• CHEMISTRY:
  The chemistry major at Ramapo, offered by the School of Theoretical and Applied Science, gives its students an in-depth grasp of theoretical concepts as well as a variety of practical skills.
• In the first year, students enroll in General Chemistry which provides an introduction to modern chemical theory presented through the study of atomic and molecular structure.
• In the next three years, core courses in organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, quantitative/instrumental analysis, physical chemistry and biochemistry contribute to a broad understanding of the structure and dynamics of atoms and molecules and their role in physical and chemical processes.
• A selection of chemistry electives, including Cooperative Education placements, independent research study, and a broad range of special topic electives, allow senior students to concentrate in specialty areas such as materials development and characterization, synthetic organic chemistry, organometallic chemistry,  biochemistry, and analytical/ environmental chemistry.
• Many courses are offered by other science major programs allowing students to plan a multidisciplinary program of study.
• Many of the scientific advances of this modern age occur in interdisciplinary areas such as biophysics, materials science, molecular biology, medicinal chemistry, protein biotechnology, and environmental science, consequently mixing courses from different scientific fields is certainly advantageous and desirable.

BIOCHEMISTRY:

• Biochemistry is an interdisciplinary field concerned with the chemical composition, structure, and molecular functions of living organisms.
• Knowledge derived from the disciplines of chemistry, physics, and biology is used to understand the processes that operate in cells and organisms, including their metabolism and regulation.
• Biochemistry attempts to understand the uniqueness of complex evolving living systems:
  • How living organisms harvest energy from their environment to produce and maintain their complexity
  • How these structures replicate themselves.
• The knowledge obtained from biochemical research has been applied to solve problems in areas ranging from agriculture to medicine.
• Specific areas of biochemistry include principles of protein structure (amino acid chemistry, peptide and protein structure and protein folding), enzymes (mechanisms, enzyme kinetics and inhibition), nucleic acids (nucleotides and nucleic acid chemistry, DNA sequencing, protein and genetic engineering) and metabolism (carbohydrate structure, glucose catabolism, citric acid cycle).