Immerse yourself in exciting research areas that have the potential to make a real difference in society. As early as their first year, Hofstra chemistry students begin working with sophisticated laboratory equipment and alongside faculty on research affecting health care, the environment, engineering, and other fields.
Chemistry, often called the “central science” because it connects all the other sciences, is great preparation for a career in medicine, engineering, environmental science, health care, or education.
Degrees & Programs
Hofstra chemistry majors experience the main disciplines of chemistry through foundation courses. Classes are offered in organic and inorganic chemistry, analytical and physical chemistry, and biochemistry. Students are also required to take an assortment of classes in mathematics and physics. Some advanced electives include medicinal chemistry, environmental chemistry, bioinorganic chemistry, and theories of electrons.
Hofstra offers a BA in Chemistry, a BS in Chemistry, a BS in Biochemistry, and the interdisciplinary BS in Forensic Science. Minors are also available in chemistry, biochemistry, and forensic science.
BA in Chemistry
This degree prepares students for positions as high school educators, corporate chemistry reps (working with chemical testing and supplying companies), and as lab technicians. The program also serves as a foundation for a variety of graduate and doctoral programs.
BS in Chemistry
(Accredited by the American Chemical Society). The BS in Chemistry equips our graduates to work as lab technicians and chemistry sales/technicians. It is also designed for students who plan to pursue graduate studies in patent law, chemistry, materials science, and other fields.
BS in Biochemistry
Biochemistry prepares students to pursue advanced degrees in forensic science, biochemistry, chemistry, pharmacology, neuroscience, and molecular biology, as well as for medical, dental, and pharmacy schools, and physician assistant programs.
BS in Forensic Science
Graduates of the BS in Forensic Science pursue careers such as forensic science technicians, crime scene investigators, and evidence collection specialists. This program also prepares students for medical school, dental school or graduate studies in forensic science and chemistry.
Labs and Clasrooms
Facilities
Some of our technologies and instrumentation include gas chromatographs equipped with flame-ionization and thermal-conductivity detectors, a 400 MHz NMR spectrometer, a Wyatt Laser Light Scattering Photometer, and Fourier-transform infrared spectrophotometers. We also offer a multidisciplinary lab called the Collaboratorium.
In the Classroom
Learn from the Experts
The backgrounds and interests of our professors are unusually diverse. Dr. Sabrina Sobel, the former chair, studied ballet for many years. She and her scientist father are the inventors behind Cold-Eeze®. Dr. Scott Lefurgy's area of research is antibiotic resistance. He is also a professionally trained opera singer. Dr. Ronald D'Amelia is an award-winning food chemist who developed the breath-freshening technology used in Life Savers® Breath Savers.
The Student Experience
Research opportunities, internships, student chapters of professional organizations, and other types of experiential learning such as peer teaching are a vital part of our chemistry program.
Internships
According to a survey of recent graduates, 100% of respondents said an internship was a part of their Hofstra experience. Examples of internship sites include Applied Forensics, LLC; Bio-Botanica; Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories; the FBI; Garden State Labs; Long Island Analytical Laboratories; Medical Examiner's Office of Suffolk County; Rhode Island Department of Health; and the Suffolk County Crime Lab.
Research Opportunities
Hofstra students have been accepted to participate in competitive National Science Foundation-funded REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) programs hosted by universities worldwide.
In addition, sophomores and juniors may apply for the Dr. Bruce and Doris Lister Endowed Fellowship in Chemistry Research, which provides funding to cover half of their on-campus housing costs so they may participate in a faculty-mentored research program over the summer.
Student Organizations
The American Chemical Society Student program (SMACS) hosts guest speakers from laboratories, industries, and graduate schools. The group also does community outreach in the schools. CSI Hofstra, for forensic science majors and minors, organizes watch parties for films and TV shows dealing with forensic analysis. Members may attend the annual meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists and go to murder mystery dinners and escape rooms.
More about us
Learn about our Lister Fellows
Selected students who are named Lister Fellows receive a stipend and a grant to cover half of their on-campus housing costs. The purpose of the fellowship is to give students the financial freedom to immerse themselves in classwork and research during the summer months.
Biochemistry Student Named Hofstra's First Goldwater Scholar
Hoping to find a cure for his father's rare medical condition, this student plans to pursue a career in pharmaceutical research.
Working for Smiles
Biochemistry major Komal Khokhar '22 could have interned at a hospital or clinic close to home. Instead, she trekked to the Andes Mountains to provide dental care and education in a remote Peruvian village with little access to potable water or electricity.
Fighting COVID on the Front Line
Rachel Glasser’s 2020 degree in biochemistry was a ticket that allowed her to jump straight from the classrooms and labs of Berliner Hall to the frontline in the battle against Covid-19. After graduating from Hofstra she became a clinical accessioning technician at the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine (JAX) in Farmington, CT, where she studied and tested Covid-19 specimens.
Students and Professor Publish Research
Dr. Ronald P. D’Amelia, Adjunct Professor of Chemistry, has published “Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses of Synthesized Short-Chain Fatty Acid Phenyl Esters using Fourier – Transform Infrared Spectroscopy” with Masashi Kimura and Marie-Claire Villon, chemistry majors from the Class of 2021. Their article appears in the World Journal of Organic Chemistry, vol 9, number 1, pages 6-17, 2021.
The Outlook
Chemistry and biochemistry degree recipients in the New York region earn an average annual salary of $56,718 and $57,340, respectively, and job growth for both majors is projected to increase about 15% by 2026, according to New York area labor market data retrieved in July 2018 by Burning Glass Technologies.
Majoring in chemistry or biochemistry at Hofstra will prepare you to pursue a successful career in the health professions, chemical education, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, materials science, and forensic science, and/or admission to top-flight professional or graduate programs. More on alumni outcomes
100%
of recent alumni responding to a survey reported that they were employed or were pursuing or planning to pursue an advanced degree within a year of graduation. Some examples of where our former students are employed include:
- Brigham And Women's Hospital
- Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI)
- Garden State Labs
- New York University
- Northwell Health
- NY Police Department
- NYU Langone Health
- Saladax Biomedical, Inc.
- Feinstein Institute for Medical Research
- Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine
67%
of survey respondents who reported employment said they are also attending or planning to attend graduate school. Examples of institutions where our alumni are pursuing advanced studies include:
- Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
- Dartmouth College
- Drexel University
- Johns Hopkins University
- Texas Tech University
- University of California, Los Angeles
- University of Maryland
- University of Southern California
- University of Washington, Seattle
$49K
is the mean salary reported by alumni who graduated within the last year.
Contact Us
Office Information
Room 106 Berliner Hall
516-463-5534
Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Department Secretary
Cathy Valarezo E-mail
516-463-5534
Advisers for SMACS
Dr. Kara Jaremko
Assistant Professor
Room 106E Berliner Hall
516-463-3045
Dr. Emily Mundorff
Assistant Professor
Room 312 Berliner Hall,
516-463-6753
Department Chair
Dr. William Nirode
516-463-6548
E-mail
Adviser for CSI Hofstra
Dr. Deborah Silva
Assistant Professor and
Director of Forensic Science Program
Room 106G Berliner Hall
516-463-7153
CSI.hofstra@gmail.com