Langara offers a wide range of first- and second-year courses in the fields of science and mathematics. Students benefit from lower tuition rates and smaller class sizes as compared to larger universities. Whether students are planning to transfer to earn their BSc, or simply wish an Associate of Science degree or other diploma, many of the requisite courses are available at Langara.

The Chemistry department offers courses from introductory and preparatory, to first year and second year University transfer courses. Second year studies include analytical, organic, inorganic and physical chemistry. Students benefit from our well equipped laboratories and dedicated teachers.

Objectives & Outcomes
The Chemistry program at Langara College offers an Associate of Science Degree (Area of Concentration: Chemistry) The A.Sc. can be used as an exit degree or as the first credential in a longer academic program.

Career Opportunities

Careers in Chemistry

The majority of chemists are employed in one of four main areas: academia, industry, government, and non-traditional. Some may even branch off into areas such as health and medicine, the environmental sciences, energy, forensics, agriculture, and materials science. Let’s examine some of these career paths in more detail.

An academic career focuses on teaching chemistry (and possibly other sciences) to an audience, and may also involve an independent research program. The four major types of academic positions include: secondary school science teachers, laboratory coordinators, college professor (generally in a department which does not grant post-graduate degrees, such as Ph.D.), and professor at a major research university.

Industrial careers in chemistry may focus on

• the research and development of a new product
• the manufacturing of the product
• marketing and sales of a product
• quality assurance, or
• technical service, among many others.

The product may be a potential block buster drug, a novel flavour for the food industry, petrochemicals, scientific instrumentation, or may also be a service. The workflow is also different in each one of these diverse activities:

• In research and development, the product starts as an idea, it is created, and may need to go through many tests to ensure it is safe before ever going into the market.
• In production, the manufacturing process that generates the product is optimized, followed by scale-up of and stringent quality control.
• Marketing and sales are necessary to provide the customer with the product, and involves predicting future trends and sales, determining market needs, and developing advertising strategies, as well as having the interpersonal skills to work one-on-one with the customer.
• Often when scientific instrumentation is involved, chemists are involved in technical services which will require both laboratory work and customer relations.

Special Note:

For the Spring 2022 semester, our intention is that Langara chemistry will have almost completely returned to in-person on-campus instruction. There will be one section of general chemistry I with on-line lectures, and it will have its on-campus labs offered in a compressed format near the end of the semester, including a mandatory weekend lab. There will also be two sections of introductory chemistry which are entirely on-line.

Note: Labs are in-person. For additional information, please contact our International Student Coordinators.