Chemistry
Why Study Chemistry?
Caltech's Bachelor of Science (BS) in Chemistry degree program empowers you to understand and reshape our world at the molecular level. Here, you can tackle fundamental scientific questions and develop solutions for global challenges in medicine, sustainability, technology, and more—backed by robust research opportunities. Whether you dream of pharmaceutical breakthroughs or how new materials can help clean energy efforts, chemistry at Caltech provides the foundation for transformative, interdisciplinary scientific research.
Why Chemistry at Caltech?
Our chemistry major option emphasizes freedom and flexibility across the natural sciences. Start research as early as your first year, working alongside pioneering faculty in state-of-the-art laboratories. Like many students who combine their chemistry degree with other options, you can create combinations that equip you with the advanced knowledge you desire and align with your future career.
Caltech's small class sizes and collaborative culture mean you'll work closely with faculty who are defining the future of chemistry across areas from catalysis to nanomaterials. Through Caltech's distinctive first-year core curriculum, you'll also build shared connections with peers and professors across science and engineering.
What You'll Learn
The chemistry program builds deep expertise in fundamental concepts while giving you remarkable freedom to explore. Core areas you'll study include organic and inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, materials chemistry, as well as foundational physics, biology, and environmental science. In addition, you'll develop advanced laboratory techniques, computational methods, and research skills through hands-on research and an optional but encouraged senior thesis.
Courses include graduate-level classes you couldn't take anywhere else as an undergraduate, such as x-ray crystallography, polymer chemistry, nuclear chemistry, cosmochemistry, and organic synthesis. We also offer a chemistry minor. Whether your interests lie in areas ranging from biology to bioengineering to computational neuroscience, a chemistry minor provides a strong foundation in molecular sciences for different fields.
View the Caltech catalog for chemistry major and minor requirements and curriculum information.
Who You'll Learn From
All Caltech students, including chemistry majors and double majors, work directly with pioneers in molecular sciences, from synthesizing new therapeutic compounds to developing sustainable energy technologies. Our 30+ chemistry professors, along with others across the Institute, integrate cutting-edge research into small classes, providing undergraduates with valuable research opportunities. Chemistry majors collaborate with scientists and engineers at both Caltech and other prestigious institutions through the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), enhancing their laboratory experiences.
With small classes, there is more flexibility in joining a [faculty research] lab team. For example, if you take a niche graduate-level class you find interesting, you can expand your interest further by reaching out and joining the professor's lab.
Career Possibilities
Graduates of our bachelor's degree program in chemistry go on to shape the future of science and technology. In diverse careers, research experience and theoretical expertise in creating realistic experiments and chemical processes help graduates solve problems in environmental waste and other industries. Students excel as:
- Academic researchers and professors
- Sustainability engineers
- Scientific writers or editors
- Environmental, atmospheric, and geochemical scientists
- Pharmaceutical and medical scientists
- Founders of engineering-related startups
- Policy advisors in science and technology
- Sustainability and biotechnology consultants
Many pursue advanced degrees at top institutions in fields such as:
- Medicine and biomedical engineering
- Chemical engineering and process development
- Materials science and nanotechnology
- Environmental science and energy
- Scientific policy
- Patent law
Curriculum Components and Prerequisites
Students in Caltech's chemistry bachelor's degree program choose from a flexible selection of high-level chemistry courses after completing core requirements. Entering the chemistry major at the end of your first-year core curriculum requires no prior coursework. Degree components include:
- Introductory chemistry courses
- Flexible advanced course of study
- Track available in biochemistry
- Senior research thesis strongly encouraged
Pursue a Bachelor's in Chemistry at Caltech
As a chemistry major at Caltech, you define your own horizons. Research multiple natural sciences disciplines, integrate advanced technology and engineering principles, and prepare for a career of impact in science and technology.