Chemistry and Biochemistry

WHY NOT EXPERIMENT WITH A CAREER IN CHEMISTRY OR BIOCHEMISTRY?

ENROLL NOW. SCC students graduate qualified to enroll in bachelor’s degree programs at colleges and universities in chemistry or biochemistry. This degree mimics the first 4 semesters of a bachelor's degree program for these majors.

What would it be like to be a toxicology chemist? A development chemist or biochemist at a leading multinational company? A laboratory technician at a major research hospital? A computational chemist at a pharmaceutical company? These are just a few of the amazing career options available to you with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry or biochemistry.

Chemistry A.S. at SCC

To start on your way, you’ll want to earn your Associate of Science degree in Chemistry at SCC choosing the Chemistry or Biochemistry pathway. This is a cost-effective start to completing the bachelor’s at a college or university. With a four-year degree in Chemistry or Biochemistry you’ll find ample opportunities in Missouri and beyond working in laboratories and research hospitals for brands like AIM Laboratories, Alcami, CoreLab Diagnostics, Infinity Laboratories, Pfizer, Bayer and others.

During completion the Chemistry A.S. students will work with some of the most commonly used instrumentation in both research and industry, such as Gas Chromatography, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), UV and Visible Spectrophotometry, Atomic Absorbance Spectrophotometry and Infrared (IR) Spectrophotometry. In addition, student learn many lab techniques in areas of analytical and organic chemistry.

The Chemistry program at SCC strives to promote academic excellence in our students and instructors in a broad range of science courses. All chemistry instruction is guided by preparing students for achieving three core learning outcomes:

1. Quantitative reasoning: Learning to quantitatively analyze and apply chemistry theories to solve problems.
2. Critical thinking: Learning to critically analyze and apply general chemistry and organic chemistry concepts.
3. Laboratory-critical thinking and quantitative reasoning: Learning to conduct experiments, analyze data and interpret results using the proper laboratory procedure and safe handling of chemicals.

All science courses will promote general education and science literacy. Science literacy may include a working knowledge of the scientific method, and familiarity with historic and contemporary scientific theory, in the context of global awareness.

Your Next Step

Visit our website for a closer look at all that the chemistry program at SCC has to offer. For guidance on which courses will transfer to specific four-year programs, you should refer to that institution’s college catalog or speak to the department chair at SCC. Please speak with an academic counselor to verify the transferability of individual courses in the department.

Pathways, Degrees & Certificates

• Chemistry (A.S.) - Chemistry Pathway
• Chemistry (A.S.) - Biochemistry Pathway