Major Requirements

Within the program, the following six options permit students to select an area of concentration that reflects their particular interests and career goals: core option (A), general American Chemical Society option (B), chemical biology option (C), environmental option (D), business/law option (E), and chemical physics option (F). Normally, this selection is made in consultation with a chemistry adviser in the semester that the major is declared.

The required core courses for option A are listed below. Completion of these courses satisfies the requirements in chemistry for graduation. Additional advanced and research courses are required in options B, C, and D, each of which leads to a degree certified by the American Chemical Society (ACS). Degree options also are available for students interested in using chemistry as a basis for interdisciplinary training (options E, F). For options E and F, courses marked with an asterisk (*) or two (**) in the core are substituted by appropriate courses from other disciplines. The required additional courses or substitutions are described under the individual options.

Some options require upper-level courses in disciplines other than chemistry. These courses may have as prerequisites lower-level courses in those other disciplines. When planning the courses for an option, make sure to research the prerequisites well in advance to avoid being prevented from entering a particular course.

An advanced chemistry course is a course that is not part of the core and has a major portion of the curriculum as a prerequisite, including physical chemistry, in most cases. All 400-level courses offered by the department are considered advanced courses.

Curriculum Goals: Students will demonstrate mastery of the body of knowledge specified by the core curriculum. Students at the upper level will apply what they have learned to problems that require the evaluation of the scientific literature and the design of studies to test hypotheses. Students will use quantitative methods, both analytical and statistical, for modeling and interpreting the behavior of chemical systems. Students will be familiar with the basic experimental methods of organic, inorganic, analytical, and physical chemistry. Students will communicate clearly, both orally and in writing, the methods used in chemical scholarship and research and the results obtained with them.

Career options: Overall, the curriculum is designed to permit the student a wide range of career choices, including, but not limited to, chemistry, medicine, law, business, chemical physics, environmental science, and secondary school teaching.

Required Core Courses

   01:160:161-162  General Chemistry (4,4) or 01:160:163-164  Honors General Chemistry (4,4)

   01:160:171  Introduction to Experimentation (1)

   01:160:251  Analytical Chemistry (3)

   01:160:307-308  Organic Chemistry (4,4) or 01:160:315-316  Principles of Organic Chemistry (4,4)

   01:160:309-310  Organic Chemistry Laboratory (2.5,2.5)*  **

   01:160:327-328  Physical Chemistry (4,4) or 01:160:341-342  Physical Chemistry: Biochemical Systems (3,3)***

   01:160:329  Experimental Physical Chemistry (2.5)

   01:160:348  Instrumental Analysis (3)** or 01:160:344  Introduction to Molecular Biophysics Research (3)**

   01:160:361  Chemical Bonding (1.5)

   01:160:371  Inorganic Chemistry (3)

   01:160:491-492  Seminar in Chemistry (1,1)

   01:640:151-152  Calculus for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (4,4)

   01:640:250  Introductory Linear Algebra (3)*

   01:640:251  Multivariable Calculus (4)

   01:750:203-204  General Physics (3,3)**

   01:750:205-206  General Physics Laboratory (1,1)**

Core Option (A). For students who plan to seek immediate employment as chemists, and who do not seek certification by the American Chemical Society.

Required: Core courses.

General ACS Option (B). For students who seek to find immediate employment as chemists, or who plan to attend graduate or medical school. Leads to a degree certified by the American Chemical Society.

Required: In addition to the core courses, 4 credits of senior-level research, one semester of biochemistry [01:694:407 Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (3) or 11:115:403 General Biochemistry (3)], and one advanced course in chemistry.

Chemical Biology Option (C). For students whose interests are in the application of chemistry to the solution of biological problems. Appropriate for students who plan to attend graduate school in chemistry or related biological sciences or medical school, or who plan to seek immediate employment. Leads to a degree certified by the American Chemical Society.

