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THE M.I.T. PLAN FOR UNDERGRADUATE CHEMICAL EDUCATION' DAVID N. HUME Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
ALTHOUGH the circumstances of half-a-century ago made the sequence of courses in the traditional fouryear undergraduate chemical curriculum the most logical and effective one for that time, the passage of the years has resulted in so many changes hoth in teaching and in the nature of chemistry itself that a re-evaluation of teaching methods in the light of present needs seemed imperative. Accordingly, a special departmental committee a t the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was given the responsibility of making such a n evaluation and recommending how best to make use of the time available for the teaching of chemistry t o undergraduate chemistry majors. The plan described in this paper is the outcome of the work of that committee. Up until the present time, the sequence of subjects in the M.I.T. curriculum has been fairly traditional: first a year of general chemistry, then qualitative and quantitative analysis in the second year, followed by organic and physical, taken simultaneously in the third. The fourth year chemical subjects have been advanced courses and senior thesis, which is required of all students. The chief drawbacks to this arrangement were felt to lie in the first two years. The rapid expansion of chemical knowledge and the necessity of making first year chemistry a general introduction t o the whole science of chemistry suitable as a terminal course for students in many of the engineering curricula had resulted in the elimination of a large fraction of the descriptive and systematic inorganic formerly given in the first year. In order to alleviate this situation, the sophomore analytical courses had shifted more and more emphasis to inorganic chemistry, to the detriment of analytical instruction as such. Added to this unfortunate set of circumstances was the fact that the kind of analytical chemistry which has real meaning for the present day, i.e., based extensively on physical methods and applying equally t o organic and inorganic chemistry, cannot he taught properly a t the sophomore level. Presented as part of the Symppsium on New Ideas in the Four-Year Chemistry Curriculum before the Division of Chemical Education a t the 132nd Meeting of the American Chemical Society, New York, September, 1957.
THE NEW CURRICULUM
First and Second Year. The committee developed the following plan, which has been put into effect as of September, 1957, and which would appear to eliminate the greatest number of drawbacks without introducing new difficulties of equal complexity. The first year remains substantially as before: a course in general chemistry, compromising to meet the needs of hoth chemistry major and terminating student as well as possible. Increased emphasis is being placed on qnalitative analysis in the freshman laboratory to compensate in part for the loss of qnalitative analysis as a separate course, which is no longer to be given. Instead, the second year is devoted to organic chemistry, the junior course being moved ahead one year without significant alteration in content or approach. Our experience to date with the first group of sophomores has been highly satisfactory. The laboratory is also essentially the same as it had been when taught to juniors except that the part involving qualitative organic analysis has been removed to he given in the following year when the students will have had a sufficient background in German to use the literature effectively. The change to organic chemistry in the second year has had a favorable effect on student interest and morale inasmuch as the second-year material is clearly new and different from that which was being studied in the first year. Third Year. I n the junior year, physical chemistry (lecture and laboratory) is taken during both semesters as a t present. Concurrently with it, in the first semester, the students have qualitative organic analysis lahoratory and a lecture course in inorganic chemistry. The latter serves hoth to give a sound exposition of the principles of inorganic structure and reactions at a level not possible with freshmen, and also to fill in the gaps in factual inorganic chemistry left by the disappearance of qualitative analysis. An elective inorganic laboratory course is to be made available in the near future. Analytical chemistry, as such, does not appear until the second half of the third year, a t which point qnantitative analysis is introduced. By virtue of the student's quite extensive chemical background, it no longer has to
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
be limited to the classical gravimetric and volumetric inorganic analysis conventionally given, but can be instead, a much more realistic approach to analytical chemistry the way it is practiced today. Equal emphasis can be given, for example, to inorganic and organic methods. Theory can be developed rigorously and applications introduced from all branches of cbemistry. I n keeping with the realistic approach to the subject as a whole, modern methods are introduced into the laboratory, of which the use of the automatic balance is one example. The emphasis in the first semester of analytical chemistry laboratory is properly on volumetric and gravimetric methods, but the simpler and commoner instruments such as pH meters and colorimeters are also utilized a t this time. Fourth Year. Instrumental analysis, the use of optical and electrical methods in the solution of chemical problems, is given in the first semester of the senior year. Also found in the senior year is the experimental thesis, which may be in any branch of chemistry and which we consider to be a very important part of the nndergraduate's training, and a variety of chemical electives. These comprise three courses in advanced inorganic and nuclear chemistry, five in advanced organic chemistry, and four in advanced physical chemistry. Of the twelve, the student elects six, and the unusually able student may substitute or elect in addition a number of the graduate courses which are offeredin the four fields of specialization. The whole curriculum, including other subjects, is summarized in a table. Although this curriculum was designed for the chemistry major, there has been great interest shown by other departments and several of these (notably chemical engineering and food technology) have already taken steps to change to the same basic sequence of courses in their requirements. It is anticipated that within two or three years, all students continuing in chemistry will take organic chemistry in the second year and quantitative analysis later. CONCLUSIONS
The advantages of this curriculum appear to be considerable. Organic chemistry is introduced early in the sequence, allowing the teaching of inorganic, analytical, and physical chemistry to be based on a background of a t least two years of college mathematics and physics. The effectiveness of teaching in organic chemistry is not impaired while that of analytical chemistry is enormously improved. Inorganic chemistry emerges as a
VOLUME 35, NO. 4, APRIL, 1958
professional specialization, distinct from general chemistry, a full year earlier than is possible with the usual system of advanced inorganic courses reserved for the senior year. Organic chemistry gains a similar time advantage, and analytical chemistry as a professional specialization certainly does not lose in no longer being equated in the student'smind with themethods and techniques of Fresenius' time. The general effectiveness of teaching in this revised curriculum can be expected to be increased by two factors quite apart from the advantages inherent in the program itself. One is that it is now possible for the individual courses, other than general chemistry, to be again properly classified within the four fields: inorganic, analytical, organic, and physical, and for them to be taught by staff members whose professional specialization is within that same field. The other factor is, or course, that anyone can do an improved job of teaching if he feels that what he is teaching is truly up-to-date, and as applicable to the world outside the university as within. Outline of M.I.T.Curriculum for Chemistry Majora First Term General Chemistry Physics Western Civilization Caloulus Military or Air Science Elective
First Year Second Term General Chemistry Physics Western Civilization Calculus Military or Air Science Elective Second Year
Cdeulus Military or Air Science 1,anguage Humanities
sieal CheGstry Phj.sical Chemistry Laborstory Humanities Elective
Thesis Humanities Electives
Physical C Physical C tory Humanities Elective
