The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry curriculum offers a comprehensive undergraduate education for students pursuing careers as research scientists, industrial chemists, and educators in universities or secondary schools. In addition, department courses provide a foundation in the basic science of chemistry to students majoring in biological or physical sciences, students planning a career in medicine or other health-related fields, students in the College of Engineering and Applied Science, and students in the liberal arts.
Especially in its graduate programs, the department stresses interdisciplinary approaches, as exemplified by the Laboratory for Surface Studies and the Great Lakes WATER Institute. It also collaborates with chemists from the industrial and scientific community in the Milwaukee area.