ROCK HILL, S.C. - The American Chemical Society (ACS) Committee on Professional Training (CPT) recently decided that Winthrop University will be added to its roster of institutions offering ACS-approved programs in biochemistry.  The determination came after completion of a $7 million modernization of all Winthrop chemistry facilities in January 2002, submission of a chemistry self-study to ACS in May 2003, participation in a program review with CPT at the September 2003 ACS meeting, hosting of an evaluation visit by ACS in spring 2004, ACS approval of Winthrop's chemistry program in September 2004, submission of a biochemistry self-study in May 2005, and review of the biochemistry program by the ACS CPT during fall 2005.

Winthrop University is one of three universities in South Carolina (along with Furman University and The College of Charleston) offering ACS approved programs in both chemistry and biochemistry.  There are only four schools in North Carolina--UNC Chapel Hill, Wake Forest University, UNC-Charlotte, and UNC-Wilmington--that offer both chemistry and biochemistry ACS approved programs.

Approval by the American Chemical Society, which is the premiere U.S. professional society for the scientific community, serves as national recognition of the quality and value built into Winthrop’s biochemistry program.  For Winthrop students, a certified degree in biochemistry is a valuable personal credential that means a student has completed a rigorous academic biochemistry curriculum in an ACS-approved department. The extra rigor and additional requirements of the certified degree are valued by potential employers and graduate schools alike.

Approximately 40 percent of Winthrop's chemistry graduates directly enter Ph.D. programs in diverse fields such as materials science, neuroscience, biochemistry, biomedical engineering and bio-organic chemistry. Another 30% go into medical, dental or pharmacy school, while the remaining 30% go directly into professional biochemistry or chemistry industrial positions with corporations such as BASF, Sherman-Williams, Atotech USA, Glaxo-Smith-Kline, RJ Reynolds and Bowater.