Department of Chemistry
Senior Capstone Experience
Chemistry majors fulfill the Senior Capstone Experience by conducting a yearlong research project in collaboration with a chemistry faculty member and writing a thesis-quality report. Many projects involve synthetic and preparative procedures. All projects involve the application of analytical techniques including the use of the department's research-grade UV-VIS, FTIR, AA, NMR, GC, HPLC, GC-MS, electrochemical analyzer, and polarimeter. Seniors present the results of their project in a poster session that is open to the College community. The department has a set of Senior Capstone Experience Guidelines that are distributed to both junior and senior chemistry majors each fall. For those students meeting the College-wide standards of eligibility for departmental honors at graduation, the capstone experience also forms the basis of an oral examination given at the end of the student's final semester.
Students must enroll in CHE SCE in their final semester to obtain credit for the Senior Capstone Experience. The Senior Capstone Experience is graded according to the Washington College grading system, which involves the use of letter grades (A-F) that may be modified by a minus or a plus.
300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, Maryland 21620 | 410-778-2800 | 800-422-1782