What is Chemistry?
Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. Bellarmine’s Bachelor of Science in Chemistry program seeks to provide students with a comprehensive view of the chemical sciences through examination of fundamental concepts and exploration of multi-disciplinary applications in both classroom and laboratory settings.
Students with a degree in Chemistry frequently pursue futures in engineering, medicine, dentistry, pharmaceutical work, veterinary medicine, forensic science, education, and more.
What makes Bellarmine’s approach to Chemistry stand out?
Bellarmine’s small class sizes allow for closer collaboration between peers and a high degree of engagement between students and professors across all facets of the program, from lectures and lab work to academic advising and extracurricular activities. Independent research opportunities are also available to our Chemistry students.
The Student Perspective
Po Burgo is a junior majoring in Chemistry. After starting school on the Pre-Med track, Burgo discovered his real passion is in the chemistry lab. He plans to pursue graduate studies after earning his undergraduate degree.
Here’s what Burgo had to say about his experience in Bellarmine’s Chemistry program.
Q: How has your experience in this program helped you prepare for life after Bellarmine?
PB: There are a lot of skills that you develop in your undergraduate studies. There are different professional skills, academic skills, social skills that Bellarmine has contributed to during my [time here]. There are opportunities for you to fill your semester with volunteering or research projects or joining the Honors Program. All that stuff contributes to what I imagine would be really useful in higher education—I'm learning how to do research projects, I'm learning how to sit in interviews and communicate professionally.
Q: What about Bellarmine’s Chemistry program has stood out to you?
PB: I think being at a private school, specifically a liberal arts college, there is a sense of community within the Chemistry department that I really, really enjoy. The class sizes, the amount of faculty in the entire department—it’s very small, but I've learned that it's a very easy way to be in contact with your professors, your other Chem majors, and it's very easy to get involved with each other and develop a relationship. And I don't think that at a bigger institution that would be as easy as it is here.
Q: What effect does that sense of community have on your studies?
PB: It really relieves a lot of pressure. You don't feel alone in your studies. I don't feel scared to go up to my professor during their office hours and talk with them. Whether I establish a connection now or later, I'm going to have some sort of relationship with every single person in the department one way or the other, and I think that strong sense of community just doesn't let you feel like you're alone. I really appreciate that about Bellarmine’s Chemistry department.
Q: Can you tell me about the research you’re conducting with Dr. Sutaria?
PB: There was research I did last semester that was more of getting used to the lab setting [through a] small research project. And so that first semester was really nice because I got used to the lab, got used to what's available to me [and learned] how to conduct a lab by myself. But for this semester, next semester, and my final semester we’ll be working to synthesize a compound that has the property to capture certain compounds that you breathe out. The purpose of that is we feel like that could be a method of lung cancer screening and early diagnosis. As far as I know, I'll be the first one to do it, and then I can write a paper on it and present it.
Q: What impact does having a close relationship with your professor have on a research project like that?
PB: From what I hear of my colleagues at [bigger schools] they have a lab with up to 15 people in it, so the attention that the professor gives to the individual student is very divided. So, when you have something like me and Dr. Sutaria where it's just me and him in the lab, he can really put his attention towards what I'm doing. And on one hand, he doesn't want to baby me through the entire research because I have to do an independent study, but he's always available for me to ask questions and provide me with any sort of resource that I need. So, it’s a very easy way to develop a relationship, whether that be professor and student or sometimes it feels like peers because we work on this project by ourselves, and he might not have all the answers, so we have to go get the answers together. That kind of dynamic feels less like somebody is watching over your shoulder and more like somebody is working right next to you.
Q: What would you say to a prospective student interested in studying Chemistry at Bellarmine?
PB: I would say it's definitely not an easy major. I think that if you want to become a Chem major, you really have to throw yourself into it, you really have to be passionate about it, and you really have to care about the subject matter. I think with the size of the Chemistry department, the benefit is just being able to share that passion with somebody. I can't use the word community enough. We all know each other’s names and backgrounds and interesting stuff, and so it's really easy for us to just chop it up about chemistry.
Q: Is there anything else you'd like to add about your experience at Bellarmine?
PB: I think even as a Chem student, your focus should not be solely on Chem. There's so many non-Chem classes where I've learned something that I didn't expect to, and I think that should be everybody's mentality coming into Bellarmine. Yes, you have a major, you have a focus, but they have other classes built into the curriculum and there's a reason for that, and that reason is it's making you a more well-rounded student. For example, when I took Ethics, or Moral Issues in Health Care, or Animal Behavior, it wasn't necessarily that I was passionate about the content, but there was something to take away from each class. And I think that if you take away the right things from your non-Chem classes, then you're going to present yourself as a really well-rounded student. Maybe your Theology class taught you to think a certain way, or your Ethics class made you think a certain way, or your English class strengthened your writing. I think even if you don't care about the content, there is something to take away. I think a very, very important quality for a strong academic student is adaptability. Maybe you're not necessarily passionate about the content, but you're passionate about being a student. So, if you can show that by becoming that really well-rounded student, then I think that's the key to success here.
The Faculty Perspective
Dr. Saurin Sutaria is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry whose research focuses on applying organic and analytical chemistry towards measuring human health and environmental exposures. Sutaria joined Bellarmine in the fall of 2024 and was drawn to the learning environment that smaller class sizes provide.
Sutaria says with small class sizes that emphasize hands-on learning and easy access to professors, as well as a curriculum that provides a well-rounded education, the Bellarmine Chemistry degree produces graduates that are prepared for graduate school or the workforce.
“The small class sizes allow for better interaction in the classroom and lab,” Sutaria says. “I believe this leads to students feeling more included, getting involved, and holding themselves more accountable for their education. Bellarmine has lots of opportunities to get involved in too, like chemistry research, internships, community service, and a diverse array of student clubs and activities.”
Students also have access to free peer tutoring through the Tutoring Center—where they receive academic support from students who have taken the same courses—and professors in the department are readily available to meet with students and serve as academic advisors.
Sutaria says these resources make for a less intimidating and more encouraging environment that leads to more fruitful engagement with the material, facilitating a well-rounded education that positions students for success after Bellarmine.
“While a Chemistry degree from Bellarmine is an excellent and complete education on its own, our curriculum requires students get hands-on experience researching with a professor, learning advanced theory and laboratory techniques, as well as the experience of using scientific instruments. Given their education and experience many of our junior and senior students have successfully applied to and attended Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs across the country, getting research experience in many different applied chemistry disciplines. Opportunities are also available for local internships. All of this leads to extremely well-prepared candidates entering post-secondary school or the workforce upon graduation from Bellarmine.”
To prospective students considering studying Chemistry at Bellarmine, Sutaria has one piece of advice.
“I would tell them not to hesitate and to dive in head first.”
Visit the Chemistry program page for more information including program highlights and career opportunities.