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Why Chemistry?


The Department of Chemistry at the University of Utah provides a world-class education and foundation for careers in chemistry as well as other sciences, engineering, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and even business and law.

Utah Chemistry is known for its excellence both nationwide and worldwide. According to U.S. News and World Report, the department was ranked #18 among US public universities, #34th nationally in 2023, and #219 among the Best Global Universities. The department has 34 tenured and tenure-track faculty members, five career-line teaching faculty, six career-nine research faculty, and 29 administrative and research staff.
As of Fall 2024, the department has 185 graduate students, over 60 postdocs, and over 2,000 undergraduates.

Why Chemistry?

CHEMISTRY lies at the center of the scientific universe.

CHEMISTRY is the creation and analysis of new compounds and materials, from molecules like cisplatin for battling cancer to carbon nanotubes, the strongest material ever made.

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CHEMISTRY is the investigation of the components of life itself on both the theoretical and experimental fronts, everything from modeling and simulating phase transitions of water to the theoretical study of protein folding dynamics to elucidating the mechanisms by which DNA is damaged and repaired.

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CHEMISTRY is the search for better, more efficient energy sources, and the design of faster computers and molecular machines.

CHEMISTRY is fireworks on the 4th of July, the green of spring, the smell of fresh bread, the Space Shuttle lifting off from Cape Canaveral, and the feel of granite.

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CHEMISTRY is the brain: the picture in our mind’s eye of a loved one, the memory of a cherished experience, and the expectation and hope of better days to come, careers to be established, impacts to be made.

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CHEMISTRY is a scientist's toy chest: lasers with pulses as short as one picosecond, atomic force microscopes that can image and move individual atoms, nuclear magnetic resonance instruments for characterizing molecules and studying their reactions, glove boxes for air- and water-sensitive compounds, and all the wild-looking laboratory glassware you could ever imagine.

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CHEMISTRY is central to our search for answers as we explore our world: What is it? How much is there? How does this work? Why does it do that?

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So, why not chemistry?

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Expected Learning Outcomes

Students will have a firm foundation in the fundamentals and application of current chemical and scientific theories.

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Accomplished Faculty

The Department of Chemistry faculty are some of the most distinguished on campus.

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Job & Post-Graduation Opportunities

The applicability of a background in chemistry is vast, resulting in myriad fields in which one may work.

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Transferring to the U

Learn about the steps and requirements for transferring as an undergraduate to the University of Utah’s Department of Chemistry.

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