Required: In addition to the core courses, 4 credits of senior-level research, one semester of biochemistry [01:694:407 Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (3) or 11:115:403 General Biochemistry (3)], and one course from the following:

   01:160:418  Bioorganic Mechanisms (3) or 11:115:412  Protein and Enzyme Chemistry (3)

   01:160:437  Physical Chemistry of Biological Systems (3) or 11:115:410  Physical Biochemistry (3)

   01:160:476  Bioinorganic Chemistry (3)

   01:694:408  Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (3) or 11:115:404  General Biochemistry (3)

   30:715:450  Drugs: Structure and Function (3)

   30:715:451  Advanced Medicinal Chemistry (3)

Environmental Option (D). For students whose interests are in the application of chemistry to environmental problems, who plan to seek employment in environmentally related areas, or who plan to attend graduate school. Leads to a degree certified by the American Chemical Society if one additional course in biochemistry is taken [01:694:407  Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (3) or 11:115:403  General Biochemistry (3)].

Required: In addition to the core courses, 4 credits of senior-level research and two courses from the following:

   01:160:415  Theory and Interpretation of Organic Spectra (3)

   01:160:439  Physical Chemistry of the Environment (3)

   01:160:451  Analytical Spectroscopy (3)

   01:460:401  Introduction to Geochemistry (4)

   01:460:417  Environmental Geochemistry (3)

   11:375:422  Air Sampling and Analysis (3)

   11:375:444  Water Chemistry (3)

   11:628:472  Chemical Oceanography (4)

Business/Law Option (E). For students who seek business or law careers that require a scientific background. Appropriate for those seeking nonlaboratory employment in industry as well as those planning to attend graduate school in business or law.

Required substitutions in the core curriculum: For the following two courses from the list of core courses, 01:160:310  Organic Chemistry Laboratory (2.5) and 01:640:250  Introductory Linear Algebra (3), substitute three business or business-related courses. One of the three courses must be chosen from the following:

   01:355:302  Scientific and Technical Writing (3)

   01:830:373  Organizational and Personnel Psychology (3)

   33:010:272  Introduction to Financial Accounting (3)

The remaining courses must be at the 200 level or above and offered in accounting, communication, economics, finance, management, or marketing. Students electing this option should consult with the vice chair of the undergraduate program in chemistry as early as possible for assistance in selecting the courses for the option and in meeting professional or graduate school requirements.

Chemical Physics Option (F). For students whose interests are in chemical physics and who plan to attend graduate school.

Required substitutions in the core curriculum: For 01:750:203-204 General Physics (3,3), substitute either 01:750:123-124 Analytical Physics (2,2) and 01:750:227-228 Analytical Physics IIA, IIB (3,3) or 01:750:271-272-273 Honors Physics (3,3,3). For 01:750:205-206 General Physics Laboratory (1,1), substitute either 01:750:229-230 Analytical Physics II Laboratory (1,1) or 01:750:275-276 Classical Physics Laboratory (1,1). For 01:160:310 Organic Chemistry Laboratory (2.5) and 01:160:348 Instrumental Analysis (3), substitute 01:640:252 Elementary Differential Equations (3) and 01:750:381 Mechanics (3) and 01:750:385 Electromagnetism (3).

Students who choose the chemical physics option only after having taken 01:750:203-204 General Physics (3,3) and 01:750:205-206 General Physics Laboratory (1,1) normally should take 01:750:323 Advanced General Physics (3) before enrolling in either 01:750:381 Mechanics (3)  or 01:750:385 Electromagnetism (3). A physics adviser should be consulted if there is uncertainty about the proper preparation for any physics course in this option.

Required advanced courses: Two courses chosen from the following:

   01:160:421  Atomic and Molecular Structure (3) or 01:750:361  Quantum Mechanics and Atomic Physics (3)

   01:160:425  Thermodynamics I (3)

   01:160:434  Kinetics (3)

   01:750:406  Introductory Solid State Physics (3)

   01:750:417  Intermediate Quantum Mechanics (3)

Two semesters of senior-level research of at least 3 credits each may be used as a substitute for one advanced course.

The major in chemistry provides an excellent basis for those students who wish to teach in secondary school. Additional requirements for students interested in certification as teachers are set by the Graduate School of Education, which should be consulted for details.

Those students whose needs are not met by any of these options may plan an individual program through consultation with a departmental adviser. Individual programs require written approval of the department chair.

*This course requires a substitute course in option E.

**This course requires a substitute course in option F.

***This course is recommended in option C.