Penn State Intercom......July 12, 2001

Chemistry program at Erie
gains national approval

Following a rigorous, three-year evaluation process, the chemistry program at Penn State Erie has met the American Chemical Society's (ACS) guidelines for approved schools.

Penn State Erie is one of only 619 colleges and universities across the United States to achieve such approval. In northwestern Pennsylvania, other ACS-approved chemistry programs include Allegheny College and Clarion University.

In addition to granting approval to chemistry programs, ACS provides certification for students who complete their degree at a school with an approved program. For the student, a certified degree in chemistry is a valuable personal credential that serves as national recognition for successfully completing a rigorous academic chemistry curriculum in an ACS-approved department.

Achieving ACS approval was a lengthy process. Following a formal self-assessment of courses, budget, faculty and equipment, the ACS Committee on Professional Training sent the program a series of recommendations. Among the recommendations were strengthening the analytical chemistry component of the program by adding another faculty member with a focus in analytical chemistry and upgrading some upper-division labs. Once all the recommendations were met, the ACS sent an associate to Penn State Erie for a thorough, on-site review the program.

ACS approval is not granted for any specific time period. All approved schools are required to report their curricular offerings every year with details of all their chemistry graduates who wish to have a certified degree. They also must prepare an extensive re-evaluation report every five years.

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