The Chemistry Program has been placed on moratorium status and is not currently accepting new students. Students who have already declared this major will be allowed to complete their program.
Get 450+ Hours of Lab Experience
Experience is critical when you’re applying to jobs or graduate school, and you’ll get plenty of it as a chemistry student at the University of Michigan-Flint.
The chemistry program emphasizes hands-on learning in our laboratories, which boast state-of-the-art instrumentation. You spend 450+ hours in our labs, where we cap sections at 24 students for basic courses and as low as 12 for higher-level courses. This means you get lots of personal attention and training from our expert faculty.
In our labs, you work on research projects with your fellow students and faculty as part of a research team. This results in many students earning authorship positions on academic papers or presenting their findings at conferences.
Once you’ve finished some classes, you can gain more hands-on experience as a Laboratory Teaching Assistant, Supplemental Instruction leader, or tutor.
The experience you gain at UM-Flint will prepare you for a variety of career and educational options. Bachelor’s-level chemists can quickly find work in high-demand fields such as pharmaceuticals, chemical manufacturing, and quality assurance/control. Your BS in chemistry also provides a solid foundation for master’s and PhD programs in research-oriented fields like material science, physical chemistry, organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, computational chemistry, polymers, and more.
Regardless of your career goals, if you have a curiosity for chemistry and/or biochemistry, the Chemistry and Biochemistry discipline has varying options of programs to help you get there.
In addition, depending on the program you select, you can earn certification recognized nationally by the American Chemical Society.
Why UM-Flint?
The most important reason to study chemistry at UM-Flint is the quality of our faculty. They’ve been intensively trained and many are actively engaged in research, but they come to UM-Flint because they love teaching and are committed to student success.
That commitment extends to mentoring students. Every chemistry major has a faculty mentor who can answer questions about internships, research opportunities, time management, work/life balance, planning for jobs or graduate school, and much more.
Here are just a few other reasons why UM-Flint is a great choice if you’re interested in chemistry:
- Our Chemistry Club is a nationally recognized student chapter of the American Chemical Society that consistently receives the highest Chapter Award from the ACS. The club hosts a variety of social and professional development events, and it also focuses on providing science outreach to our local schools and campus community. The experience of being a club officer has helped our alumni gain admission to many graduate and professional programs.
- In a paid or volunteer role, you can develop your research skills while working side-by-side with faculty on state-of-the-art research in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program or its summer counterpart, the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience, which offers full- and half-time positions.
- Flint offers many opportunities for internships, community outreach, and volunteer work.
Chemistry Programs at UM-Flint
The Department of Natural Sciences at UM-Flint offers general chemistry degree:
- The Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry and Bachelor of Science in Chemistry program, which also has an honors version, is primarily for students who want a general background in chemistry to prepare for entry into medical, dental, osteopathic or veterinary school. It’s not intended for students who want to be professional scientists or to pursue graduate studies in chemistry.
We also offer two other related degrees:
Finally, we offer a Chemistry Minor available to all UM-Flint students.
Scholarships for Chemistry Majors
UM-Flint provides scholarships specifically for chemistry students. They include:
- 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
Our Office of Financial Aid offers a variety of other scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study opportunities. They’re all part of our effort to make your world-class University of Michigan-Flint education affordable.
Academic Advising for Chemistry Majors
With so many educational opportunities and career paths available to our chemistry students, we strongly encourage you to meet regularly with your academic advisor. Our academic advisors can help you choose classes, navigate program requirements, overcome personal issues, develop post-graduation plans, and more.
Your academic advisor is Cydnee Robertson. You can contact her at [email protected] or schedule an appointment.
Career Opportunities in Chemistry
Your bachelor’s degree in chemistry from UM-Flint will open the door to a huge range of career options. Consider these job projections for just a few possibilities from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
- Chemical Engineers
- Job growth through 2030: 9 percent
- Job openings annually through 2030: 1,800
- Typical entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree
- Median annual salary: $105,550
- Chemists and Materials Scientists
- Job growth through 2030: 6 percent
- Job openings annually through 2030: 9,100
- Typical entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree
- Median annual salary: $79,760
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists
- Job growth through 2030: 8 percent
- Job openings annually through 2030: 9,400
- Typical entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree
- Median annual salary: $76,530
- Materials Engineers
- Job growth through 2030: 8 percent
- Job openings annually through 2030: 1,800
- Typical entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree
- Median annual salary: $98,300
- Natural Sciences Managers
- Job growth through 2030: 6 percent
- Job openings annually through 2030: 6,000
- Typical entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree
- Median annual salary: $137,900
More information about careers for chemistry majors is available from the American Chemical Society.
Get Started on Your Chemistry Career Today
If you want hands-on training that prepares you for a variety of career and educational opportunities, apply to the University of Michigan-Flint’s chemistry program today. If you have questions, you can contact the program’s dedicated academic advisor, Cydnee Robertson, at [email protected] or schedule an appointment