Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Carnegie Mellon University

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry provides a strong foundation in chemical principles while offering substantially more elective flexibility than the B.S., making it particularly suitable for students who want to combine chemistry with another major, minor, or broader interests such as health, business, humanities, or the arts. Students study core areas including modern, organic, analytical, and inorganic chemistry while also developing practical laboratory skills and interdisciplinary knowledge across mathematics, physics, biology, computing, and the humanities.

Curriculum Structure

First Year: Students establish their chemistry and scientific foundation through 09-105 Introduction to Modern Chemistry I or 09-107 Honors Chemistry: Fundamentals, Concepts and Applications, alongside 21-120 Differential and Integral Calculus and 33-121 Physics I for Science Students. Students can also begin practical exploration through options such as 09-115 Introduction to Undergraduate Research in Chemistry or 09-101 Introduction to Experimental Chemistry, while completing Carnegie Mellon’s broader first-year requirements.

Second Year: Students progress into more specialized chemistry with 09-219 Modern Organic Chemistry, 09-220 Modern Organic Chemistry II, and 09-331 Modern Analytical Instrumentation, developing their understanding of molecular structure, chemical reactions, and analytical techniques. The flexible B.A. structure also provides substantial space for free electives and supporting studies in areas such as biology, computer science, mathematics, physics, humanities, or social sciences.

Third Year: Students deepen their laboratory and chemical knowledge through 09-221 Laboratory I: Introduction to Chemical Analysis, 09-222 Laboratory II: Organic Synthesis and Analysis, and 09-348 Inorganic Chemistry. Chemistry electives can then be directed toward interests such as 09-510 Chemistry and Sustainability, 09-563 Molecular Modeling and Computational Chemistry, 09-507 Nanoparticles, or 03-231/03-232 Biochemistry I, depending on the student's academic pathway.

Fourth Year: The senior year emphasizes personalization, with 09-401 Undergraduate Seminar V, 09-402 Undergraduate Seminar VI, and additional chemistry electives alongside a large allocation of free electives. Students can use this flexibility to conduct independent research, complete another major or minor, prepare for professional programs, or build an interdisciplinary pathway aligned with their career plans.

Focus Areas

Sustainability and Environmental Chemistry, Biological and Health Applications, Computational Chemistry and Modeling, Materials and Nanoscience, with additional interdisciplinary study available through the B.A.'s extensive free-elective structure.

Learning Outcomes

Quantitative and computational reasoning, chemical theory and molecular modeling, interdisciplinary problem-solving, experimental skills, chemical analysis, laboratory practice, data interpretation, scientific communication, ethical scientific practice, integration of chemistry with biology, environmental science, materials science, nanotechnology and engineering.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

Not specifically stated on Carnegie Mellon’s official B.A. in Chemistry program page as an ACS-accredited or ACS-certified degree. The university does, however, state that the curriculum develops practical, professional, and ethical aspects of chemistry alongside experimental and analytical skills.

Reputation (Employability Rankings)

QS World University Rankings 2027: Carnegie Mellon University — #55 globally; this is a university-level ranking and is not a ranking specifically for the B.A. in Chemistry.

Official graduate outcomes: 83% employed or in graduate school six months after graduation for Carnegie Mellon Chemistry graduates in the classes of 2023–2025, with an average salary of $75,845; the university also lists recent employers including National Institutes of Health, PPG, Boston Children's Hospital, and Emerald Cloud Lab.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon combines a strong chemistry foundation with substantial practical laboratory work, including Laboratory I: Introduction to Chemical Analysis, Laboratory II: Organic Synthesis and Analysis, and Laboratory III: Molecular Design and Synthesis or Bioorganic Chemistry Laboratory. Students can also enter research from their first year through structured research courses and work with faculty mentors in active chemistry research groups, gaining experience with modern analytical and synthetic techniques.

