CHEMISTRY PROGRAM OVERVIEW

 

The Chemistry Program at Al-Quds Bard College for Arts and Sciences deals with classical and modern chemical theories and experimentation. Students take courses in all fields of chemistry as core requirements. The students do spend a little more time immersed into the organic chemistry field, mainly because, organic is the interlink between all different fields, from thermodynamics and kinetics of chemical reactions, to instrumental analysis of unknown compounds, a deep understanding of organic chemistry is needed. Nonetheless, students receive a diverse set of skills and knowledge in all fields. The program also encourages students to approach chemistry from an interdisciplinary point of view. Biochemistry is a core requirement for chemistry students and biology students for this particular reason. One cannot be a good biologist, chemist, or future medical doctor without understanding the underpinnings of life's driving force. At the basic level of everything chemical compounds are hard at work. Biological processes, environmental changes, and industrial innovations have a chemical fingerprint. 

The program is taught with a liberal arts approach. Student centered learning, small class size and an emphasis on reading and writing. The program also offers flexibility in minoring. Students can choose to concentrate their work in only chemistry, or minor in another science, social science or humanity. 

The main goal of any liberal arts college is produce well rounded, independently inquisitive graduates, who can compete for jobs, and in graduate programs. We strongly believe that we are not only graduating young chemists/scientists, but in fact future active and educated citizens of Palestine. The chemistry program also requires that students enroll in 8 credit hours of independent research (Senior project I and II). On the practical level this translates into a one year original research project where students are engaged with scientific literature and in performing basic research in labs across the country. The final outcome is a thesis and defense written and presented to an official board by the student. This further emphasizes the importance of reading and writing, and it puts students at cutting edge of novel scientific research.


CHEMISTRY PROGRAM MISSION

Our main mission reflects that of AQB: to graduate independent critical thinkers who can read and write critically in their area of study as well as in other areas. At the chemistry program we have a more specific mission that can ago AQBHC mission and that is we aspire to graduate well rounded, technically and scientifically proficient, inquisitive young chemists who will not only compete well in the job market, but will also compete in international graduate programs. Our mission is revitalize interest in the basic sciences by making them more relevant to other fields through an interdisciplinary approach. We aspire to graduate inquisitive, intellectual individuals who are not only excellent scientists but are also excellent writers, critical thinkers and innovators. And because writing proficiently is a key skill that any well rounded graduate must have we make it our mission to integrate writing into all of our courses to produce scientists who can write and communicate to everyone.

 

MATERIALS AND FILES