Programs in the Department of Chemistry may lead to either the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science degree. In addition, the American Chemical Society (ACS) certifies a more rigorous Bachelor of Science option.
The B.A. degree is appropriate for students who are interested in chemistry but do not wish to pursue a career as a laboratory scientist. The B.S. degree prepares students to pursue graduate study in Chemistry or to find employment in technologically oriented industries.
Prospective majors with a good high school chemistry background should take CHEM 1137Q Enhanced General Chemistry I and CHEM 1138Q Enhanced General Chemistry II in their first year. Those in the Honors Program have the option to take CHEM 1147Q Honors General Chemistry I and CHEM 1148Q Honors General Chemistry II. Other prospective majors should take CHEM 1127Q General Chemistry I and CHEM 1128Q General Chemistry II or CHEM 1124Q Fundamentals of General Chemistry I, CHEM 1125Q Fundamentals of General Chemistry II and CHEM 1126Q Fundamentals of General Chemistry III.
Requirements
Chemistry majors must complete the following mathematics and physics sequences:
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
MATH 1131Q
& MATH 1132Q | Calculus I
and Calculus II | 8 |
| MATH 2110Q | Multivariable Calculus | 4 |
| MATH 2410Q | Elementary Differential Equations | 3 |
| 8-11 |
| General Physics I
and General Physics II
and General Physics Problems | |
| General Physics with Calculus I
and General Physics with Calculus II | |
| Physics for Engineers I
and Physics for Engineers II | |
| Fundamentals of Physics I
and Fundamentals of Physics II | |
| Total Credits | 23-26 |
Failure to complete these sequences by the end of the fourth semester may delay completion of the degree.
Requirements for the B.A. and B.S. Degrees
Requirements for the B.A. and B.S. degrees are as follows:
Bachelor of Science
At least 35 credits of Chemistry courses numbered 2000 and above must be successfully completed for the Bachelor of Science in Chemistry in addition to the College B.S. requirements.
Chemistry Option
The requirements include:
Chemistry Option (ACS Certified)
American Chemical Society certification requires an additional course in biochemistry, and one advanced chemistry course:
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| CHEM 2443 | Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 2444 | Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 2445 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 3 |
| CHEM 3210 | Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 3214 | Intermediate Inorganic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 3215 | Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory | 3 |
| CHEM 3332 | Quantitative Analytical Chemistry | 4 |
| CHEM 3334 | Instrumental Analysis I | 4 |
| CHEM 3563 | Physical Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 3564 | Physical Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 3565W | Physical Chemistry Laboratory | 3 |
| MCB 3010 | Biochemistry | 5 |
| or MCB 2000 | Introduction to Biochemistry |
| 3 |
| Undergraduate Research | |
| Polymeric Materials | |
| Thesis for Undergraduate Chemistry Majors | |
| Environmental Chemistry - Atmosphere | |
| Environmental Chemistry - Hydrosphere | |
| Introduction to Quantum Chemistry | |
| |
| Total Credits | 43 |
Environmental Chemistry Option (ACS Certified)
The requirements include those listed above for the ACS certified B.S. degree in Chemistry with the exception of CHEM 3215 Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory. In addition, the sequence CHEM 4370 Environmental Chemistry - Atmosphere - CHEM 4371 Environmental Chemistry - Hydrosphere is required:
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| CHEM 2443 | Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 2444 | Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 2445 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 3 |
| CHEM 3210 | Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 3214 | Intermediate Inorganic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 3332 | Quantitative Analytical Chemistry | 4 |
| CHEM 3334 | Instrumental Analysis I | 4 |
| CHEM 3563 | Physical Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 3564 | Physical Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 3565W | Physical Chemistry Laboratory | 3 |
| MCB 3010 | Biochemistry | 5 |
| or MCB 2000 | Introduction to Biochemistry |
| 3 |
| Undergraduate Research | |
| Polymeric Materials | |
| Thesis for Undergraduate Chemistry Majors | |
| Environmental Chemistry - Atmosphere | |
| Environmental Chemistry - Hydrosphere | |
| Introduction to Quantum Chemistry | |
| |
CHEM 4370
& CHEM 4371 | Environmental Chemistry - Atmosphere
and Environmental Chemistry - Hydrosphere | 6 |
| Total Credits | 46 |
Bachelor of Arts
At least 28 credits of Chemistry courses numbered 2000 or above must be successfully completed for the Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry in addition to the College Bachelor of Arts requirements. The requirements include those listed above for the B.S. degree Chemistry option with the exception of CHEM 3215 Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory and CHEM 3334 Instrumental Analysis I.
Other Requirements
The grade point average in all of the required chemistry courses must be at least 2.3 for the ACS certified degree.
All B.S. students are strongly encouraged to participate in undergraduate research through one or more semesters of CHEM 3189 Undergraduate Research, preferably with a capstone thesis (CHEM 4196W Thesis for Undergraduate Chemistry Majors) in the final semester.
To satisfy the information literacy competency, all students must take CHEM 3565W Physical Chemistry Laboratory. Other courses that further enhance competency in information literacy include CHEM 3170W Technical Communications, CHEM 3189 Undergraduate Research, CHEM 3215 Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, CHEM 3334 Instrumental Analysis I, and CHEM 4196W Thesis for Undergraduate Chemistry Majors.
To satisfy the writing in the major requirement, all students must take CHEM 3565W Physical Chemistry Laboratory. Other courses that will further help students develop writing skills in chemistry include CHEM 3170W Technical Communications, and CHEM 4196W Thesis for Undergraduate Chemistry Majors.
A minor in Chemistry is described in the “Minors” section.
University Common Curriculum Requirements
Every student must meet a set of core requirements to earn a baccalaureate degree, in addition to those required by the student's major course of study and other requirements set by the student's school or college. For more information about these requirements, please see Common Curriculum Requirements.
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Degree Requirements
Students must meet a set of requirements established by the college in addition to the University's Common Curriculum requirements. For more information, see the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section of this catalog.
