Chemistry

Whether you want to create new cancer-fighting drugs, meet patients’ needs in health care, promote justice through forensic chemistry, ensure quality of company products, help inventors pursue patents, or spark students’ interest in chemistry as a middle or high school teacher, you will be equipped for an impactful career at Grove City College. Offering a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Biochemistry (both with an optional concentration in forensic chemistry), as well as Chemistry and Secondary Education Certification, or Chemistry and General Science Secondary Education Certification, the Department of Chemistry grants you access to state-of-the-art STEM facilities, abundant research opportunities, and expert faculty mentors who point you to Christ — in whom “all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17).

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Department Overview

Build your foundation on the central science.

When you study chemistry at Grove City College, you will become a student of what many consider “the central science.” As you study the created order in the context of our deep-rooted academic community, you will grow to appreciate how ordinary chemical mechanisms can be used to explain extraordinary biological systems. Alongside like-minded peers and professors, you’ll learn to understand the world on a molecular level and enjoy the freedom to pursue deeper knowledge of the Creator.

Find your niche in an ever-changing field.

With a program approved by the American Chemical Society, our chemistry department provides the foundational training and resources you will need to make your mark in the chemical industry, scientific research, health care, or forensic science. As you build your skill set and find your niche, you will benefit from our high-end STEM facilities and wide array of modern instrumentation — including an NMR spectrometer and an x-ray diffractometer — to analyze compounds and determine their properties and structures.

Engage with faculty, gain perspective.

Our accomplished faculty come to Grove City College eager to mentor the motivated, curious students who thrive in our rigorous learning environment. As you engage with faculty in class, lab, office hours, and casual department lunches, you will come to find that they are supportive and personally committed to helping you grow as a chemist, biochemist, or teacher, as well as a problem solver and person. Each professor believes that God is living and active, and each takes a posture of humility when tackling tough questions that arise — encouraging you to face the unknowns with confidence grounded in Christ.

Conduct research, obtain internships.

Research is a core strength of our department, giving you the opportunity to explore unanswered questions or unsolved problems and even create a compound that never existed. Opportunities abound to conduct research with faculty, pursue publication, and attend national conferences such as the American Chemical Society National Meeting to present your results to the scientific community. While many students conduct research on campus during the academic year or over the summer, others partner with faculty at large universities like Penn State, the Universities of Pittsburgh, Nebraska, Washington, Duquesne, and Scripps Research Institute. Some have even conducted research abroad in Belgium at KU Leuven (one of the top 50 universities in the world) and Switzerland (Hoffman-LaRoche pharmaceutical corporation). You will also be able to pursue industrial internships with companies such as PPG Industries, BASF, Elanco, Reaxis, Lubrizol, and Cambridge Isotope Labs. In addition, you will have opportunities to pursue teaching assistant positions in lab courses at Grove City College.

Enjoy amazing outcomes.

If you’re like 96% of Grove City College graduates, you will be ready to pursue competitive positions or seats in top graduate programs across the country. Many of our graduates go on to work in the chemical industry — from large companies like PPG, the Lord Corporation, Covestro, Sonneborn, and Mettler, to smaller companies like Jamestown Coating Technologies, Interstate Chemical, and Ohio Lumex. Others become influential teachers at the secondary level or pursue doctoral degrees at institutions like Notre Dame, Penn State, Wisconsin, and the University of Pittsburgh as well as Harvard and Stanford. As evidenced by our high allied health school placement rate (typically at least 10% higher than the national average for medical school and higher for physician assistant and physical therapy), you’ll be well-equipped to shine in medical, dental, or pharmacy school. Whether you want to earn a Ph.D., dedicate your talents to lab or government work, care for patients in the medical field, or teach chemistry to middle or high school students, you will find the resources and opportunities you need to succeed at Grove City College.

Department Fact Sheet Departmental Newsletter

Ashley Cetnar, '11

B.S. in Physics, B.S. in Chemistry

Samuel Henson, '19

B.S. in Biochemistry

Matthew Genzink, '18

B.S. in Chemistry, B.S. in Mathematics

Emily Tharnish, '17

B.S. in Chemistry

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

The Department of Chemistry offers students the academic freedom to conduct meaningful, relevant research alongside experienced and accomplished faculty. An integral component to an excellent undergraduate education, research opportunities help prepare students for top graduate and professional programs and successful careers in research and medicine.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Pre-Health

The Department of Chemistry at Grove City College provides students with requisite courses needed for acceptance to most health professions programs as well as additional pre-health related resources. Students wishing to pursue a career in one of the allied health fields should visit our pre-health section for more information about careers, advising, internships, and networking opportunities.

Pre-Health