B.A. in Chemistry

As of Fall 2025, the Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry degree is no longer offered by the department. The information provided below is for students finishing out their B.A. Chemistry degrees.

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, 13-14 hours of approved chemistry electives, two semesters of physics (PHYS 101/101L and 102/102L), two semesters of calculus (MATH 155 and 156), and four semesters of a foreign language (prior to Fall 2024).

Required Chemistry Courses for B.A. Degree in Chemistry

CHEM 115/115L and 116/116L - Fundamentals of Chemistry            8 hours

CHEM 215/215L – Introductory Analytical Chemistry                         4 hours  

CHEM 233/233L and 234/234L - Organic Chemistry                         8 hours

CHEM 341/341L – Physical Chemistry: Brief Course                        4 hours

CHEM 402 – Chemical Literature                                                      3 hours

                                                                             *Total: 27 hours

Approved Chemistry Electives for B.A. Degree in Chemistry

CHEM 310 – Instrumental Analysis                                                3 hours

CHEM 312 – Environmental Chemistry                                          3 hours

CHEM 310L – Instrumental Analysis Laboratory                            1 hour

CHEM 322 – Inorganic Chemistry 1                                               3 hours

CHEM 335/335L – Methods of Structure Determination                4 hours

AGBI 410 – Introductory Biochemistry                                            3 hours

CHEM 422 – Intermediate Inorganic Chemistry                              3 hours

CHEM 422L - Inorganic Synthesis Laboratory                                2 hours

CHEM 493 – Special Topics                          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

Only six hours of CHEM 493, 496, or 497, separately or collectively, may be used to fulfill the chemistry elective requirement.  With course instructor and chemistry advisor consent, 500-level chemistry graduate courses can count toward elective credit for the chemistry B.A.

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 346/346L and 348 in lieu of CHEM 341 and 341L and three hours of chemistry electives. CHEM 348L may be taken as two hours of chemistry electives.

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

It is important to note that whereas CHEM 115/115L, 116/116L, 233/233L, and 234/234L are offered during the fall, spring, and summer terms, the remaining required and elective chemistry courses are not offered during the summer term and may be 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 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 & Technology	Satisfied by chemistry degree requirements (i.e., CHEM 115/115L)	4-6
F3:  Mathematics & Quantitative Skills	Satisfied by chemistry degree requirements (i.e., MATH 155)	3-4
F4:  Society & Connections	Completion of one F4 course from GEF list	3
F5:  Human Inquiry & the Past	Completion of one F5 course from GEF list	3
F6:  The Arts & Creativity	Completion of one F6 course from GEF list	3
F7:  Global Studies & 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 (For the B.A. Chemistry degree, archived catalogs prior to 2025-26 must be viewed.)