9:12 a.m., Jan. 9, 2009----The American Chemical Society (ACS) listed the University of Delaware in the top 10 in two categories in a recent ranking of the nation's top producers of graduates in chemistry and chemical engineering.

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The University ranked 7th in the number of chemical engineering doctoral graduates and 8th in the number of certified bachelor's degrees awarded in chemistry and biochemistry. UD regularly appears in the top ten in these annual rankings.

The ACS tabulates graduation data from more than 600 colleges nationwide. The organization lists the top producers of chemistry and chemical engineering graduates in a report from its Committee on Professional Training.

Norman Wagner, Alvin B. and Julia O. Stiles Professor of Chemical Engineering and chairperson of the Department of Chemical Engineering, said he was not surprised to see his department in the ACS's top 10.

“This is a top 10 chemical engineering department in terms of faculty, research and funding for research, and that's directly reflected in the funding that this department brings in to itself and to the University,” Wagner said.

He notes chemical engineering's doctoral students graduate to successful careers in academia and industry.

“The kinds of places that come here to recruit, it's a long list of the best companies in the world,” he said.

John Burmeister, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and associate chairperson of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said the ranking shows the University of Delaware also produces top-level graduates in chemistry, students primed and prepped for the working world or graduate studies.

Certified bachelor's graduates complete a rigorous course of study and the majority conduct undergraduate research, giving them tangible and marketable lab experience. That undergraduate research experience, according to Burmeister, is similar to experience students at other institutions get at the master's level.

“Here, apprenticing undergraduates is the norm, not the exception,” he said. “Our footprint is not only large, it is very good.”

Wagner says student achievement reaches beyond what the individual students attain.

“It helps the entire university to have the high quality of student coming out of UD out there in the world,” he said.

Article by Andrea Boyle