Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry, Environmental Concentration

at Roger Williams University - Bristol Campus USA

The Elementary Education program at RWU prepares teachers to educate the next generation of students. Here, you'll explore a broad spectrum of classroom subjects and school settings, both urban and suburban, through four years of field experiences integrated into your curriculum.With small class sizes, individual attention from faculty and specialized training in educating high-needs youth, our program provides you with the skills to become a certified elementary school teacher. The scope and sequence of our program is designed to match current theories and practice in Elementary Education and is deeply rooted with our mission in social justice. This means the professional teacher education you receive at RWU is on the cutting edge of current educational research and practice.

As a Biochemistry major, you’ll delve into the science at the intersection of biology and chemistry: the biological applications of chemistry and the chemical processes necessary for biological life to exist. Through RWU’s rigorous coursework in subjects such as bioinformation, neurobiology and biotechnology combined with research and internships, you’ll be well prepared for graduate study and your future career.

Chemistry is the study of matter – what it’s made of and how it behaves, down to the molecular level. Chemists use math, theory, and experimentation to create chemical compounds and invent applications for their use in our lives. Chemistry Majors develop the laboratory, critical thinking, and research skills to succeed in graduate school, medical school, or a career in chemistry.

STUDENT EXPERIENCE
With a focus on experiential learning at RWU, Chemistry majors:

• Work on original research or in collaboration with faculty who are experts in their fields. Our undergraduate Chemistry majors conduct graduate-level laboratory research and receive credit for their research experience.
• Use sophisticated lab instrumentation and run experiments on their own, including working with instruments such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP), Gas ChromatographyMass Spectrometry (GC-MS), and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).
• Present research at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society, National Aeronautics and Space Administration R.I. Space Grant, National Science Foundation C-AIM, and many local symposiums. These conferences help students understand how their work contributes to society and provide opportunity for networking, often leading to a job offer or invitation to apply to a graduate program.

Engineering at RWU is unique in its structure: a broad, liberal arts-infused foundation of math, science and engineering layered with an in-depth specialization in civil, computer, electrical or mechanical engineering or a customized study. Through this accredited program, you’ll develop the creativity and flexibility to solve practical problems that benefit humanity in our complex and rapidly changing world.

The Computer Engineering Specialization is only for students majoring in Engineering, B.S. Students specializing in Computer Engineering must complete all of the requirements for the Engineering, B.S. degree.

Biology majors investigate the interconnected processes that shape the living world. Since the life sciences are increasingly interdisciplinary, Biology majors choose a wide range of courses in cell and molecular biology; microbiology and virology; anatomy and physiology; neurobiology and developmental biology; and animal behavior and ecology.

As one of the oldest programs of its kind in America, Historic Preservation at RWU couples multidisciplinary coursework in subjects like history, architecture, law and economics with rigorous field-based professional workshops and internships. Because preservation is as much about people and place as it is about history, you’ll study historic buildings, landscapes and communities both here in New England and abroad in Florence, Italy.

A degree in Public Relations gives you the strategic communication skills to create, promote and maintain the reputation of brands, people and organizations. You’ll build your portfolio with real clients, network with professionals through RWU’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and complete an internship to gain real-world experience in corporate, nonprofit and agency public relations.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Design and perform research to aid in addressing an organization’s communication need.
• Demonstrate ability to identify communication problems and issues/opportunities and implement strategic plans to manage
• Evaluate situations and determine appropriate professional ethical principles, communication law and work ethics.
• Apply various communication theories and communication models used in PR efforts.
• Understand business literacy and the role of PR to meet business goals and advocate for the expansion of the discipline in business ventures.

Use your creativity, imagination and interest in computers to solve real-world problems and investigate the subjects that interest you most through modeling and simulation. This program prepares you to participate actively in a variety of employment or research endeavors in medicine, transportation, and other industries, the public sector or academia.

Applied mathematical models running on computers are used to simulate a wide range of physical, chemical, and biological conditions, including weather forecasting, climate change, biological populations, epidemiology, ecosystem processes, and pollution. In this program, you will learn to design and implement models to simulate various situations and gain in-demand skills that are applicable to a wide range of fields both in and outside of STEM.

This interdisciplinary program connects concepts and applications of modeling and simulation with various focused disciplines, such as Environmental Science, Biology, and Economics. Graduates of the major are expected to be highly sought by employers and graduate programs.

Graduates of the program will go on to careers in technical fields, including programming, applied mathematics, modeling, environmental regulation or consulting, mathematical biology, or mathematical economics, or move into graduate study either in computational science or other disciplines such as biology, environmental science, economics, and more.

Biology majors investigate the interconnected processes that shape the living world. Since the life sciences are increasingly interdisciplinary, Biology majors choose a wide range of courses in cell and molecular biology; microbiology and virology; anatomy and physiology; neurobiology and developmental biology; and animal behavior and ecology.

Housed in RWU’s Marine and Natural Sciences Building, the interdisciplinary Environmental Science program integrates biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics into an understanding of the natural world. Through research and an array of electives in fields like earth sciences, resource management and law, you’ll discover how humans affect nature and learn how to protect the environment in your career as a scientist, policymaker or educator.

Research Opportunities

The Environmental Science major at Roger Williams is an interdisciplinary program designed to provide students with an understanding of environmental processes and issues and an awareness of our role as humans within the environment. Undergraduate research is integrated into the Environmental Science curriculum, with opportunities for students to earn academic credit for doing research, to develop proposals and compete for small grants to fund their projects, and to present their findings at regional, national and international conferences.