Unique PSU degree program to change, not disappear, in departmental restructuring

By Lina Kudo and Trinity Haynes

Pittsburg State University is one of the few universities in the United States that offers a major in polymer chemistry—but not for long.  

That program, along with the rest of the chemistry department, will merge in fall 2026 with the physics department as part of a broader reorganization among multiple departments.  

Currently, the physics department is a part of the mathematics department at Pittsburg State University, while chemistry functions as a standalone department.  

However, university administrators have decided to combine the two disciplines under one structure.  

Pitt State will not lose its polymer chemistry facilities entirely. Students will still be able to study the field, but instead of earning a degree in polymer chemistry, they will be majoring in chemistry or material science with an emphasis in polymer chemistry.  

Dr. Khamis Siam, chair of the chemistry and biology department’s, said the merger makes sense.  

“We don’t really close the major,” Siam said. “We repurpose something. It’s going to be called material science.” 

The new material science major will include an emphasis in polymer chemistry, meaning students will still be able to train for careers in the field.  

The university will also continue to host Pitt Plastics, a major manufacturer and supplier of plastic products specializing in can liners, industrial bags and food service products in the Crossland Center of Technology.  

Students fear that the merger could result in fewer specialized courses, but Siam said that classes will keep offering the same curriculum at the same frequency.  

The change comes as a surprise to some, including polymer chemistry senior Lucas Hanna, who said he was unaware of the looming merger. 

Carlos Chavez, another student studying polymer chemistry, said he is concerned about the loss of the standalone major after seeing similar changes at other universities.   

“A similar situation actually happened in a university nearby my home,” Chavez said.  “There was like a lot of things going around them because the students didn’t want to merge departments. So it was something that really impacted the campus back in my home, in my hometown.”  

Still, Siam said the merger shouldn’t have a big effect on the university or the community.  

“I don’t think it will affect the university much,” Siam said. “The only effect on the university as a whole is going to be what we do with the master’s program.”   

Instead of offering a master’s degree specifically in polymer chemistry, the university will offer a master’s in material science with an emphasis in polymer chemistry.  

Department leaders say they plan to focus on recruiting and retaining students as academic interests change, allowing the university to keep the enrollment high enough for the department to operate successfully.  

According to Siam, the number of PSU chemistry students peaked in 2010 with 150 students before sliding to the 45 students they have today.  

“We are not going to beat that number,” Siam said, “because students are choosing different options. By nature, chemistry is hard, and physics is hard. Maybe students like chemistry, and they go into it, and they find out it’s not that easy.”  

The department tries to increase that number by hosting outreach events such as Science Day, which brings approximately 600 high school students to campus each year for hands-on lab experiences. The department also uses social media to promote these programs to reach more students interested in chemistry.  

However, from Hanna’s point of view, there could be more outreach at community colleges. Until transferring to Pitt State from Coffeyville Community College, he said he did not know studying polymer chemistry was an option.  

He suggests the university might spend more time visiting other schools sharing information about the program.  

“Just have someone that goes to their local community college and just brings it up, talks to them,” Hanna said. “I would have been able to accomplish more by now if, theoretically, in high school or in going to community college, they had someone to talk to us at that time to be like, ‘Hey, this is a viable field, here’s some of the things that we offer.’”   

While the merger will change the structure and degree titles, students say the program’s quality remains strong.  

Despite the concerns, both Hanna and Chavez said they would still recommend studying polymer chemistry at Pitt State because of the strong curriculum, experienced professors and updated equipment.  

“They really want us, the students, to understand these important materials because it’s very important now, not only for chemistry, but also for the world to understand what polymers are,” Chavez said.  

Hanna said programs in plastics and polymer chemistry are limited nationwide.  

“There’s only like a handful of schools that offer anything in the plastics field, being in plastics, plastics technology or in polymer chemistry,” Hanna said.