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We offer both a chemistry major and a biochemistry major. You may wish to look at a list of our courses or at sample chemistry or biochemistry curricular schedules.

Both majors provide excellent preparation for graduate and professional school and employment in industry. Check this link to see where some of our majors got advanced degrees and what they are doing now.

Classroom Activities

Our classes are small and interactive. Faculty use computer images, chemical demonstrations, and chalk to get the point across during lecture. In some classes, students learn in small groups and solve problems together with the instructor's help. Some classes include discussion, led both by faculty and students. Questions to and from students are standard fare. Students are expected to read the textbook, review material, and solve problems outside of class.

Laboratory Activities

Nearly all of our courses have an accompanying laboratory that reinforces the lecture material or teaches lab skills. Faculty teach in all of these laboratories along with teaching assistants, in some cases. New laboratory experiments using new equipment have been developed with the help of grants to the department.

We encourage all students to gain some experience in research while at Oberlin. Faculty-student collaborations occur in the summer and academic year, and may begin as early as the first year, particularly in conjunction with Winter Term. Honors research during the senior year involves a formal written thesis, a written exam, and several public presentations of the year-long research effort.