The Department of Chemistry was established in 1818, and the first Ph.D. degree was awarded in 1883. Since then, UNC has awarded more than 1250 Ph.D. degrees, and over to 500 master's degrees.
Our large and diverse faculty includes five members of the National Academy of Sciences, one member of the National Academy of Engineering, a recipient of an NIH Director's Pioneer Award, several winners of American Chemical Society national awards, a Lemelson-MIT Prize winner, and numerous recipients of other prestigious national and local awards in chemistry and teaching.
We have outstanding research programs underway in all areas of modern Chemistry. Chemistry also is a focal point for interdisciplinary research efforts on campus in biological and materials sciences. Currently, our faculty includes over 40 tenured and tenure-track faculty and 4 teaching faculty. We also have a dedicated technical and administrative support staff to support the research and teaching of 650 undergraduate majors, 220 graduate students, and more than 50 postdoctoral research associates.
Graduate students contribute to nearly every aspect of the department's operation. In addition to taking a wide variety of courses, our students have the opportunity to participate in groundbreaking research, to teach, to attend research group meetings, to attend seminars, and to serve on committees that affect all aspects of life in the department. The Association of Chemistry Graduate Students (ACGS) sponsors both professional and social events and represents graduate students in departmental matters.