The mission of the major in Chemical Biology is to provide students training in both biology and chemistry so that they can understand and investigate the chemical processes that take place at the molecular level in biological systems. The Chemical Biology program is a growing interdisciplinary major between the Departments of Biology and Chemistry that allows students to take advantage of excellent faculty and courses in both departments.

A cornerstone of the Chemical Biology major is that all students engage in faculty-directed independent research projects. In doing research, students gain hands-on experience in the use of state-of-the-art instrumentation, data analysis and interpretation that is essential for a wide range of careers. Chemical Biology majors have presented their research at local, regional and national meetings and are regularly nominated for Phi Beta Kappa Honors and prestigious science awards such as the Goldwater Scholarship.