Research chemists conduct basic or applied research involving materials and polymer materials chemistry, as well as environmental, analytical , physical, and organic chemistry. The following FRINQ, SINQ, Upper-division Cluster, and Senior Capstones are recommended for students in the Chemistry Research career pathway.
Career examples
- laboratory or field technician or manager
- biochemist
- medicinal chemist in the pharmaceutical industry
- computational chemist
- conservation chemist
- ecological consultant
- food scientist
- forensic scientist
- quality control or safety specialist
- scientific product developer or salesperson
- entrepreneur
- academic research professor
Graduate degrees (e.g., research-thesis based MS or PhD) may be required at specific job entry levels. Chemistry undergraduate research experience also prepares you for careers or advanced study in science communication and policy, business, law (e.g., environmental, intellectual property), and many other graduate and professional degree programs. These programs are competitive; grades, GRE or LSAT scores, and experience beyond the classroom are important.
Freshman Inquiry Courses (FRINQ)
You are required* to take one year-long Freshman Inquiry (FRINQ) course (totaling 15 credits), which must be taken in sequence. Ideally, this course should be completed during fall, winter, and spring of your first year.
*All students entering as freshmen are required to take FRINQ, with the exception of those in the Honors Program or Liberal Studies. Transfer students are required to take FRINQ depending on the number of transfer credits they have the term they are admitted to Portland State University. If you transfer with 90+ credits, the FRINQ requirement is waived.
Sophomore Inquiry Courses (SINQ)
Students are required** to take three Sophomore Inquiry (SINQ) courses (totaling 12 credits), linked to three different clusters. Ideally, these courses will be completed during fall, winter, and spring of your second year.
**Transfer students are required to take SINQ depending on the number and type of transfer credits they have the term they are admitted to Portland State University. University Studies credit will be given only for Cluster courses taken from the same Cluster.
We recommend choosing SINQ courses that are linked to the upper-division (junior) clusters listed below. Choose wisely since you are only allowed to take courses for your upper-division course requirement (below) from a cluster linked to a SINQ that you have completed.
Upper-Division (Junior) Clusters
All students are required to complete three courses (totaling 12 credits) from a single upper-division/Junior cluster (one of the three you selected for SINQ). Ideally, these will be completed during fall, winter, and spring of your third year. We recommend choosing these three courses from one of the clusters below. Choose wisely to build knowledge and experience relevant to your career pathway.
Recommended Courses within Clusters (note cross-listing) (see the University Studies website for a complete list of courses within each cluster)
Global Environmental Change
This course will provide enough content and description of the global system for students to have a conceptual framework to do further studies on global environmental change.
- CH 360U Origins of Life on Earth
- G 340U Life of the Past
- G 341U Geology of The Oregon Country
- G 342U Volcanoes and Earthquakes
- G 344U Geology of National Parks
- G 345U Life in the Universe
- G 351U Oceanography
- GEOG 310U / SCI 333U Climate and Water Resources (crosslisted with SCI 333U)
- GEOG 311U Climatology
- GEOG 312U /SCI 334U Climate Variability (crosslisted with SCI 312U)
- GEOG 313U Biogeography
- GEOG 314U Severe Weather
- GEOG 322U Alpine Environments
- GEOG / PH 333U Weather (crosslisted with PH 333U)
- GEOG 340U Global Water Issues and Sustainability
- GEOG 346U World Population and Food Supply
- GEOG 347U Environmental Issues and Action
- PH 375U The Earth’s Climate and Human Life
- PHL 310U Environmental Ethics
- SCI 357U Sustain US / Mexico Border Region
- SYSC 334U Modeling Socio-Ecological Systems
Environmental Sustainability
This course introduces students to the study of environmental sustainability, and to the ways in which a wide variety of disciplines address environmental issues.
- ARCH 367U Fundamentals of Environmental Design
- CH 371U Environmental Chemistry
- EC 332U Environmental Economics
- ESM 355U Understanding Environmental Sustainability
- ESM 356U Understanding Environmental Sustainability II
- GEOG 340U Global Water Issues and Sustainability
- GEOG 345U Resource Management
- GEOG 346U World Population and Food Supply
- GEOG 347U Environmental Issues and Action
- PHL 310U Environmental Ethics
- PHL 375U Food Ethics
- SCI 331U Atmospheric Interactions I
- SCI 332U Atmospheric Interactions II
- SCI 335U Water in the Environment I
- SCI 336U Water in the Environment II
- SCI 338U Investigating Forest Ecosystems
- SYSC 334U Modeling Socio-Ecological Systems
- SYSC 350U Indigenous and Systems Perspectives on Sustainability
- USP 313U Urban Planning: Environmental Issues
Freedom, Privacy, & Technology
Privacy and freedom are highly valued, and are to some extent protected by the U.S. Constitution. Recent rapid advance in science and technology, combined with compelling motives to use this technology to control and exploit aspects of human life.
- BI 346U / WS 346U Genes and Society
- BI 372U / SCI 372U Nanotechnology: Society and Sustainability
- CS / SYSC 346U Exploring Complexity in Science and Technology (crosslisted with SYSC 346U)
- HST 339U Environment and History
- HST 387U History of Modern Science
- PH 382U / SCI 382U Introduction to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
- PHL 308U Elementary Ethics
- PHL 310U Environmental Ethics
- PHL 320U Critical Thinking
- SCI 359U Biopolitics
- SCI 361U Science: Power-Knowledge
- SCI 363U Ethics in Science
- SCI / WS 365U Science of Women's Bodies (crosslisted with WS 365U)
Healthy People/Healthy Places
This sophomore inquiry will examine the nature and state of healthy individuals in their various environments. Topics will focus on ways to solve and prevent problems that may affect the health and wellbeing of the individual, the local environment and/or the global community.
