Why Hartwick?

You want to aid in conservation efforts or help shape policy that will protect land, air and water. With a degree in Environmental Chemistry from Hartwick, you’ll better understand how chemistry can aid the world around you.

Hartwick’s Environmental Chemistry program is approved by the American Chemical Society’s Committee on Professional Training, preparing you to go into a career right after graduation, or continue on into graduate school.

Interested in chemistry or biochemistry? We’ve got you covered. At Hartwick, the faculty work closely together to help you develop your personal FlightPath.

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Many Career Paths

Hartwick makes sure you have the real-world experience you need to succeed after graduation. You’ll get into labs right away, practicing on the same equipment you’ll use in your career. Study water samples with ion chromatography, and use X-ray diffractometers to analyze soil samples you collect on site.

You’ll have opportunities to work alongside your Faculty Mentor on their research, and your Career Coach will direct you towards internships in your chosen field – and help you find a career you’ll be passionate about.

Extraordinary Opportunities

With our special Pine Lake campus dedicated to environmental sciences, you’ll get into the field to get real-world experiences in taking measurements, being resourceful and seeking answers.

Guest speakers will share their experiences and knowledge with you, and J Term courses help you better understand the world beyond Hartwick. You could present at a regional or national conference, get a paid internship at the Center for Craft Food and Beverage, the Environmental Protection Agency, or the Otsego County Conservation Association.

Make soap to sell with the Chemistry Club and raise money to sponsor travel to the American Chemistry Society or the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology National Meetings.

An Education Built for You

Cross-collaboration is at the core of a Hartwick education. Courses in chemistry or biochemistry deepen your understanding, or step outside the lab and onto the athletic field, get on stage with music or theater, or volunteer to make your community a better place.

In your sophomore year, assist your Faculty Mentor with their research, then in your senior year, develop your project in an area of Environmental Chemistry that inspires you. You could even get funding for your project through the Environmental Scholars fund or the Freedman Prize in Applied Geosciences. You’ll present your findings at Student Showcase, and maybe even a regional or national conference!

Your Alumni Mentor will share their personalized experience in the workplace and your Success Coach will be there to support you from start to finish. It all goes on your digital resume to show future employers that you’ve got the skills to succeed.

WHERE WILL A HARTWICK ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY DEGREE TAKE YOU?

EMPLOYMENT

Like Catherine Winters ’14, who works for the NYS Department Environmental Conservation as an environmental program specialist. While at Hartwick, she was president of the Chemistry Club and a member of the Geology Club. She completed her MS in Water Science and Policy from the University of Delaware in 2016.

GOVERNMENT

Like Brian Redder ’15, who helped craft science policy as a Knauss Fellow for senator Gary Peters (MI). He is currently the manager of regulatory and scientific affairs for the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) in the DC Area.

GRADUATE SCHOOL

Like Keith O’Connor ’15, who completed his PhD from Notre Dame in 2020 in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences and did a prestigious Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) post-doctoral fellowship at the EPA. He’s now a senior chemist and the data analytics lead at the Naval Nuclear Laboratory in Niskayuna, NY.