Chemistry

Welcome to the Chemistry webpage. On this page you'll find the mission of the department, departmental student learning goals, a curricular map and assessment schedule, and progress made from the most recent Program Review Action Plan (2016-2017). If you have questions about the assessment findings or questions about the department, please contact Nicholas Jones, Chemistry Department Chair, at [email protected].

MISSION

The Chemistry Department at the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University strives to provide an excellent education in chemistry within a liberal arts tradition for a variety of learners. We design our program to help students understand that chemistry is a way of thinking about how matter is constructed, organized, and functions. In accord with the Benedictine tradition of these two institutions, we build this chemical foundation in a context that helps students become scientifically responsible citizens, with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that will allow them to be successful in scientific or non-scientific professions. We accomplish this by providing students with a variety of learning opportunities such as formal courses with integrated laboratories, hands-on experiences with modern instrumentation and computers, research projects and seminar programs. We carry out this mission in an atmosphere of support and encouragement for both students and staff.

STUDENT LEARNING GOALS

Through a variety of learning opportunities, our students will develop:

1. A knowledge-base necessary to understand chemistry as a varied and central dimension of contemporary life
2. The technical and intellectual skills necessary to facilitate creative problem solving, and
3. The attitudes and values that foster a continuing discourse about science and its role in multicultural societies.