Core Courses

Introductory Chemistry

  • CHEM 2070 + CHEM 2080 (Fall & Spring, lecture plus laboratory, 4 credits each) or
  • CHEM 2150 (Fall, lecture plus laboratory, 4 credits)

Admission to CHEM 2150 requires a 5 on the Chemistry Advanced Placement Exam, a 6 or 7 on the International Baccalaureate Chemistry Exam, or the permission of the course’s instructor.

Organic Chemistry

Students who are planning for graduate study in Chemistry or a career as a chemist or healthcare professional are strongly advised to take one of the two-semester sequences.  CHEM 3570 + 3580 or CHEM 3590 + 3600 is required for the Honors Curriculum.

Core Organic Chemistry laboratory

  • CHEM 2510 (Fall and Spring, lecture plus laboratory, 2 credits)

Inorganic Chemistry

Mathematics

AP credit may be substituted for MATH 1110, MATH 1120, or both MATH 1110 + 1120. 

Physics

AP credit may be substituted for one or both of the courses in these sequences.  The PHYS 1101 – 1102 sequence is NOT acceptable.

Physical Chemistry

Students who are planning for graduate study in Chemistry or a career as a chemist are strongly advised to take CHEM 3890 + 3900.  The CHEM 3890 – 3900 sequence is required for the Honors Curriculum.  Students taking CHEM 3890 and 3900 are required, as a prerequisite, to take a semester of Multivariable Calculus (highly recommended) or Linear Algebra from the electives below.

  • MATH 1920 (Multivariable Calculus for Engineers, Fall and Spring, 4 credits) or
  • MATH 2130 (Calculus III, Spring, 4 credits) or
  • MATH 2220 (Multivariable Calculus, Fall and Spring, 4 credits) or
  • MATH 2210 (Linear Algebra, Fall and Spring, 4 credits) or
  • MATH 2310 (Linear Algebra with Applications, Fall, 4 credits) or
  • MATH 2940 (Linear Algebra for Engineers, Fall and Spring, 4 credits)

Core Physical/Analytical laboratory

  • CHEM 3020 + CHEM 3030 (Fall & Spring, lecture plus laboratory, 4 credits each) or
  • CHEM 2900 (Fall and Spring, lecture plus laboratory, 2 credits)

Students who are planning for graduate study in Chemistry or a career as a chemist are advised to take CHEM 3020 + 3030.  CHEM 3020 + 3030 are required for the Honors Curriculum.

Upper-level laboratory courses

A total of 8 credits of laboratory coursework, including core Organic and Physical/Analytical laboratory courses, is required.

The Honors Curriculum requires CHEM 3010, CHEM 3020, + CHEM 3030.  This sequence is strongly advised for students planning graduate study in Chemistry or a career as a chemist.  A student completing this Honor laboratory sequence has already fulfilled the upper-level laboratory-course requirement.

A student who completes the core laboratory requirement by taking CHEM 2510, CHEM 3020, & CHEM 3030 has earned 10 laboratory credits.  This student has likewise already fulfilled the upper-level laboratory-course requirement.

A student completing the core laboratory requirement by taking CHEM 2510 + CHEM 2900 has finished only 4 of the required 8 credits of laboratory coursework; this student needs to complete 4 more credits of laboratory coursework.  There are a number of ways to earn the remaining laboratory credits. For example the student could take CHEM 3010 (Honors Experimental [Synthetic] Chemistry I, 4 credits).  They could take an approved 4-credit laboratory course outside the department, for example BIOMG 4400 (Laboratory in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 4 credits). Alternatively, the student could take a combination of outside laboratory courses totaling 4 credits; for example NS 3320 (Methods in Nutritional Sciences, 3 credits) plus EAS 3030 (Introduction to Biogeochemistry, 1 credit).

Credits for independent research (CHEM 4210, CHEM 4330, CHEM 4610, or CHEM 4770) do NOT count toward the laboratory requirement.

Upper-level electives

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