The ACS Approval Program promotes excellence in chemistry education for undergraduate students through approval of baccalaureate chemistry programs. ACS-approved programs offer a broad-based and rigorous chemistry education that gives students intellectual, experimental, and communication skills to become effective scientific professionals.
The ACS Committee on Professional Training (CPT) establishes guidelines and standards for the approval of bachelor鈥檚 degree programs in chemistry. Staff in the ACS Approval Program Office are responsible for administering the ACS approval process.
Benefits of an ACS-Approved Program
- Institutions with an ACS-approved chemistry program attract top high school talent looking for established and rigorous departments.
- Approved departments are staffed by accomplished faculty, contain a modern and well-maintained infrastructure, and provide a coherent chemistry curriculum.
- Employers find graduates of approved programs to be better prepared for technical employment.
The approval process provides a mechanism for departments to:
- Evaluate their program;
- Identify areas of strength and opportunities for change; and
- Leverage support from their institutions and external agencies.
ACS Guidelines for Bachelor's Degree Programs
The ACS Guidelines for Bachelor鈥檚 Degree Programs provide approved programs with opportunities to develop chemistry degree tracks that are appropriate to the educational missions of their institutions. These guidelines were approved by CPT in January 2023, updated in 2025, and will be used for program review.
ACS Approved Programs 2025
There are currently 703 ACS Approved Programs.听
Data from Institutions with ACS Approved Programs听
Data gathered from ACS Periodic and Annual Reports are used to explore the current educational landscape of undergraduate chemistry programs in the United States.听
- Data & Reports: View data including the number of bachelor's degree recipients from 2023-24 and trends in bachelor's degree recipients over the last 10 years. Learn more about the distribution of tenure track and tenured faculty at ACS Approved institutions.
- : Learn more about faculty attrition since 2020-21. Data from the most recent annual report survey.
If you are interested in obtaining data from approved programs, including data broken down by type of institution, region, or by the number of certified degrees, please contact the Office of Higher Education at cpt@acs.org. Please note that we are only able to provide aggregate data.
Resources for Faculty
Teaching Analytical Chemistry: A document prepared by CPT that provides guidance on teaching analytical chemistry.
Teaching Lab Courses听:听 Explore resources from faculty members and departments chairs at ACS-approved institutions.
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Office of Higher Education Team
Day-to-day operations the ACS Approval Program and Office of Higher Education are administered by:
- Michelle M. Brooks, Ph.D., Assistant Director, Office of Higher Education
- Wasiu Lawal, Ph.D., Program Manager, ACS Recognition Program
- Ashlie Wrenne, Ph.D. Program Manager, Two-Year Colleges
- Nicholas Garza, Program Manager, ACS Approval Program
- Darrell A. Alexander, Program Specialist/Budget Analyst
- Anna Peterson, Program Specialist
- Nick Jenkins, Data Analyst
