The Biology, Chemistry and Biological Chemistry majors are designed so that a student does not need to choose among them until registration for the fourth semester. Consult the previous sections on Biology and Biological Chemistry for more information. Students with AP/IB credit who plan to take organic chemistry (CHM221) in the second year must take CHM 210 their first year.
Students interested in Chemistry should take both Chemistry 129 and Chemistry 210 in their first year, plus two semesters of mathematics, either Math 131-133 or Math 123-124. Students deciding between chemistry or biological chemistry should take Chemistry 129 and Biology 150 during the first year, as well as Math 131-133 or Math 123-124.
Chemistry 129 is offered both semesters in both a traditional and discovery based workshop format. The workshop format combines lecture and laboratory portions of the course, while the traditional format meets for 3-50 minute classes/week plus a 3 hour laboratory. The traditional format uses a mix of teaching styles, including lecture, demonstrations and small group problem solving. The workshop format primarily utilizes group problem solving and laboratory exploration.
Students with AP4/IB6 or other college credit should consult a member of the chemistry department to confirm the appropriate first course. Many students with AP/IB credit start in CHM 210, which is offered both semesters. Students with AP/IB credit or other off-campus credit to substitute for Chemistry 129 must take Chemistry 210 as a pre-requisite for Chemistry 221.
Listed below is a sample schedule for students planning a major in chemistry.
|FIRST YEAR FALL||FIRST YEAR SPRING|
|CHM 129, MAT 131 (123)+++||CHM 210, MAT 133 (124)|
|SECOND YEAR FALL||SECOND YEAR SPRING|
|CHM 221, PHY 131, (MAT 133)||CHM 222, PHY 132|
|THIRD YEAR FALL||THIRD YEAR SPRING|
|CHM 363 or OCS++||CHM 363 or OCS++|
|FOURTH YEAR FALL||FOURTH YEAR SPRING|
|CHM 3XX, CHM 499+||CHM 3XX or CHM 423|
+ CHM 499 can be completed during any semester during the junior or senior year or in a summer research program.
++ CHM 363 is offered both semesters, and concurrent registration with PHY 132 is permitted on a space available basis. If CHM 363 is overenrolled in a particular semester priority is given to students who have completed PHY 132. Students who want to take CHM 363 in a particular semester should complete the physics sequence as early as possible.
+++Students with AP credit in Math or Physics are strongly encouraged to complete the Math and Physics sequences early.