Chemical Sciences Degree Program

Explore the Chemical Sciences degree program

Chemistry is the study of matter – its composition, structure, properties, and changes in state. Our faculty are dedicated to ensuring your education is one of discovery, and our program gives you an understanding of the chemical world in which we live. It’s a great field to enter because it connects and helps you understand other sciences such as physics, biology, and geology.

With a Chemistry degree from Wayne State College, you will be ready for graduate work or a variety of career opportunities. You can use your Chemistry degree to enter the health professions such as medicine and pharmacy. Or you could become a product developer, creating things such as perfume, makeup, or cleaning solutions.

View program courses Download program fact sheet (PDF)

Fast facts

Degree options:

B.A. or B.S. in Chemistry / Chemical Sciences
Minor in Chemistry

Delivery format: On campus (Wayne)

Program credit hours: 55

Chemistry core (12 credit hours)
Chemical Sciences concentration (43 credit hours)

Note: Students must also take 30 credit hours of General Studies courses. A total of 120 credit hours are needed to graduate from WSC. Additional majors or minors can be added to help meet graduation requirements.

School: Science, Health, and Criminal Justice

Department: Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Prepare for your future

Opportunities and outcomes

Chemical sciences topics covered

Fundamental aspects of organic chemistry
Scientific writing, research, data collection, and analysis
Use of modern lab equipment and instruments in chemistry
Principles and theories of inorganic chemistry
Laboratory management, techniques, and safety
Behavior and properties of matter at the molecular and atomic level
Physics for scientists and health professions

Student learning outcomes

Demonstrate mastery of the theoretical aspects of chemistry
Demonstrate mastery in the technical aspects of chemistry
Communicate effectively in a chemical manner, both verbally and in writing
Apply mathematical and mechanistic problem-solving skills to chemistry processes
Operate standard laboratory equipment and instruments and be able to interpret the data or spectra obtained

Nebraska S-STEM Scholars Program

Incoming first-year students studying Chemical Sciences are eligible for the Nebraska S-STEM Program. Students in the program are awarded up to $10,000 per year based on their unmet financial needs. If selected for the program, you’ll be guided by faculty mentors through independent research projects beginning your first year and supported by a team of advisors, supplemental instructors, and peer tutors. A research and travel stipend is also provided to help you attend regional conferences and network with fellow mathematicians, and present your research. Additionally, you’ll live in the residence halls for your first two years alongside other S-STEM scholars, where you’ll support each other while developing leadership and professional skills.

Nebraska S-STEM Scholars Program

Chemistry internships

Our outstanding Career Services Office is available to help you find chemistry internships and career opportunities.

Career services and internships

Graduates of the Chemical Sciences degree program work in their chosen field using the skills they learned while at Wayne State College. Each year, eager employers welcome WSC graduates into their organizations.

Jobs of recent graduates:

(without advanced degree, or while pursuing advanced degree)

Associate Microbiologist – Tyson Foods (Dakota City, Neb.)
Laboratory Analyst – Midwest Laboratories (Omaha, Neb.)
Roving Technician – Lincoln Premium Poultry (Fremont, Neb.)
Quality Specialist I / Plant Chemist – Becton Dickinson (BD) (Columbus, Neb.)

job or grad school placement rate
within six months of graduation
Data based on most recent
employment outcomes survey

After graduating from Wayne State College, recent grads pursued advanced degrees at the following schools:

Chemical Engineering (Ph.D.) – Iowa State University (Ames, Iowa)
Pharmacy (Ph.D.) – University of Nebraska Medical Center (Omaha, Neb.)

Cost of attendance

Most Affordable College in Nebraska

- College Affordability Guide, 2024

Wayne State is considered the most affordable four-year college or university in Nebraska. With same rates for in- and out-of-state students, our tuition guarantee, and our generous scholarship packages, it is clear to see how WSC earned the title. In fact, the average remaining annual cost of attendance for 2024-25 is $2,268 for undergraduate students after financial aid and scholarships.

Chemical Sciences degree program courses

Students must complete the chemistry core and chemical sciences concentration courses. A total of 120 credit hours are needed to graduate from WSC. Additional majors or minors can be added to help meet graduation requirements.

Note: BIO 110 Biology Concepts must be taken as the CAT 7 General Studies requirement, and MAT 140 Calculus I must be taken as the CAT 3 General Studies requirement.

Chemistry
core
credits

Chemical sciences
concentration
credits

Total
program
credits

Chemistry core courses (12 credits)

Credits: 4
Description: Emphasis on nomenclature, atomic structure, bonding, gaseous and liquid states, equilibrium, and stoichiometry. 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory. Class fee of $20 required.
Prerequisite: High school chemistry or CHE 102 Chemistry for General Studies
Credits: 4
Description: A continuation of CHE 106 General Chemistry I with emphasis on kinetics, redox reactions, molecular geometry, hydrolysis, electrochemistry, and solubility products. Qualitative analysis included. 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory. Class fee of $20 required.
Prerequisite: C- or better in CHE 106 or by consent of instructor
Credits: 4
Description: Emphasis on theories and application of quantitative analysis including gravimetric and volumetric procedures. 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory. Class fee of $20 required.
Prerequisite: C- or better in CHE 107 General Chemistry II

Chemical sciences concentration courses (43 credit hours)

