American Chemical Society Certification
Majoring in an American Chemical Society-certified degree can be a smart step for students wishing to pursue graduate study in chemistry or careers that require certification. The cross-disciplinary professional chemists at the ACS carefully evaluate a chemistry department’s program with respect to its breadth and depth, qualifications of the chemistry faculty, adequacy of the facilities, condition of instrumentation, access to current chemical literature and opportunities for a meaningful research experience.
An academic institution whose chemistry department meets the guidelines for ACS approval is placed on a nationally recognized list of approved chemistry programs.
ACS-Certified GW Degrees
Three of our chemistry degree options — the BA Option 2 and the BS Options 2 and 4 — offer ACS certification. Students in these three programs take additional chemistry laboratory and research credits and develop a broad base of scientific professional skills required by the ACS:
- Written and oral communication
- Operation of modern instruments
- Evaluation of the chemical literature
- Information management
- Problem-solving
- Teamwork and ethics
Students are required to complete one course in undergraduate research (CHEM 4195 or 4195W) during the junior or senior year. Students are advised to take the three-credit course for at least three credits over two semesters, with one credit completed in the fall and two in the spring.
