Majors and Minors

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is home to several majors and minors, including majors in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemistry-Business, and minors in Chemistry and Chemical Physics. Our majors can also earn Education or Pre-Law certificates, complete coursework to prepare for graduate, medical and other professional schools, and enhance their experience through the Standish Honors Program, Study Abroad, Community Engaged Research and much more. Every Siena Chemistry and Biochemistry major is supported by a faculty academic advisor to help navigate all the options available at Siena (Academic Advising Guide).

Departmental Learning Goals

Biochemistry:

  1. Broad and focused content knowledge
    • demonstrate comprehension of course material in the basic areas of biochemistry disciplines (analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry; cell biology, genetics, molecular, and biology)
    • demonstrate comprehension of focused knowledge in biochemistry concerning the roles (pathways), structure, and function of biological macromolecules.
  2. Safety knowledge and practice
    • identify and follow the proper procedures and regulations for safe handling and use of chemicals and biological materials.
  3. Laboratory skills and competency
    • demonstrate the ability to perform hands-on skills, techniques, and data analysis relevant to a chemical and/or biochemical laboratory.
    • demonstrate an understanding of the theory behind and effectively use standard laboratory equipment and instrumentation to carry out experiments.
    • demonstrate an understanding of experimental design including the identification of an objective, experimental plan, and execution of this plan.
  4. Communication skills
    • clearly communicate chemical and/or biological concepts to laypersons, peers, and those more knowledgeable in the field.
    • convey the result(s) of laboratory experiments and research with clarity and coherence through effective writing and oral communication skills. 

Chemistry:

  1. Broad and focused content knowledge
    • master a broad set of chemical knowledge concerning the fundamentals in the basic areas of the discipline (analytical, biochemistry, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry)
    • solve problems competently by identifying the essential parts of a problem and formulating a strategy for solving the problem.
    • rationally estimate the solution to a problem, apply appropriate techniques to arrive at a solution, test the correctness of the solution, and interpret the results. 
  2. Safety
    • know and follow the proper procedures and regulations for safe handling and use of chemicals.
  3. Data analysis and modeling
    • perform data analysis of both collected and provided data sets and demonstrate an understanding of modern methods of analysis using tools such as excel and python (e.g. pands, NumPy, statsmodels, and SciPy).
    • understand the theory behind and effectively use standard laboratory equipment, instrumentation, and classical techniques to carry out experiments.
  4. Laboratory skills and competency
    • understand the objective of experiments, properly carry out the experiments, and appropriately record/analyze the results.
    • employ library search tools to locate and retrieve scientific information about a chemical topic.
  5. Communication skills
    • communicate chemical concepts as well as the results of laboratory experiments and research with clarity and coherence through effective writing and oral communication skills.