential. Ask you adviser or the department chair for information on specific course requirements. For other credential requirements, you should consult faculty in Benerd College.
Each summer, six chemistry students receive stipends funded by the John Stauffer Charitable Trust and donations from alumni, friends and Alpha Chi Sigma members. The trust matched donations of up to $1 million to support student research on topics including drought impacts, sustainable solutions and other hands-on chemistry challenges.
