B.S. in Chemistry
As of Fall 2025, the B.S. degree in Chemistry includes three different focus areas and foundational coverage of the academic sub-disciplines of chemistry (analytical, inorganic, organic, physical, and/or biochemistry). The degree is designed for students who want to acquire extensive knowledge of chemistry, in preparation for health professional school, graduate studies in chemistry or a related discipline, or for a career as a chemist working in a laboratory.
The three focus areas are (i) Chemistry & Health, (ii) Chemistry & the Environment, and (iii) Certified Chemist. The focus area of Chemistry & Health prepares students for careers in health-related sciences and entry into health professional schools such as dentistry, pharmacy, medicine, and biomedical research. The Chemistry & the Environment focus area prepares students for careers in environmental testing and analysis and for further schooling in environmental or toxicological chemistry. Areas such as secondary school teaching; chemical laboratory technical work; law; or business may be pursued with a proper choice of electives.
The Certified Chemist focus area is approved by the American Chemical Society (ACS) and students who complete this curriculum receive a certificate from the ACS. This focus area is for students who desire to qualify for professional positions in industrial and governmental laboratories as well as those who plan to do graduate work in chemistry or allied areas in preparation for research careers in government, industry or academia. The American Chemical Society has approved the academic curriculum of our B.S. Certified Chemist degree program since 1941. The Certified Chemist focus area requires two semesters of calculus-based physics (PHYS 111/111L and 112/112L), two semesters of calculus (MATH 155 and 156), and a one-semester course in biochemistry.
A chemistry degree is versatile and marketable. A myriad of career options such as forensics, counterfeit specialist, environmental chemistry, occupational health and safety, industrial engineering, patent and intellectual property law, pharmaceutical research or sales, cosmetics, food science/flavorist, and fuel science are open to chemistry majors. In addition, chemistry is one of the most important topics for pre-med students and the acceptance rate of chemistry majors to health professional schools is very high.
Independent of focus area, the Bachelor of science in chemistry major is similar during the first two years. Students in the B.S. program should complete the calculus 1 (MATH 155) requirement as soon as possible to facilitate their choice of focus area and/or as a prerequisite for both the physics and physical chemistry courses. The three focus areas differ primarily in the upper-level chemistry elective requirements. The Certified Chemist program requires more upper-level chemistry courses than the other two focus areas. However, students can easily shift between the three focus areas or transfer into the chemistry major from another major.
Required Chemistry Courses for B.S. Degree in Chemistry
CHEM 191 - First-Year Seminar for Chemistry Majors (or equivalent) 1 hour
CHEM 115/115L and 116/116L - Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 & 2 (lecture and lab) 8 hours
CHEM 215/215L – Introductory Analytical Chemistry (lecture and lab) 4 hours
CHEM 233/233L and 234/234L - Organic Chemistry 1 & 2 (lecture and lab) 8 hours
CHEM 322 - Inorganic Chemistry 1 3 hours
WRIT 305 - Technical Writing 3 hours
CHEM 402 - Chemistry Capstone: Chemical Literature 3 hours
Chemistry & Health Focus Area
CHEM 335/335L – Methods of Structure Determination (lecture and lab) 4 hours
CHEM 335 - Fundamental concepts in Early Drug Discovery 3 hours
CHEM 422L - Inorganic Synthesis Laboratory 2 hours
AGBI 410 - Introductory Biochemistry 3 hours
Chemistry & the Environment Focus Area
CHEM 310/310L – Instrumental Analysis 4 hours
CHEM 312 - Environmental Chemistry 3 hours
CHEM 341/341L - Physical Chemistry: Brief Course (lecture and lab) 4 hours
ACS Certified Chemist Focus Area
CHEM 341/341L - Physical Chemistry: Brief Course (lecture and lab) 4 hours
CHEM 422L - Inorganic Synthesis Laboratory 2 hours
AGBI 410 - Introductory Biochemistry 3 hours
Two classes from the group below:
CHEM 310 – Instrumental Analysis 3 hours
CHEM 348 – Physical Chemistry 2 3 hours
CHEM 422 – Intermediate Inorganic Chemistry 3 hours
One course from the group below:
CHEM 310L - Instrumental Analysis Laboratory 1 hour
CHEM 348L - Physical Chemistry 2 Laboratory 2 hours
Approved Chemistry Electives for B.S. Degree in Chemistry
Requires a minimum of nine credits from the following list.
- Any upper-division CHEM course that is not used to fulfill another requirement.
- CHEM 497 – Research up to a maximum of 3 hours
- MATH 343 - Introduction to Linear Algebra 3 hours
Only three hours of CHEM 497, separately may count toward the 9-credit upper-division Chemistry requirement.
With approval of a chemistry advisor, up to 3 elective credits may come from a non-chemistry course.
It is recommended for students planning to pursue a graduate degree to complete MATH 251: Multivariable Calculus (4 cr.) and MATH 261: Elementary Differential Equations (4 cr.) as a part of their undergraduate coursework.
With course instructor and chemistry advisor consent, 500-level chemistry graduate courses can count toward the 9-credit upper-division Chemistry requirement.
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, 310, 346, 347, 348, 401, 422), physics (PHYS 111, 112), and mathematics (MATH 155, 156, 251) courses.
The flowchart for the B.S. 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.S. 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 |