Experiential learning experiences lets students take responsibility for their education outside of the classroom and develop initiative and independence by enhancing their confidence in their own abilities.
Opportunities for original research include research for academic credit during a semester, participation in the Summer Fellows Research Program, and as a senior honors thesis project. Honors thesis topics completed by some of our Chemistry majors have included:
Summer Fellows Research Program
The Summer Fellows program at Ursinus allows you, as a sophomore or junior, to pursue an independent scholarly project under the close tutelage of a Chemistry faculty mentor, when both you and the professor have more time to devote exclusively to research.
Internships in Chemical, Pharma & Biotech
Our surrounding region is pharma country! We have alumni contacts in almost every pharmacutical and chemical company in the area. Many Chemistry majors undertake an off-campus internship during the academic year or the summer months in their junior or senior year. Three credit hours can be obtained for an internship if the student enrolls in CHEM-381 or CHEM-382 Internship. Contact Career and Professional Development Office for additional assistance. In recent years, our students have obtained internships with the following companies:
Recent internship Locations
Centocor Pfizer Dekka Battery RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. Dow Chemical Rockland Immunochemicals, Inc. DuPont Rohm and Haas
Fox Chase Chemical Diversity Center, Inc. Teva Pharmaceuticals GlaxoSmithKline USDA Great Lakes Analytical ViroPharma Merck West Pharmaceutical Services
Study Abroad
Ursinus College supports study abroad opportunities where you can be immersed in another culture and foster holistic learning in locations throughout the world. Some of our chemistry majors have recently studied abroad at the University of Sydney in Australia, the University of Glasgow in Ireland, and the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso in Chile. Students interested in study abroad as their Experiential LearningProgram should meet with their academic adviser and a study abroad adviser in the Center for International Programs to discuss your options.
Summer Research at Research Universities across the Country
The National Science Foundation supports undergraduate research projects at universities across the country. Students receive a small stipend and experience what graduate school might be like. In recent years, our students have been placed at Tennessee, NC State, CUNY Staten Island, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Colorado, Syracuse, Nevada, Northwestern, Utah, among others.
Summer Research at Ursinus (non-Fellow)
Preference is given to rising seniors who will use the experience to get a head start on an Honors project. It is usually helpful to have a semester of research beforehand.
Classical music can be heard coming from a small office in Pfahler Hall while Brock Dyer ’25 conducts research into the the applications of machine learning on molecules for his Summer Fellows research.
