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B.A. in Chemistry

The B.A. degree in Chemistry provides the chemistry background needed by students who plan to pursue in a career in the health sciences (medicine, dentistry, pharmacology, biochemistry), secondary science education, business, or law.  The B.A. degree requires successful completion of the required chemistry curriculum listed below, 7 hours of approved chemistry electives, two semesters of physics (PHYS 101 and 102), two semesters of calculus (MATH 155 and 156), and four semesters of a foreign language.

Required Chemistry Courses for B.A. Degree in Chemistry

CHEM 115 and 116 - Fundamentals of Chemistry                        8 hours

CHEM 215 – Introductory Analytical Chemistry                             4 hours  

*or instead of CHEM 115, CHEM 116, and CHEM 215, a student may substitute

CHEM 117 and 118 – Principles of Chemistry                               10 hours

CHEM 233 and 234 - Organic Chemistry                                       6 hours

CHEM 235 and 236 – Organic Chemistry Laboratory                    2 hours

CHEM 341 – Physical Chemistry: Brief Course                              3 hours

CHEM 342 – Experimental Physical Chemistry                              1 hour

CHEM 401 – Chemical Literature                                                   1 hour

CHEM 403 - Undergraduate Seminar                                            1 hour

                                                                           *Total: 24 or 26 hours

Approved Chemistry Electives for B.A. Degree in Chemistry

CHEM 310 – Instrumental Analysis                                                3 hours

CHEM 312 – Environmental Chemistry                                          3 hours

CHEM 313 – Instrumental Analysis Laboratory                              1 hour

CHEM 335 – Methods of Structure Determination                         4 hours

CHEM 339 – Organic Synthesis                                                      3 hours

AGBI 410 – Introductory Biochemistry                                            3 hours

CHEM 422 – Intermediate Inorganic Chemistry                              3 hours

CHEM 423 - Inorganic Synthesis Laboratory                                  2 hours

CHEM 460 – Forensic Chemistry                                                    3 hours

CHEM 463 – Forensic Chemistry Laboratory                                  1 hour

CHEM 493 – Special Topics                          up to a maximum of 3 hours

CHEM 490 – Teaching Practicum                  up to a maximum of 3 hours

CHEM 496 – Senior Thesis                            up to a maximum of 3 hours

CHEM 497 – Research                                   up to a maximum of 3 hours

CHEM 498 – Honors: Organic Chemistry         up to a maximum of 2 hours

CHEM 514 - Mass Spectrometry Principles and Practice               3 hours     

CHEM 531 – Advanced Organic Chemistry 1                                  3 hours

CHEM 532 – Advanced Organic Chemistry 2                                  3 hours

CHEM 540 – Bonding and Molecular Structure                               3 hours

CHEM 547 – Chemical Crystallography                                           3 hours

Only three hours of CHEM 493, 496, or 497, separately or collectively, may be used to fulfill the chemistry elective requirement.  CHEM 498, 540, and 547 were formerly CHEM 293A, 450, and 441, respectively. 500-level graduate courses require faculty consent.

Performance requirements

A 2.0 G. P. A. must be maintained in all chemistry courses at the 300 and 400 level, excluding 490-497 chemistry courses.  A grade of C or better must be obtained in all prerequisites for chemistry courses, which include chemistry (CHEM 115, 116, 215 (or 117, 118), 233, 234, 235, 236, 341, 401), physics (PHYS 101, 102), and mathematics (MATH 155, 156) courses.  

Options

A B.A. Chemistry major may take CHEM 346, 347, and 348 in lieu of CHEM 341 and 342 and three hours of chemistry electives.  CHEM 349 may be taken as two hours of chemistry electives.

A B.A. Chemistry major may substitute PHYS 111 and 112 for PHYS 101 and 102.

The  flowchart for the B.A. Chemistry degree depicts the chronological order of completion of the required chemistry courses with their academic prerequisites noted in parentheses.  It is important to note that whereas CHEM 115, 116, 233, 234, 235, 236, and 497 are offered during the fall, spring, and summer terms, the remaining required and elective chemistry courses are offered only once during the academic year.  

GEF Requirement for the B.A. Degree in Chemistry

Effective with the beginning of the fall 2016 semester, all students entering the University must fulfill the General Education Foundations (GEF) requirement by taking appropriate courses in eight foundation areas (F1-F8).  Specific information about the these foundation areas are provided below:

Learning Objectives

Requirement

Credit Hours

F1:  Composition and    Rhetoric

Completion of English 101, 102 or English 103

  3 or 6

F2:  Science and Technology

Satisfied by chemistry degree requirements

  4-6

F3:  Mathematics and Quantitative Skills

Satisfied by chemistry degree requirements

  3-4

F4:  Society and Connections

Completion of one F4 course from GEF list

  3

 

F5:  Human Inquiry and the Past

Completion of one F5 course from GEF list

  3

 

F6:  The Arts and Creativity

Completion of one F6 course from GEF list

  3

 

F7:  Global Studies and Diversity

Completion of one F7 course from GEF list

  3

 

F8:  Focus

Satisfied by chemistry degree requirements

  9

 

Total GEF hours

 

  31-37

WVU Course Catalog