Overview | Honours | Summary of Courses

Offered By:	ANU Joint Colleges of Science
Academic Contact:	A/Professor Geoff Salem
Areas of Interest:	Chemistry

Description:

A basic understanding of chemistry is critically important for anyone planning a career in science, medicine or engineering. Chemistry impacts on all of our lives from the safe handling of common household chemicals to understanding the chemical effects of compounds on our health from dietary intake including foodstuffs and medicines, the air we breathe, the fuels we burn, the chemicals we manufacture and use, and their environmental consequences.

The minor in Chemistry will provide students with a basic understanding of chemical knowledge that is essential for anyone contemplating undertaking a career in the biological sciences, medicine, physical sciences or engineering. The highly transferable lab-based skills in the manipulation of glassware, the safe handling and use of chemicals, the application of techniques and instrumentation, and experimental process will stand students in excellent stead in a variety of disciplinary contexts.

Learning Goals:

On completion of a minor in Chemistry students will be able to:

1. Apply their understanding of the structure, bonding, properties, characterisation and reactivity of molecular and macromolecular compounds and solid state materials to a range of contexts.
2. Use chemical concepts and ideas to solve problems of a chemical nature.
3. Use laboratory based skills in both qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis.
4. Prepare, isolate, purify and characterise chemical compounds.
5. Undertake appropriate chemical risk assessments and handle and use chemicals in a safe manner including the correct disposal of chemical wastes.
6. Use basic software and instrumentation for the acquisition, processing and analysis of chemical data
7. Access and use relevant chemical literature to present arguments based on sound chemical reasoning.
8. Communicate chemically relevant material to expert and non expert audiences.
9. Recognise the interdisciplinary nature of chemistry and of its underlying significance in other areas of science, engineering and medicine.
10. Perceive some of the ethical and social dimensions of practising chemistry.

Requirements

This minor requires the completion of 24 units, which must include:

A total of 12 units from the following compulsory courses:

CHEM1101  Chemistry 1

CHEM1201  Chemistry 2

A total of 12 units of 2000 level CHEM courses

Advice to Students:

What 1st year courses should you enrol in?  CHEM1101 and CHEM1201. If you plan to do CHEM2208 Protein Engineering & Analysis, you will need to complete BIOL1003.

Students should seek further course advice from the academic convener of this Chemistry minor.

The information published on the Study at ANU 2012 website applies to the 2012 academic year only. All information provided on this website replaces the information contained in the Study at ANU 2011 website.