Areas of emphasis include analytical, bio-, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry. Students are also able to participate in interdisciplinary studies through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Center for Materials and Nanoscience, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Center for Biotechnology, the University of Nebraska Center for Environmental Toxicology, and the University of Nebraska Cancer Center. The latter two programs run jointly between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
The department is the sole occupant of Hamilton Hall, a modern nine-story building containing lecture halls, research and teaching labs, full-time glassblowing and electronics shops, a variety of modern research instrumentation, and the Nebraska Center for Mass Spectrometry.