All students follow the same sequence of chemistry courses, i.e. a year each of general chemistry, organic chemistry, and analytical chemistry. These courses provide key skills necessary for employment as a chemical technician. Students planning to obtain a two year degree can select a program which requires two semesters of technical mathematics, and offers a variety of electives in the second year. For example, students may choose to broaden their science education with one or two semesters of biology, or may take a materials science course. Hudson Valley Community College also offers a wide variety of social science and humanities electives.
Many courses are transferable to four year institutions.
Those individuals planning to obtain an advanced degree, who also want the employability provided by the Chemical Technology degree, should take a transferable mathematics sequence beginning ideally with calculus. These students should take a higher level of physics. With the appropriate selection of electives, nearly all courses in the program will be transferable. The greater Capital District has many employers in the chemical field. Chemical industries in the area include BASF, two General Electric production facilities, Schenectady International, and Nycomed.