Department of Chemistry

Zerihun Assefa, Chairperson

Objectives

The objectives of the Department of Chemistry are as follows:

to prepare chemistry majors for graduate study in chemistry or other chemistry-based sciences;
to prepare majors for admittance to medical, pharmacy, dental, and other health related professional schools;
to prepare majors for careers as professional chemists in manufacturing and service industries
to prepare majors to teach chemistry at the secondary school level;
to provide majors in other departments with a functional understanding of chemistry commensurate with the needs of their chosen fields;
to provide all students served by the department with an insight into the nature of scientific investigations and the scientific enterprise in general;
to offer for graduate students learning experiences and research leading to a M.S. Degree in chemistry;
to offer learning experiences and research leading to a M.S. Degree in education with a concentration in chemistry;
to share the resources (human and physical) of the department with the local and academic community through cooperative programs, workshops, seminars, course offerings, etc.;
to contribute to the extension of basic knowledge in chemistry and related sciences through applied and basic research, educational experimentation, publications, etc.; and
to offer for graduate students learning experiences and research leading to a PhD. Degree in the Applied Chemistry concentration in the AST program.

Degrees Offered

Chemistry - Bachelor of Science
Chemistry (Secondary Education) - Bachelor of Science

General Admission Requirements

For Fall 2019, the admission of students to the undergraduate degree program in the Department of Chemistry are based upon the general admission requirements of the University. For students entering Fall 2016 and thereafter, to be admitted into the undergraduate degree programs of the Department of Chemistry incoming freshmen must meet all of the following requirements:

English: Four course units emphasizing grammar, composition, and literature
Foreign Language: Two course units in the same language
Mathematics: Four course units including Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, and a higher level mathematics course for which Algebra II is a prerequisite
Science: Three course units including at least one unit in a biological or life science, one unit in a physical science, and one unit in Chemistry. One unit should have a laboratory component.
A minimum SAT (math plus reading comprehension) combined score of 850 or an ACT composite score of 17
A minimum high school grade point average of 2.8 (unweighted)
Transfer students from other colleges and universities and from other disciplines at A&T must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher in all college work.

General Program Requirements

Chemistry Major - The professional major in chemistry must complete 120 semester hours of University courses. The student may select one of two options in order to complete the professional major. The options are the American Chemical Society (ACS) Certified Program or the Biochemistry and Biomedical Science Program. The ACS program requires the student to complete 57 semester hours in basic chemistry courses and nine to twelve hours in advanced chemistry courses of which three hours must be the capstone course CHEM 497. The Biochemistry and Biomedical Science Program requires the student to complete 52 semester hours in basic chemistry courses, nine to twelve hours in advanced chemistry courses and 8 semester hours of biology courses. A minimum grade of “C” must be achieved in all chemistry courses. The capstone course must be CHEM 497 .

Chemistry Education - The education major must complete 120 semester hours of University courses to complete the Secondary Education with a Concentration in Chemistry degree. Students must pass PRAXIS I. A minimum grade of “C” must be achieved in all basic chemistry courses. The Secondary Education Program is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and approved by the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction.

Accreditation

The professional curriculum (ACS Certified Program) is approved by the American Chemical Society. All Teacher Education Programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and approved by the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction.

Career Opportunities

B.S. level graduates in chemistry qualify for employment in many fields. There are career opportunities for chemists in industry education, and government.The B.S. degree program prepares students to pursue graduate study in chemistry or other chemistry-based sciences (biochemistry, pharmacology, physiology, chemical physics, material science, etc.). Graduates also pursue their carreers in medicine, dentistry, and other health realated professions.

In industry, the chemistry graduate with a B.S. degree may be employed in manufacturing-plant management, research and quality control, product development, technical sales, marketing, etc. B.S. level chemists work in research at federal, state, municipal, and university laboratories.

Directory of Faculty

Zerihun Assefa; Professor and Chairperson
B.S., Addis Ababa University; Ph.D., University of Maine

Bishnu Bastakoti; Assistant Professor
B.S., M.S., Tribhuvan University, Nepal; Ph.D., Saga University

Mufeed Basti; Professor
B.S., Baath University; Ph.D., Northern Illinois University

Ming Dong; Assistant Professor
B.S., M.S., Hebei University of Technology; Ph.D., University of Delaware

Jahangir Emrani; Teaching Associate Professor
B.S., Teacher’s University, Tehran; M.S., Shiraz University, Shiraz; Ph.D., Indiana University

Robert Ferguson; Associate Professor
B.A. Biology, San Jose State University; M.S., Ph.D., Purdue University

Marion Franks; Associate Professor and Associate Chairperson
B.S., Clark-Atlanta University; Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Etta C. Gravely; Associate Professor
B.S., Howard University; M.S., North Carolina A&T State University; Ed.D., University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Peng He; Assistant Professor
B.S., Shanghai Jiao Tong University; M.S., University of Southern Mississippi; Ph.D., North Carolina State University

Margaret Kanipes-Spinks; Professor
B.S., North Carolina A&T State University; Ph.D., Carnegie-Mellon University

Debasish Kuila; Professor
B.S., University of Calcutta; M.S., Indian Institute of Technology, Madras; M. Phil.; Ph.D., The City University of New York

Tanya Malloy; Teaching Assistant Professor
B.S., North Carolina A&T State University; Ph.D., Wake Forest University

Aleksandrs Prokofjevs; Assistant Professor
B.S., University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia; Ph.D, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Ginger P. Redd; Teaching Associate Professor
B. S., Alcorn University; Ph.D., University of Mississippi

Divi Venteskateswarlu; Associate Professor
B.S., Sri University; M.S., Kakatiya University; M.S., University of Hyderabad; Ph.D., North Eastern Hill University