Chemistry Major

Study the fundamental properties and principles of chemical systems and get hands-on experience with modern instrumentation and software in courses and research.

As a chemistry major or minor, you will learn how to explore and explain chemical phenomena in the context of the world around us.

To foster your creativity and critical thinking skills, you will have the opportunity to work on independent research projects guided by faculty mentors. The Department supports students who wish to study abroad.

You may opt for a pre-professional chemistry curriculum that is certified by the American Chemical Society. A chemical engineering track is also available.

Pomona’s 400 MHz NMR spectrometer
Pomona’s 400 MHz NMR spectrometer
Liu Chem Class
In class with Professor Jane Liu

What You’ll Study

    • Fundamental processes of the chemical world.
    • Foundational classes in analytical, biological, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry.
    • Elective courses in atmospheric, bio-inorganic, bio-organic, environmental, materials, and medicinal chemistry, in addition to chemical biology, NMR spectroscopy, and nanotechnology.
90%
of chemistry majors do a Summer Undergraduate Research Project.

Researching at Pomona

Zachary Wakefield ’23

Type 2 Diabetes: Medical Diagnosis & Public Health Implications

Zachary Wakefield ’23 compared different testing methods for type 2 diabetes and developed a statistical methods section for a study of breath VOCs that are associated with diabetes status.

Phillip Kong ’24

Palladium-catalyzed Cross-coupling Reactions in the Pharmaceutical Industry

This summer, Phillip Kong ’24 conducted a literature review of recent advances in the application of Suzuki-Miyaura and Buchwald-Hartwig Couplings to the pharmaceutical industry with funding from the RAISE program.

Nicholas Oo ’21

These two years as a chemistry major have been awesome. I have felt inspired by my peers and professors alike, and most importantly feel supported in this quest for higher knowledge. There is one recent perk though, that has really felt like the cherry on top - an official lab coat with my name, no joke, embroidered on it.

Faculty & Teaching

Students have the opportunity to work with our chemistry faculty on research, co-author journal articles and present their work at major scientific conferences. Our professors have expertise in analytical chemistry, atmospheric chemistry, bio-organic chemistry, environmental chemistry, medicinal chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, nanomaterials, spectroscopy, chemical biology and statistical mechanics. 

Professor Roberto Garza-Lòpez

Chemistry is an amazing field of study that touches almost every aspect of our life in some way. The research our students conduct with faculty in our department, which often yields publications in major journals, prepares them for graduate school, industry and medicine, and is the reason that many of them have been awarded prestigious scholarships or fellowships like the Goldwater, Fulbright, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health, Churchill, Rhodes, and Gates-Cambridge.