Mission and Vision

The Department of Chemistry at Middle Tennessee State University is the preferred destination of students in Tennessee for baccalaureate degrees in Chemistry and Biochemistry.  We strive to improve upon our strong regional reputation for excellence in undergraduate chemistry and to continue to develop quality-focused graduate programs.  We accomplish this in a community of scholarship that values research and teaching.

Degree Offerings

The Department of Chemistry offers students the opportunity to earn the following degrees;

• Bachelor of Science in Chemistry (including an American Chemical Society accredited option)
• Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry
• Master of Science
• Chemistry Minor
  

Many students enrolling in pre-professional programs pursue degrees in chemistry or biochemistry.  Additionally, department faculty participate in three interdisciplinary Ph.D. programs; Molecular Biosciences, Computational Science, and Mathematics and Science Education. 

Why Study Chemistry or Biochemistry at MTSU?

Chemistry is central to many scientific fields of study as well as nearly all areas of medicine!  See our Careers in Chemistry page for an exhaustive list of the careers available to someone with a degree in chemistry or biochemistry.  Those interested in medicine, pharmacy, or dentistry will benefit from the fundamental understanding of biochemical processes that is so important in medical fields.

All students are provided a strong background in the traditional areas of chemistry: analytical, biochemistry, organic, inorganic, and physical, as well as opportunities to take great courses in computational, materials/polymer, medicinal, and environmental chemistry. Students are prepared for careers in government labs, industry, teaching, graduate study, and health professions.

An innovative $147-million science building comprising more than 250,000 square feet for teaching, research, and collaborative learning, gives our students the opportunity to study in a state-of-the-art facility. We invite you to schedule a tour and take a closer look.

Explore the Chemistry or Biochemistry program pages to learn more about courses and degree requirements.

We welcome the opportunity to share information about our department. Contact us with your comments and questions about our program.

Core Values

Student Centered—Students are why we are here and our decisions are made with their best interest in mind. We strive to be welcoming and accommodating to students from very diverse backgrounds and with widely varying career goals.

Learning—We are a community of learners, seeking better ways to do our jobs, open to new ideas, finding new solutions to problems, whether in the laboratory or the classroom, as teachers, researchers, and students.

Community—We seek to be a supportive community of researchers, teachers and students working collaboratively to solve problems and accepting the uniqueness of individuals as a way to enrich our understanding. Our community is not limited by our university connections but extends beyond campus to enrich the larger community of which we are a part.

Integrity—None of this is possible without a commitment to honesty and fairness in all of our dealings with colleagues, with students and with data. Communication of results or between people will be done in an atmosphere of integrity.

Innovation—We live in a dynamic society that without innovation excellence cannot be maintained. We strive to be creative and deliberate in our efforts to continually improve teaching, research, scholarship and service both for effective education and for the development of useful products and processes that add value to the community.