The standards consist of information content, laboratory experience, and coursework guidelines. The standards also include a review of the faculty numbers, average teaching load, and research. Course and laboratory content is recommended by the American Chemical Society's Councils on Professional Training. These Councils are comprised of chemistry education experts from around the country, and each addresses specific areas of chemistry and biochemistry. The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry's Curriculum Committee periodically assesses the course work and laboratory content for the degrees to assure compliance with the American Chemical Society certification requirements.
All students receiving a degree in chemistry take standard examinations.
These examinations are distributed by the American Chemical Society. Performance on these examinations does not influence student grades or graduation status. Examinations are given in several of the major areas of chemistry and biochemistry. The results serve as a means for chemistry and biochemistry faculty to assess degree program quality and to compare student performance to national-level performance scores. Results of the examination are reported to the faculty.