At A Glance

Carthage offers a rigorous, broad-based curriculum approved by the American Chemical Society that prepares students to be successful in competitive graduate, medical, and pharmacy schools and to obtain good jobs in the chemical industry. By meeting a few extra requirements, chemistry majors at Carthage can add this ACS distinction to their degree.

Degrees Offered

  • Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry
    Bachelor of Science in Chemistry (degree approved by the American Chemical Society)

Minor 

  • Chemistry

View Degree Requirements

Special Programs

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Earn your chemistry degree at Carthage

Students who choose to study chemistry at Carthage conduct significant research guided by faculty, have access to modern equipment and instrumentation, have the option to obtain a degree certified by the American Chemical Society, and join an active community of fellow chemists on campus.

  • <div class="lw_widget lw_widget_type_blockquote"><blockquote class="blockquote"><div class="blockquote__image"><picture class="lw_image"><source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/30/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,63,2319,2382/40206_brennen_de_jong.rev.1722391915.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/30/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,63,2319,2382/40206_brennen_de_jong.rev.1722391915.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/30/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,63,2319,2382/40206_brennen_de_jong.rev.1722391915.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/30/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,63,2319,2382/40206_brennen_de_jong.rev.1722391915.jpg 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><img src="/live/image/gid/30/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,63,2319,2382/40206_brennen_de_jong.rev.1722391915.jpg" alt="Brennen de Jong '25" width="183" height="183" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/30/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,63,2319,2382/40206_brennen_de_jong.rev.1722391915.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/30/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,63,2319,2382/40206_brennen_de_jong.rev.1722391915.jpg 3x" data-max-w="2319" data-max-h="2319" loading="lazy" data-optimized="true"/></picture></div><div class="blockquote__content"><div class="blockquote__quote"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="icon icon-round-left-quote" width="48" height="33"><use xlink:href="#icon-round-left-quote"/></svg><p> “I chose Carthage because of the beautiful campus and the small size.”</p></div><footer class="blockquote__footer"><span class="blockquote__author"><a href="/live/profiles/2788-brennen-de-jong">Brennen de Jong</a> ’25</span></footer></div></blockquote></div>
  • <div class="lw_widget lw_widget_type_blockquote"><blockquote class="blockquote"><div class="blockquote__image"><picture class="lw_image"><source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/134/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1734,1318/39987_anna_polietaieva_sv.rev.1718314019.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/134/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1734,1318/39987_anna_polietaieva_sv.rev.1718314019.webp 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/134/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1734,1318/39987_anna_polietaieva_sv.rev.1718314019.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/134/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1734,1318/39987_anna_polietaieva_sv.rev.1718314019.jpg 3x" data-origin="responsive"/><img src="/live/image/gid/134/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1734,1318/39987_anna_polietaieva_sv.rev.1718314019.jpg" alt="Anna Polietaieva '27" width="183" height="183" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/134/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1734,1318/39987_anna_polietaieva_sv.rev.1718314019.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/134/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1734,1318/39987_anna_polietaieva_sv.rev.1718314019.jpg 3x" data-max-w="1734" data-max-h="1318" loading="lazy" data-optimized="true"/></picture></div><div class="blockquote__content"><div class="blockquote__quote"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="icon icon-round-left-quote" width="48" height="33"><use xlink:href="#icon-round-left-quote"/></svg><p> “As a liberal arts school, Carthage highlights exploring different disciplines and connecting them. The combination of both, and of course the lake view, were the main reasons I chose Carthage.”</p></div><footer class="blockquote__footer"><span class="blockquote__author"><a href="/live/profiles/2771-">Anna Polietaieva</a> ’27</span></footer></div></blockquote></div>
  • <div class="lw_widget lw_widget_type_blockquote"><blockquote class="blockquote"><div class="blockquote__image"><picture class="lw_image"><source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/30/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,536,538/38126_Diego-Alessandro-Castaneda-25.rev.1688735551.webp 2x" data-origin="responsive"/><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/30/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,536,538/38126_Diego-Alessandro-Castaneda-25.rev.1688735551.jpg 2x" data-origin="responsive"/><img src="/live/image/gid/30/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,536,538/38126_Diego-Alessandro-Castaneda-25.rev.1688735551.jpg" alt="Diego Alessandro Castañeda '25" width="183" height="183" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/30/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,536,538/38126_Diego-Alessandro-Castaneda-25.rev.1688735551.jpg 2x" data-max-w="536" data-max-h="538" loading="lazy" data-optimized="true"/></picture></div><div class="blockquote__content"><div class="blockquote__quote"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="icon icon-round-left-quote" width="48" height="33"><use xlink:href="#icon-round-left-quote"/></svg><p> “The Chemistry Department at Carthage is a tight-knit community; I’ve even seen some of my friends who have already graduated stay connected with us.”</p></div><footer class="blockquote__footer"><span class="blockquote__author"><a href="/live/profiles/2480-diego-castaneda">Diego Alessandro Castañeda</a> ’25</span></footer></div></blockquote></div>

Undergraduate Research for chemistry majors

Professor John Kirk teaching a class to students earning a chemistry degree. Research is built into the Carthage experience through the required senior thesis and options such as the paid Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE), leading to regional and national conference presentations. Ongoing research projects include quantifying chloride from road salting in nearby water sources, using NMR spectroscopy to study the mechanisms of oxidation reactions, and using NMR spectroscopy to explore model membranes and chiral polymers.

Chemistry students also have performed summer research off campus at Cornell University, the University of Minnesota, Virginia Tech, the Medical College of Wisconsin, and other research universities.

Research at Carthage

 

Active chemistry Community

As a Carthage chemistry student, you belong to an active community of chemists. Because classes are small — averaging 17 students — students build relationships with professors and fellow chemistry majors. Get involved in student organizations such as Chemistry Club, Pre-Health Club, and honorary chemistry fraternity Theta Chi Delta.

Opportunities for chemistry students

 

Special Academic Programs for chemistry majors

Pharmacy

In this dual-degree program, students spend three years at Carthage and four years at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago to earn both a bachelor’s in chemistry and a doctorate in pharmacy.

3+4 Pharmacy Program

Pre-Health

Aspiring healthcare professionals frequently consult with a pre-health coordinator to select courses that match their abilities and goals. Many of these students participate in a medical mission trip to Nicaragua, one of the College’s most popular J-Term study tours.

Pre-Health at Carthage

Engineering

In this dual-degree program, you will spend three years at Carthage and the final four to five semesters at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland or Washington University in St. Louis.

3+2 engineering program

 

ACS Logo: Approved Chemistry Program

ACS-approved Curriculum

The Carthage chemistry curriculum is approved by the American Chemical Society, which recognizes baccalaureate chemistry programs that are rigorous and broad-based. Earn a degree certified by the ACS.

 

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR Chemistry majors

Carthage awards two full-tuition Math/Science Scholarships each year to incoming students. These scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrate ability in chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and other natural sciences and are renewable for four years.

MATH/SCIENCE SCHOLARSHIPS