Chemistry

Bachelor of Science (BSc)

Through impactful research and teaching, we advance chemistry in health, education and sustainability—preparing students for dynamic, future-focused careers.

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Degree

Bachelor

Length

4 years

Faculty/School

Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science

Quick Find

Why study Chemistry at UBC Okanagan?

Get your UBC degree in chemistry and learn how to control matter. Chemistry can be used to make smart materials that can monitor your life signs, to analyze parts per trillion of environmental contaminants, and design nanostructured materials that can efficiently convert water into fuel. It can turn enzymes into microscopic industrial machines, producing life-saving pharmaceuticals or eating up pollutants.

Chemistry is a discipline rife with opportunities to address global challenges, including the rising cost of healthcare, food security and dwindling natural resources.

Your UBC Okanagan Chemistry degree can lead to opportunities in industry, healthcare, education, government, and professional schools like medicine, dentistry or veterinary science.

Zandamela holds a capillary electrophoresis laser-induced fluorescence apparatus at the Zandberg Lab at UBC Okanagan

Guilherme Durvan António Zandamela is excelling at undergraduate research

Biochemistry student is on the path to becoming a scientist thanks to UBCO’s undergraduate research opportunities

Zandamela holds a capillary electrophoresis laser-induced fluorescence apparatus at the Zandberg Lab at UBC Okanagan

Guilherme Durvan António Zandamela is excelling at undergraduate research

Biochemistry student is on the path to becoming a scientist thanks to UBCO’s undergraduate research opportunities

Degree Options

At UBC Okanagan, you can complete a BSc degree with a major, minor or honours in chemistry.

Accreditation

UBC Okanagan’s Chemistry program aligns with national standards set by the Canadian Society for Chemistry (CSC) through the Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC). Graduating from a CSC-aligned program supports career mobility and may be beneficial for roles requiring professional chemist designation, graduate studies or industry-recognized qualifications.

Focus Areas

We offer a range of upper-level electives that can be used to tailor your chemistry degree to your interests, career aspirations or learning style. Three focus areas have been developed to showcase our collective expertise and assist students in centring their studies if they so desire.

  • Chemistry for energy and climate change
  • Chemistry for medicine and health
  • Investigative chemistry

Learn more about each chemistry focus area.

Sample Courses

CHEM 111 – Principles of Chemistry I
PHYS 111 – Introductory Physics for the Physical Sciences I
CHEM 121 – Atomic and Molecular Chemistry
CHEM 123 – Physical and Organic Chemistry

CHEM 201 – Introduction to Physical Chemistry
CHEM 203 – Introduction to Organic Chemistry
CHEM 211 – Analytical Chemistry
CHEM 220 – Atomic Structure and Molecular Bonding

CHEM 301 – Aqueous Environmental Chemistry
CHEM 333 – Spectroscopic Techniques in Organic Chemistry
CHEM 337 – Coordination Chemistry

CHEM 424 – Organometallic Catalysts
BIOC 304 – Molecular Biochemistry I
CHEM 403 – Enzymology
CHEM 412 – Methods in Bioanalytical Chemistry

Plan your academic journey by exploring the first-year planning guides designed for Bachelor of Sciences students.

Explore customized Program Plans designed to support your journey to graduation and beyond.

Careers and Outcomes

UBC degrees are respected by employers around the globe. Program graduates will have the skills to pursue a career in a variety of fields like,

Careers

Employable Skills

Alumni Success

  • Analytical chemist
  • Environmental chemist
  • Medicinal or pharmaceutical chemist
  • Process or formulation chemist
  • Quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC) specialist
  • Chemistry research technologist or lab technologist

Admission, Fees, Applying

You could soon be studying at one of the world’s top universities. Be sure to review the content below to prepare for attending UBC Okanagan.

Admission requirements Application Deadlines
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Experiential Learning

Expand your horizons while studying abroad, conducting meaningful research, or working in the community with your UBC colleagues.

Learn more about Co-op, Go Global, Undergraduate Research Awards and other opportunities at Experiential Education.

ACCESS TO PROFESSORS

Visit profs for advice on your courses, career mentorship, or to just talk science. Get involved in cutting-edge research projects designing new catalysts that turn biomass into refined fuels, using super computers to help find cures to heart disease, or finding new pharmaceuticals in plants—just a few of the topics renowned UBC faculty researchers are exploring.

RESEARCH POTENTIAL

Profs at UBC’s Okanagan campus are publishing their discoveries in the top scientific journals around the globe. Students are a big part of the research culture on campus and often have their work published, too. Instead of just reading about science, be the one who makes the discoveries that go into textbooks.

You also have the opportunity to become an undergraduate research scholar with support through prestigious research awards.

From the classroom to the vineyard

Undergraduate biochemistry student Brooklyn Becker gains hands-on skills in wine science through experiential learning.

From the classroom to the vineyard

Undergraduate biochemistry student Brooklyn Becker gains hands-on skills in wine science through experiential learning.

Global and Close-Knit

At UBC Okanagan, you gain all the benefits of attending a globally ranked, top 3% university while studying in a close-knit learning community.

International Prospective Students Student Life at UBCO

Discover the Okanagan

A diverse natural region with sandy beaches, beautiful lakes, vineyards, orchards and snow-capped mountains, the Okanagan is an inspirational landscape perfect for those seeking leisure or outdoor adventure.

UBC's Okanagan campus borders the dynamic city of Kelowna, a hub of economic development with a population of more than 150,000 people— the fourth fastest-growing population in Canada.

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