The 2007 Draft ACS Guidelines for Undergraduate Chemistry Programs:
Soliciting Community Feedback & Answering Questions
ACS Committee on Professional Training
The ACS Approval Program
CPT Activities
Established in 1936, the primary CPT missions are:
• To promote and assist in the development
of high standards of excellence in all aspects
of post-secondary chemical education & to
undertake studies important to their maintenance
• To collect and make available information on trends
& developments in modern chemical education
• To cooperate with ACS and other professional
& educational groups having mutual interests
in chemical education
CURRENT CPT MEMBERSHIP
Dr. William F. Polik (Chair)
HOPE COLLEGE
Dr. Suzanne Harris
UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
Dr. George Wilson
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Dr. Cynthia K. Larive
(Vice Chair)
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA,
RIVERSIDE
Dr. John W. Kozarich
ACTIVX BIOSCIENCES
Dr. Diane M. Bunce (Consultant)
CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF
AMERICA
Dr. Ruma Banerjee
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Dr. F. Fleming Crim
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MADISON
Dr. Ron W. Darbeau
MCNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY
Dr. Joseph S. Francisco
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
Dr. Cornelia D. Gillyard
SPELMAN COLLEGE
Dr. Margaret V. Merritt
WELLESLEY COLLEGE
Dr. Nancy S. Mills
TRINITY UNIVERSITY
Dr. Carlos G. Gutierrez
(Consultant)
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITYLOS ANGELES
Dr. George R. Negrete
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
AT SAN ANTONIO
Dr. Edward N. Kresge (Consultant)
EXXONMOBIL CHEMICAL
COMPANY (Retired)
Dr. Lee Y. Park
WILLIAMS COLLEGE
Dr. Jeanne E. Pemberton
(Consultant)
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
Dr. Joel I. Shulman
UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
Dr. Erik J. Sorensen
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
Cathy A. Nelson
(Committee Secretary,
non-voting) AMERICAN
CHEMICAL SOCIETY
Annual Report
of Graduates
634 approved programs
(196 research universities,
114 comprehensive universities,
324 baccalaureate colleges)
The ACS (through CPT) approves programs;
the department chair certifies majors
Benefits of ACS-approval
Surveys, Reports
& Resources
Institution: public & professional recognition
of program excellence
Department: document capabilities and leverage
resources to meet discipline-wide standards
Faculty: professional development opportunities
Students: participation in department with excellent
capabilities and resources; external recognition of
rigorous, high-quality degree
Planning for a Career
in Industry
Directory of
Graduate Research
Planning for Graduate
Work in Chemistry
Industry & Grad Schools: students and employees
come from high-quality chemistry program
Rationale for Guidelines Revision
•Chemistry is changing
Increasing interaction
with other disciplines
More complex chemical
problems
Advances in
instrumentation & technology
Globalization of
chemical education & economy
•Education is changing
Pedagogy reflects new
research in how students learn (e.g. inquirybased & active learning, team experiences)
Increasing student diversity (e.g. age,
gender, ethnicity, educational background)
•GuidelinesRevisions
must change
to maintain
Timeline
utility
and
relevance
2005: Broad call for public comment on ACS
Guidelines and possible directions for revision
2006: In response to comments from community,
CPT drafts proposed revisions to ACS Guidelines
2007: Informed by comments on proposed
revisions, CPT publishes draft ACS Guidelines
2008: New ACS Guidelines released
www.chemistry.org/education/cpt
Goals for Guidelines Revisions
• Simplify guidelines & procedures for
chemistry program approval
• Provide greater flexibility to approved
departments for designing certified degrees
• Encourage innovation and improvement
in undergraduate chemistry curricula
• Encourage use of modern
pedagogy & knowledge of learning science
in approved undergraduate programs
• Define minimum faculty & infrastructure
attributes that support program excellence
Draft Guidelines Content Areas
Program Organization
Curriculum
Student Skills
Pedagogy
Faculty
Infrastructure
Evaluation
Draft ACS Guidelines in Curriculum
Introductory Chemistry
• 2, 1, or 0 semesters plus laboratories
depending on student preparation
Foundation Coursework
• One equivalent semester coverage in 5
foundation areas of analytical, biochemistry,
inorganic, organic, and physical
In-Depth Coursework
• 4 semesters building on foundation,
e.g. 2nd semester of foundation course,
specialized & elective courses
Laboratory
• 400 hr beyond Introductory Chemistry
covering at least 4 foundation areas
Degree Tracks
• Department-defined tracks in chemistry,
a chemistry subdiscipline, or a chemistryrelated multidisciplinary area
Draft ACS Guidelines in Other Areas
Faculty
• Minimum 4 full-time, permanent faculty members
• Maximum of 15 contact hr/week/semester for
faculty & instructional staff; up to 2 faculty
may have up to 17 contact hr in one semester
(quarter) if average for year ≤ 15 hr
• Professional development opportunities
Infrastructure
• NMR & other instrumentation
• Computational capabilities
• Chemical information
• Safety resources
Student Skills
• Skills needed to become successful professionals
(problem solving, chemical literature, laboratory
safety, oral & written communication, ethics,
teamwork)
Department Self-Evaluation
• Regular self-evaluation of chemistry program
for continual improvement
www.chemistry.org/education/cpt
Jeanne E. Pemberton, University of Arizona, for the ACS Committee on Professional Training
Periodic Program Evaluation