Credits: 4
Description: This course is designed to allow students to learn the fundamental aspects of organic chemistry. Among the topics covered will be structure determination, bonding, stereochemistry, and spectroscopy. Also included are the structure and reactivity of alkenes, alkynes, alkyl halides, and alcohols. The laboratory work will introduce the equipment and techniques of chemistry, which relate to the material discussed in the lecture. The experiments will develop organic laboratory techniques for product formation, isolation, purification, and identification. 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory. Class fee of $20 required.
Prerequisite: C- or better in CHE 107 General Chemistry II
Credits: 4
Description: This is a continuation of CHE 314. Among the topics covered will be electrophilic substitution, alcohols, aromatic chemistry, ethers, epoxides, and carbonyl chemistry-including nucleophilic substitution, carboxylic acids, alpha-substitution, and condensation reactions. The laboratory work introduces the equipment and techniques of organic chemistry, which relate to the material discussed in the lecture. The experiments will develop synthetic methods for product formation, isolation, purification, and identification. 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory. Class fee of $20 required.
Prerequisite: C- or better in CHE 314 Organic Chemistry II
Credits: 1
Description: This course is designed for students majoring in Chemistry as an introduction to scientific writing, library research, data collection and data analysis. The student will be expected to use the skills learned in this course to establish a proposal for a research project for CHE 470 Research Project. Class fee of $20 required.
Prerequisite: 8 hours of chemistry
Credits: 4
Description: Instrumental analysis in qualitative and quantitative procedures employing IR, UV, visible and atomic absorption spectrometers as well as other modern instruments such as gas chromatographs and electroanalytical system. 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory. Class fee of $20 required.
Prerequisite: C- or better in CHE 305 Analytical Chemistry
Credits: 3
Description: Principles and theories of inorganic chemistry.
Prerequisite: C- or better in CHE 107 General Chemistry II
Credits: 1
Description: Introduction to the direction of students in freshman or sophomore laboratories. Preparation of solutions, supervision of laboratory activities, evaluation of laboratory reports and instruction in the principles of laboratory safety. 3 to 6 hours a week. Cannot be repeated.
Prerequisite: C- or better in CHE 107 General Chemistry II
Credits: 3
Description: Investigations into the properties of ideal and real gases, the first, second, and third laws of thermodynamics, the thermodynamics of pure substances, simple mixtures, chemical equilibrium, and equilibrium electrochemistry with special applications for the life sciences.
Prerequisite: PHY 301 University Physics I
Credits: 3
Description: Investigations into quantum theory, atomic structure, atomic spectra, molecular structure, and molecular spectroscopy: including rotational, vibrational, electronic, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Prerequisite: C- or better in CHE 456 or by permission of instructor
Credits: 2
Description: This course is a continuation of CHE 370 Introduction to Research. Students will take this course as a means of completing their individual research project under the direction of a chosen instructor. A presentation of this research in both oral and written form is required at the conclusion of the course. This course may be repeated up to a total of 3 hours. Class fee of $20 required.
Prerequisite: CHE 370 Introduction to Research
Credits: 1-2
Description: Management of advanced laboratories. Preparation of reagents, maintenance of equipment, laboratory supervision, evaluation of student performance, grading of laboratory notebooks, instructions in experimental design. 6-12 hours a week.
Prerequisite: C- or better in CHE 393 Laboratory Techniques
Credits: 4
Description: A calculus-based general physics course intended primarily for scientists, pre-engineers, computer and math majors and advanced health professional students. Topics include vectors, kinematics and dynamics, equilibrium, rotational motion, energy, momentum, oscillations, fluids, and thermodynamics. Concurrent enrollment in PHY 321 Physics Laboratory I required.
Prerequisite: High school physics and MAT 140 Calculus I or equivalent calculus class
Credits: 4
Description: A second semester calculus-based general physics course intended primarily for scientists, pre-engineers, computer and math majors, and advanced health professional students. Topics include electricity, magnetism, optics, and modern physics. PHY 322 Physics Laboratory II concurrent enrollment by advisement.
Prerequisite: PHY 301 University Physics I
Credits: 1
Description: Concurrent enrollment in PHY 201/301 recommended but not required. This laboratory is a required course for both PHY 201 and PHY 301. Experiments, appropriate to the level of lecture, include topics in mechanics, momentum, work and energy, and fluids. 3 hours lab. Physics lab fee of $20 required.
Credits: 1
Description: This laboratory is a required course for PHY 202 General Physics II but may be taken in a subsequent semester. It is optional for PHY 302 University Physics II, depending on the student’s program. Experiments, appropriate to the level of the lecture, include topics in electricity, magnetism, and basic optics. 3 hours lab. Physics lab fee of $20 required.
Choose one of the following:
- CHE 458 Physical Chemistry Lab (1 credit) – Laboratory investigations of physical chemistry concepts including: the properties of gases, thermochemistry, chemical equilibrium, quantum chemistry, and spectroscopy. 3 hours lab. Prerequisite: CHE 456 Physical Chemistry I.
- CHE 480 Advanced Laboratory Methods(1 credit) – This is an advanced laboratory course featuring integrative, project-based activities. Projects will incorporate instrumental and chemical techniques used in cross-disciplinary studies at both the advanced undergraduate and post-baccalaureate level. Prerequisite: 15 hours of upper level chemistry courses.
Chemistry electives numbered 300 or above (7 credits) – For a complete listing of courses and their descriptions, view the course catalog. Up to 4 hours of CHE 490 Chemistry Seminar may be counted toward CHE electives.

Popular pairings

Many students at Wayne State will add a second major or a minor to complement their program of study or to focus their studies on a specific topic. Students who recently majored in Chemical Sciences at Wayne State also paired this major with one or more of the following programs: