In addition to meeting the standards and requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, a degree candidate must complete a minimum of 53 credits in chemistry and allied fields. In general, required courses will be taken in the order listed. However, each student’s program is designed in consultation with the student’s faculty adviser, who may modify the program in view of the student’s background and objectives.

There are three distinct undergraduate programs in chemistry and biochemistry, each leading to the B.S. degree. The first leads to a B.S. degree certified by the American Chemical Society (ACS). The second degree is a general chemistry major that allows the student more flexibility. Since fewer chemistry courses are required, the student in the second program also may concentrate on an additional field, such as biology, computer computer science or business administration, or may take a greater variety of liberal arts courses. Either program of study can lead to further study at the graduate level in a variety of chemistry intensive areas, including chemistry, biochemistry, medicine, dentistry and forensic science.

The third degree is a B.S. in biochemistry, which is designed to prepare students for graduate school in departments of biochemistry, medical school or for employment in the pharmaceutical or clinical industries. The course requirements include those for the general chemistry major, with advanced biology and biochemistry courses added to the program of study. Students who intend to enter graduate school may select from a variety of advanced electives in order to meet specific admission requirements.

View the College of Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum requirements »

Freshman Year Requirements

*Students lacking high school trigonometry or making unsatisfactory scores on the Mathematics Placement Test take MATH 1015 Pre- Calculus, Mathematics-Algebra and Trigonometry, and MATH 1401 Calculus I in the freshman year and MATH 1411 Calculus II in the following Summer Session.