Chemistry: Environmental Chemistry

Major

Why choose environmental chemistry at CMU?

For 50 years, our capstone program—the only one of its kind among Michigan's public universities—has paired students with faculty on meaningful research. You'll participate in hands-on research and work one-on-one with recognized experts. You'll also present a research poster, write a thesis and share your findings.

As an environmental chemist, your lab isn't necessarily inside four walls. The research you'll do will take you out into the world, where you'll study how human activities affect the environment. You'll analyze air, water and soil samples collected from Michigan freshwater ecosystems. And you'll learn how chemistry can restore environmental balance.

As a chemistry major, you'll begin your studies with the same core courses in science and math as every other student in our American Chemical Society-certified program. After that, your passion and interests determine your direction!

No matter what you study, our faculty are focused on your real-world success. The things you learn will have a practical use, whether you pursue an advanced degree or a career right out of college.

Environmental chemistry program highlights

As a student in our environmental chemistry program, you will:

• Participate in collaborative research: Work alongside faculty on groundbreaking research. In the past, joint projects have resulted in a method to capture and process mercury from coal-fired power plants, and developing a chemical compound that filters cancer-causing perchlorates from water.
• Use state-of-the-art facilities: Learn the latest techniques in our four-story, 60,000-square-foot Dow Science Complex. It supports NMR spectrometry, radioactive materials research, mass spectrometry and spectroscopy.
• Join a community of scientists: Join a group of fellow science lovers. Our student chapter of the American Chemical Society has been recognized for excellence for eight years in a row.