Green Chemistry
Join one of the most forward-thinking chemistry programs in the country, designing chemical products and processes that reduce waste and drive sustainability.
Social:
Green chemistry is about designing chemical products and processes that reduce waste, minimize hazards, and conserve resources, all while remaining economically viable. It’s a field reshaping industries and driving progress toward a more sustainable future.
- Hundreds of hours of hands-on experience through a lab-focused curriculum
- Interdisciplinary courses in environmental science, political science, and economics
- Opportunities to collaborate on faculty-led research and earn authorship on academic papers
Industry Demand
Major companies like Dow, DuPont, 3M, and BASF have committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and are actively seeking employees trained in green chemistry.
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Why earn this degree here?
Nationally Recognized Faculty
Our faculty serve on the advisory board for Beyond Benign, the nation’s leading green chemistry education organization, and have helped the ACS Green Chemistry Institute develop undergraduate teaching modules.
Nationally Recognized Chemistry Club
Our Chemistry Club is a student chapter of the American Chemical Society that consistently receives the ACS’s highest Chapter Award and recognition for its green activities, plus science-outreach events for local schools and the campus community.
Undergraduate Research
In a paid or volunteer role, develop your research skills alongside faculty through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program or its summer counterpart, the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience.
Free Tuition with the Go Blue Guarantee!
UM-Flint students are automatically considered, upon admission, for the Go Blue Guarantee, a historic program offering free tuition for high-achieving, in-state undergraduates from lower-income households. Learn more about the Go Blue Guarantee to see if you qualify and how affordable a Michigan degree can be.
Curriculum Overview
The Department of Natural Sciences offers the Bachelor of Science in Green Chemistry, certified by the American Chemical Society. The curriculum emphasizes the social, environmental, and economic impacts of chemistry, enabling graduates to apply green and sustainable principles to industry challenges. Students completing this program are positioned to enter industry directly or pursue an advanced degree in the chemical sciences.
Career Outlook
Your bachelor’s degree in green chemistry from UM-Flint will open the door to a wide range of career options. Consider these job projections for just a few possibilities from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Chemists and Materials Scientists
6%
Job growth through 2030
8,200
Job openings annually through 2030
$79,760
Median annual salary
Environmental Engineers
4%
Job growth through 2030
3,400
Job openings annually through 2030
$96,820
Median annual salary
Exploring Career Options for green chemistry majors is available from the American Chemical Society, along with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report Going ‘Green’: Environmental Jobs for Scientists and Engineers and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Where the Green Jobs Grow.
Admission Requirements
Green chemistry majors follow UM-Flint’s standard first-year or transfer admission requirements — there are no additional program-specific requirements to declare this major.
With so many educational opportunities and career paths available, we strongly encourage you to meet regularly with your academic advisor, who can help you choose classes, navigate program requirements, and plan for jobs or graduate school.
Academic Advisor
Scholarships
UM-Flint offers a number of scholarships specifically for chemistry students, including:
- Fleming A. & Marian E. Barbour Scholarship Fund
- Harry H. Blecker Scholarship Fund
- Ralph M. and Emmalyn E. Freeman Chemistry Scholarship
- Lotfi Family Scholarship Fund
- Zelpha E. McKinnon Science Scholarship