- ANTH 325U Culture Health and Healing
- ANTH 333U The Anthropology of Food
- PHE 325U Nutrition for Health
- PHE 326U Drug Education
- PHE 335U Human Sexuality
- PHE 354U Social Gerontology
- PHE 355U Consumer Health
- PHE 371 Community Nutrition
- PHE 443U Environmental Health
- PHE 444U Global Health
- PHE 446U Community Health: Principles and Practices
- PHE 452U Gender, Race, Class and Health
- SYSC 350U Indigenous and Systems Perspectives on Sustainability
- USP 313U Urban Planning: Environmental Issues
- USP 424U Healthy Communities
Knowledge, Values and Rationality
The theme of the cluster is the nature of rationality and its emergence from the interplay of knowledge and values.
- BI 372U / SCI 372U Nanotechnology: Society and Sustainability
- EC 321U Fundamentals of Game Theory
- PHE 444U Global Health
- PHL 307U Science and Society
- PHL 308U Elementary Ethics
- PHL 310U Environmental Ethics
- PHL 320U Critical Thinking
- PHL 321U Practical Epistemology
- PHL 322U Minds and Machines
- PHL 324U Introduction to Formal Logic
- PHL 325U Introduction to Formal Logic II
- PSY 300U Personal Decision Making
- SCI 363U Ethics in Science
- SYSC 330U Models in Science
- SYSC 332U Darwinian Thought in Society
- SYSC 350U Indigenous and Systems Perspectives on Sustainability
- SYSC 399U Decision Making in Complex Environments
- UNST 399U Experiential Pathways Cluster Course
Science in the Liberal Arts
This course is designed to provide a methodological and interdisciplinary perspective on science and engage students in the collaborative scientific investigation of problems of the sort they might encounter as attentive citizens.
- BI 372U / SCI 372U Nanotechnology: Society & Sustainability
- ECE 383U / SCI 383U Nanotechnology: Simulation and Design
- GEOG 310U / SCI 333U Climate and Water Resources (crosslisted with SCI 333U)
- GEOG 312U / SCI 334U Climate Variability (crosslisted with SCI 334U)
- GEOG 314U Severe Weather
- ME 304U / SCI321U Energy and Society I (crosslisted with SCI 321U)
- PH 261U / SCI 315U General Astronomy I (crosslisted with SCI 261U)
- PH 262U / SCI 316U General Astronomy II (crosslisted with SCI 262U)
- PH 366U / SCI 318U Complexity and Universe I (crosslisted with SCI 318U)
- PH 367U / SCI 319U Complexity and Universe II (crosslisted with SCI 319U)
- PH 382 / SCI 382U Introduction to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
- SCI 313U Environmental Mathematical Modeling
- SCI 314U Environmental Statistics
- SCI 315U / PH 261U General Astronomy I (crosslisted with PH 261U)
- SCI 316U / PH 262U General Astronomy II (crosslisted with PH 262U)
- SCI 317U Fractals, Chaos and Complexity
- SCI 321U / ME 304U Energy and Society I (crosslisted with ME 304U)
- SCI 322U Energy and Society II
- SCI 323U Materials for the 21st Century I
- SCI 324U Materials for the 21st Century II
- SCI 325U Science of the Hydrogen Economy
- SCI 331U Atmospheric Interactions I
- SCI 332U Atmospheric Interactions II
- SCI 335U Water in the Environment I
- SCI 336U Water in the Environment II
- SCI 338U Investigating Forest Ecosystems
- SCI 341U Biology Concepts and Applications I
- SCI 342U Biology Concepts and Applications II
- SCI 343U Columbia Basin Plant Community I
- SCI 344U Columbia Basin Plant Community II
- SCI 345U Old Growth Forest Ecology and Management I
- SCI 346U Old Growth Forest Ecology and Management II
- SCI 347U / WS 347U Science, Gender & Social Context I
- SCI 348U / WS 348U Science, Gender & Social Context II
- SCI 351U Northwest Wetlands: Conservation, Restoration and Mitigation
- SCI 352U Science and Policy of Climate Change
- SCI 353U Radiation in the Environment
- SCI 354U Science and Politics of Columbia River Decisions
- SCI 359U Biopolitics
- SCI 361U Science: Power-Knowledge
- SCI 363U Ethics in Science
- SCI / WS 365U The Science of Women's Bodies (crosslisted with WS 365U)
- SCI 382U / PH 382 Introduction to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
- SYSC 330U Models in Science
Senior Capstone
This 6 credit Senior Capstone course is your final general education requirement and should ideally be taken during any term of your fourth year. Choose wisely to continue building knowledge and skills relevant to your career pathway, and to gain experience with critical thinking and problem solving, communication and teamwork, self-assessment and organization, and project management.
We strongly recommend choosing a capstone from the Research, Business-Engineering-Technology, Global Perspectives, or Grantwriting theme areas such as:
- Research and Society
- Research Experience for Science Majors
- Health and Aging in Nicaragua
- Tutoring to Empower Native American Youth
- Leadership and Mentoring
- Science Inquiry Outdoor Classroom
- Portland's Water
- Building EcoDistricts
- Nature in the Neighborhood
- Neighborhoods and Watersheds
- Case Studies in Environmental Problem Solving
- Sustainability Outdoors
- Volunteer Stream Monitor Summer
- Promoting science inquiry in middle school classrooms: Water quality in freshwater habitats
- Water Scarcity
- Grantwriting: Environmental Advocacy (supporting Multnomah ESD Outdoor School)
- Animal Aid: Grantwriting for Wildlife Conservation in Africa
- Grantwriting: Stustainability