Students can build practical and research experience through:

09-101 Introduction to Experimental Chemistry: Provides hands-on training in quantitative analysis instrumentation, chromatography, kinetics, thermochemistry, acid–base chemistry, transition-metal chemistry, synthesis, measurement, and analytical techniques in CMU's undergraduate teaching laboratories.
09-221 Laboratory I: Introduction to Chemical Analysis: Students develop practical skills in chemical analysis and laboratory experimentation as part of the B.A. chemistry curriculum.
09-222 Laboratory II: Organic Synthesis and Analysis: Students gain direct experience with organic synthesis and chemical analysis, progressing from foundational laboratory work toward more advanced experimentation.
09-321 Laboratory III: Molecular Design and Synthesis: Provides advanced practical experience in molecular design and synthesis; students may alternatively take 09-323 Bioorganic Chemistry Laboratory.
09-322 Laboratory IV: Molecular Spectroscopy and Dynamics: Students following the appropriate prerequisites can substitute this laboratory for Laboratory III, gaining experience focused on molecular spectroscopy and dynamics.
09-115 Introduction to Undergraduate Research in Chemistry: First-year students can begin exploring active research groups while receiving laboratory safety and hazardous-waste training, creating an early entry point into research.
09-116 Undergraduate Research Shadowing in Chemistry: Students can spend a semester with a CMU chemistry research group, observing research practices and exploring potential research areas before taking on deeper projects.
09-445 Undergraduate Research: Students can undertake faculty-mentored research for 3–18 units during the fall, spring, or summer and complete a formal research paper documenting their work.
Research facilities and instrumentation: Chemistry students can work within an environment containing advanced facilities such as the Center for Molecular Analysis, NMR Facility, and shared departmental instrumentation, including mass spectrometers, LC/MS, photon spectrometers, NMR systems, EPR spectroscopy, DNA/RNA synthesis equipment, photoreactors, atomic force microscopy, and SAXS.
Digital and automated chemistry: CMU Chemistry is developing computer-controlled instrumentation, automated experiments, computation, robotics, machine learning, and AI-enabled chemical discovery, giving students exposure to emerging approaches connecting experimental chemistry with computation.
Research centers: Students can connect their chemistry studies with specialized research environments including the Center for Nucleic Acids Science and Technology (CNAST), Molecular Biosensor and Imaging Center (MBIC), Center for Macromolecular Engineering, and Institute for Green Science.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry combines a strong chemistry foundation with flexible electives, making it particularly suitable for students who want to combine chemistry with another discipline or prepare for professional fields such as dentistry or pharmacy. Carnegie Mellon Chemistry reports that graduates progress into medical, dental and veterinary schools, Ph.D. and master’s programs, and industry roles in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, energy, materials, environmental science and consulting.

Typical career roles: Chemist, Pharmaceutical Researcher, Biotechnology Researcher, Materials Scientist.

Career development and graduate progression are supported through:

Career & Professional Development Center (CPDC): Students receive support for career exploration, professional development, experiential learning and employment assistance, with access to first-destination and internship outcome information covering employers, job titles, industries, salaries and locations.
Chemistry advising and mentoring: The Chemistry department provides a dedicated academic advisor and research mentor, with advising covering course planning, degree progress, long-term goals and guidance for graduate or professional-school applications.
Research-to-career preparation: More than 90% of CMU Chemistry majors participate in research, gaining experience through active research projects, publications and presentations that can support applications for graduate school and research-oriented employment.
Employment and salary figures: For CMU Chemistry graduates from the Classes of 2023–2025, the university reports 83% employed or in graduate school six months after graduation and an average salary of $75,845. These figures are reported for the Chemistry program and are not a general CMU university-wide statistic.
Recent employers: Chemistry graduates have joined organizations including the National Institutes of Health, PPG, Boston Children's Hospital and Emerald Cloud Lab, demonstrating pathways across government research, materials, healthcare research and technology-enabled laboratory work.
University–industry connections: CMU Chemistry's interdisciplinary research environment connects students with fields including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, energy, materials, environmental science and consulting, while research opportunities allow students to work on projects with active faculty research groups.
Long-term accreditation value: The official CMU Chemistry pages reviewed for this program do not state that the B.A. in Chemistry itself carries ACS certification/accreditation. Therefore, no additional professional-accreditation claim is made here.
Graduation outcomes: CMU reports that 91% of the university's 2025 graduates were employed or continuing education within six months, with a $116,882 average starting salary across the 2025 graduating class; these university-wide figures should not be interpreted as Chemistry-specific outcomes.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the B.A. in Chemistry, students can progress to master's or Ph.D. programs in chemistry and related scientific disciplines, or pursue professional education such as medical, dental or veterinary school. CMU Chemistry also offers an Honors B.S./M.S. Program in Chemistry, while the department's undergraduate pathways support preparation for advanced study in areas connected to chemistry, biotechnology, materials, health and other interdisciplinary sciences.