B.Sc. Chemistry (Hons.)

The three year integrated B. Sc. (Hons) Chemistry degree course consists of papers both in theory and experimental aspects of the subject, which has become central to the physical, biological and material sciences. This course provides a route not only to more advanced aspects of the subject itself but also to diverse fields such as biochemistry, biotechnology, bioinformatics, genomics, proteomics, chemical biology, nanotechnology and nano-biotechnology. The student is required to take one paper each in inorganic, organic and physical chemistry in the first and the second year and two papers each of these subjects in the final year of the course.

All students also take a paper on environmental chemistry in the first year In addition, an optional paper has to be taken in the second year of the course. The two options offered are either ‘Entrepreneurship and small Business' or ‘Computers in chemistry'. While the former has no laboratory component, the latter requires one to attend a three hour laboratory class / week. This being an integrated course, one has to take compulsory papers in physics and mathematics in both the first and the second year of the course. In addition, in the first year, a student has to do a qualifying paper in English.

Besides attending number of classes, the students should be prepared to spend long hours working in the laboratory. They have to attend laboratory classes for three hours, thrice a week for the main subject and once a week for physics in first and second year. In the final year, the student has to attend six laboratory classes per week. This helps students to learn to organize themselves for the same! It is during informal discussions and meetings, outside the classroom, where the learning process really gets accelerated. The internet resource centre in college provides free access to al the academic journals subscribed to by the Delhi University Library System.

After this course many students go abroad to major universities for higher studies, especially to the United States. Some go to England (Oxford and Cambridge) on prestigious scholarships like the Rhodes scholarship, Nehru-Cambridge fellowship, Radhakrishnan-Chevning scholarship to take a second degree. Under the United Kingdom India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) a few students have been selected for a one year industrial placement in Glaxo-Smith Kline. Many of our former students are occupying faculty positions in Texas A & M, John's Hopkins, Tufts, Northwestern University in USA and Alberta in Canada to name just a few. Many of our students have been selected for the prestigious KVPY scholarships and are sought after by scientific agencies like the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore for summer fellowships and the POCE program of JNCASR, Bangalore.
A section of our students show preference for the Indian Administrative Services, the management and the finance sector. Despite the heavy workload, chemistry students do find time to excel in extra curricular activities, sports, music, dance and theatre. A former student even made it to both the North and the South Pole!