Students

Focus Areas

There are many disciplines within Chemistry and many interdisciplinary fields involving Chemistry. In general, a degree in Chemistry may open many career paths including jobs in manufacturing, teaching (school, college, university), research and development, sales and marketing, quality control and regulation, technical support, software design, environmental policy, health policy, forensics, pharmacy, and other areas. Your choice of electives tailors your chemistry program into a specific focus area that helps direct your studies toward a particular career path, but is certainly not limiting.

Listed below are recommendations for course selections designed to build strength in a specific focus area. In addition to choosing an undergraduate research experience and/or experiment selections in the third year laboratory courses, students are encouraged to use these recommendations as a preliminary guide to assist in developing a personalized list of courses that best matches their interests and career goals.

Applied Chemistry

For students interested in pursuing careers in industrial and/or commercial chemistry. Students choosing from the following courses will obtain a strong foundation in modern laboratory methods, as well as industrially-relevant chemical processes and applications.

Recommendations

CHEM 301, 302, 327, 341, 406, 410

​Potential Career Paths

Industrial chemist, polymer chemist, paints and coatings, textile chemist, agricultural chemist, electrochemist

Biological Chemistry

For students with a strong interest in applying the principles of chemistry to the molecular foundations of biology. Note that the Combined Major/Honours Chemical Biology and Combined Major/Honours Biochemistry and Chemistry programs are specially designed for this focus area. The former is more appropriate for students with a qualitative biology interest while the latter for those with a more quantitative biochemistry interest. Of course, students in the Major/Honours Chemistry program can also concentrate their electives in this focus area using the recommended courses below.

Recommendations

CHEM 313, 341, 405, 413, 435, 473
BIOL 300, 335, 337, 340, 341, 351, 352, 360, 361, 435, 436, 463
BIOC 302, 402
MICB 405

Potential Career Paths

Chemical biologist, pharmaceutical chemist, biochemist, agricultural chemist, pharmacist, biotechnology and food chemist, medical doctor

Chemical Analysis

For students wishing to pursue careers in the analytical sciences, including but not limited to quality control, environmental analysis, etc.. Students choosing from the following courses will focus on modern analytical methods and their application in chemical speciation and quantification.

Recommendations

CHEM 301, 302, 341, 401, 403, 406, 434

Potential Career Paths

Electrochemist, environmental chemist, chemical technician, spectroscopist, soil chemist, agricultural chemist, chemical analyst, chemist in mining industry, oceanographic chemist, food chemist, quality control chemist

Chemical Physics

For students with interests at the interface of chemistry and physics. The Combined Honours Chemical Physics program is strongly recommended for those students wishing to pursue graduate studies in this area since it is specially designed to provide a strong foundation for this focus area. Of course, students in the Major/Honours Chemistry program can also concentrate their electives in this focus area using the recommended courses below.​

Recommendations

CHEM 341, 401, 404, 407, 410, 420
PHYS 200, 216 (206), 209, 301, 304, 309, 401, 402, 403, 410

Potential Career Paths

Experimental physical chemist, theoretical chemist, computational chemist, with applications in materials and pharmaceutical chemistry

Chemical Synthesis

For students with a strong interest in synthetic chemistry and its use in the design and synthesis of novel molecules (including pharmaceuticals and natural products). Students anticipating further studies in synthetic chemistry at the graduate level should strongly consider pursuing an Honours degree in Chemistry.

Recommendations

CHEM 330, 327, 341, 406, 411, 418, 460, 473

Potential Career Paths

Pharmaceutical/drug chemist, organometallic chemist, materials chemist, organic chemist, polymer chemist, inorganic chemist, chemical manufacturing industry

Computational Chemistry

For students with an interest in using computers to solve problems in chemistry. The Combined Major Computer Science and Chemistry program is specially designed for students with a strong interest in computer science who wish to apply this to chemical problems. Students with a strong interest in physics or mathematics who wish to apply scientific programming to chemical problems might consider the Combined Honours Chemical Physics or Combined Honours Chemistry and Mathematics programs, augmented with computer science courses. The course selections below provide foundational knowledge underlying the computing applications used in chemistry.

Recommendations

CHEM 304, 312, 404, 420
STAT 200
CPSC 110, 302, 303, 402, 406

Potential Career Paths

Computational chemist, chemical modelling in pharmaceutical industry, chemistry software design

Environmental Chemistry

For students with an interest in the environmental sciences and the role of chemistry within this field. The Combined Major Oceanography and Chemistry program is specially designed for students with an interest in chemical oceanography. The course selections below will provide students with a broad education in the environmental sciences, as well as the fundamentals of chemistry.

Recommendations

CHEM 301, 302, 341
STAT 200
EOSC 110/GEOB 101, EOSC 112/GEOB 102, EOSC 211, 340, 472
APBI 200, ECON 371, ENVR 200, 300, GEOB 200, 400, GEOG 318, 319

Potential Career Paths

Environmental chemist, agricultural chemist, water quality chemist, soil chemist, chemical analyst in oil, gas or mining industry, oceanographic chemist, chemical technician with Environment Canada

Materials Chemistry

For students interested in the newly emerging field of materials chemistry, including functional materials and optical materials and their application to the electronics and related industries. Student seeking to pursue graduate studies in this area are strongly recommended to pursue an Honours degree.

Recommendations

CHEM 327, 341, 402, 403, 406, 410
APSC 278, MATH 215, PHYS 315, MTRL 365

Potential Career Paths

Materials design and synthesis, especially in industry (Xerox, Canon, Dow Chemical), drug delivery materials development, solar energy industry

Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy

While a Major/Honours Chemistry degree is entirely appropriate for admission to many professional schools, students may wish to consider the Combined Major/Honours Chemical Biology and Combined Major/Honours Biochemistry and Chemistry programs. These programs provide the usual benefits of a biology or biochemistry degree with the added dimension of chemistry. This not only improves foundational chemical knowledge relevant for medicine, dentistry and pharmacy but also broadens the possibilities for post-graduate careers.

Recommendations

CHEM 313, 330, 341, 405, 411, 413, 435, 460, 473

Use elective credits to complete any other appropriate prerequisites for professional program

Theoretical Chemistry

For students with a strong interest in the fundamental theories that can be used to explain and predict chemical behaviour. Note that the Combined Honours Chemical Physics and Combined Honours Chemistry and Mathematics programs are specially designed for this focus area. The former is more appropriate for students with a strong interest in physics while the latter for those with a more mathematical interest. Of course, students in the Major/Honours Chemistry program can also concentrate their electives in this focus area using the recommended courses below.

Recommendations

CHEM 341, 401, 404, 407, 416, 420
PHYS 200, 210, 216 (206), 312, 400, 410

Potential Career Paths

Computational chemist, chemical modelling in pharmaceutical industry, spectroscopist, patent lawyer


(Click here to expand all information on this page)
(Click here to restore information on this page)