Chemistry Major
The Department of Chemistry offers a Bachelor’s of Science (B.S.) in Chemistry with a major in Chemistry. This page provides details on the major requirements. At the bottom of the page, additional requirements for the ACS certified Chemistry Degree can be found.
Sample Plans for Degree Progress Towards the B.S.in Chemistry
Sample First Year Plans for starting the BS in Chemistry
2-year completion plans (primarily for transfer students) for the Chemistry Degree or ACS-Certified Degree
Required Entrance Level Courses and Prerequisite Courses
| Course | Credits | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| General Chemistry I with Lab (CHEM 111) | 4 |
offered fall and summer terms, a trailer for students completing CHEM 101 in the fall is offered in spring semester prerequisite for CHEM 112 with C- or better grade students must complete the chemistry placement test before registering for CHEM 111 Fulfills the Natural Sciences Gen Ed |
| General Chemistry II with Lab (CHEM 112) | 4 |
offered spring and summer terms, a trailer for students completing CHEM 111 in the spring is offered in fall semester prerequisite for all upper-level chemistry courses Fulfills Natural Sciences Gen Ed |
| Calculus I (MATH 121) | 4 |
offered fall and spring semesters prerequisite for Calculus II Fulfills Quantitative Reasoning Gen Ed |
| Calculus II (MATH 122) | 4 |
offered fall and spring semesters prerequisite for Physical Chemistry I (CHEM 383) |
| General Physics with Lab (PHYS 101) or University Physics with Lab (PHYS 105) | 4 |
offered fall semester and summer term (PHYS 101) prerequisite for PHYS 102 or PHYS 106 PHYS 105 is Writing Intensive |
| General Physics II with Lab (PHYS 102) or University Physics with Lab (PHYS 106) | 4 |
offered spring semester and summer term (PHYS 102) prerequisite for Physical Chemistry I (CHEM 383) PHYS 106 is Writing Intensive |
Major Requirements
| Course | Credits | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Organic Chemistry I with Lab (CHEM 211) | 4 |
offered fall semesters prerequisite: CHEM 112 with a C or better |
| Organic Chemistry II with Lab (CHEM 212) | 4 |
offered spring semesters prerequisite: CHEM 211 with a C or better |
| Chemical Analysis I with Lab (CHEM 253) | 4 |
offered fall semesters prerequisite: CHEM 112 with a C or better |
| Chemical Analysis II with Lab (CHEM 254) | 4 |
offered spring semesters prerequisite: CHEM 112 with a C or better |
| Physical Chemistry I Lecture (CHEM 383A) | 3 |
offered fall semesters prerequisites: MATH 122, PHYS 102 or PHYS 106, and a grade of C or better in CHEM 112 |
| Physical Chemistry II Lecture (CHEM 384A) |
offered spring semesters prerequisites: MATH 122, PHYS 102 or PHYS 106, a grade of C or better in CHEM 112, and CHEM 383A | |
| Physical Chemistry I Laboratory (CHEM 387A) | 2 |
offered fall semesters prerequisites: CHEM 253, CHEM 254 co-requisite: CHEM 383A Writing Intensive |
| Physical Chemistry II Laboratory (CHEM 388A) |
offered spring semesters prerequisites: CHEM 253, CHEM 254, CHEM 387A co-requisite: CHEM 384A Speaking Intensive | |
| Experimental Methods Chemistry with Lab (CHEM 423) | 4 |
offered fall semesters prerequisites: CHEM 212, CHEM 253 and CHEM 254 Writing Intensive |
| Senior Seminar (CHEM 453) | 2 |
offered spring semesters prerequisite: graduating majors with major GPA of 2.0 or higher or with permission of the department Speaking Intensive |
ACS-certified Degree in Chemistry
Students seeking to earn the ACS-certified degree in Chemistry need to complete the requirements above in addition to the following requirements.
| Courses | Credits | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Biochemistry I Lecture (CHEM 317) | 3 |
offered fall semesters prerequisite: CHEM 212 with a grade of C or above Digital intensive |
| Biochemistry I Laboratory (CHEM 319) | 1 |
offered fall semesters and occasionally spring semesters co-requisite: CHEM 317 Writing intensive |
| Inorganic Chemistry Lecture (CHEM 343) | 3 |
offered alternative spring semesters prerequisite: CHEM 112 with grade of C or better |
| Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory (CHEM 345) | 1 |
offered alternative spring semesters prerequisite: CHEM 253, CHEM 254 co-requisite: CHEM 343 |
| laboratory hours to reach the ACS requirement | 1 |
could be fulfilled with CHEM 320, URES 197, or CHEM 491 URES 197 or CHEM 491 fulfill Beyond the Classroom General Education requirement |