Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Douglas Raynie, Department Head
Matthew Miller, Assistant Department Head
Nicole Grove, Coordinator of Undergraduate Programs
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Avera Health and Science Center 247
605-688-5151

Faculty

Professors

Jihong Cole-Dai, Fathi Halaweish, Adam Hoppe, Brian Logue, Matthew Miller

Associate Professors

Suvobrata Chakravarty, Douglas Raynie, Jay Shore, Cheng Zhang

Assistant Professors

Darci Fink, Rachel Willand-Charnley

Senior Lecturers

Nicole Grove, Melody Jewell, Sara Madsen

Lecturer

Julie Leibold

Emeritus

Royce Emerick, Henry Gehrke, John Grove, Harry Hecht, William Jensen, Ivan Palmer, James Rice, Leo Spinar, William Wadsworth

Overview

The mission of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is to educate, expand the frontiers of knowledge, and provide service. The Department provides high-quality educational opportunities that address students’ needs and broaden their perspectives, enabling them to continue the learning process as educated citizens. For those students desiring to pursue careers in chemistry, biochemistry, chemical education, and related scientific areas, the department provides degree programs at the baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral levels. The Department also maintains strong research efforts in areas appropriate to the broad goals and objectives of a land-grant institution. The Department provides service to its various constituencies through selected programs that are continually refined to meet changing needs.

Further, the SDSU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is a founding signatory to the Green Chemistry Commitment. Specific examples of green chemistry are presented in general chemistry, organic chemistry laboratory experiments, a chemical toxicology course, and graduate and undergraduate research.

Departmental Objectives

To address the needs of a scientifically literate citizenry in South Dakota, the upper midwest, nationally, and globally;
To facilitate students’ communication skills in both oral and written formats;
To encourage the technological literacy of students such that they become highly competitive in the global workforce;
To provide opportunities for professional development of students at the baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral levels;
To provide premier leadership in the chemical sciences dedicated to excellence in learning, discovery, and outreach.

Department Requirements

All general university requirements must be met to qualify for the bachelor’s degrees in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. In addition, the following special requirements and rules have been established for all graduates of the department:

Bachelor’s degrees must include 33 semester credits from upper division courses (300 and above).
One declared minor outside of the major prefix OR a second major OR a teaching specialization. The minor may be a traditional minor within one department or it may be interdisciplinary involving more than one department. The minor must be declared no later than the student’s third semester of enrollment. Minor may be from any regental institution.
Capstone course in the major discipline.
AHSS 111 - Introduction to Global Citizenship and Diversity Credits: 3 (Chemistry Education major will complete AIS 211 - South Dakota American Indian Culture and Education (COM) [SGR #3] Credits: 3 )
Natural Sciences Credits: 10
- Any two lab sciences
- Coursework must include two prefixes.
- MATH and STAT courses do not count towards the science requirement.

Approved Natural Sciences Courses

Programs

Majors

Minors

Chemistry Minor

Graduate Programs*

Biochemistry (Ph.D.)
Chemistry (M.S.)
Chemistry (M.S.) - Chemical Education Specialization
Chemistry (Ph.D.)

* Graduate degrees are offered in collaboration with the Graduate School. For details, see the Graduate Catalog.

Student Support & Engagement Opportunities

The Department offers opportunities for student engagement through research and student organizations. For additional information refer to the Research Opportunities page and the Student Organization page on the University’s webpage.