General Description

The department offers a choice the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees to students. These programs provide foundations in descriptive and theoretical chemistry. During the first two years the various curriculum options emphasize fundamental topics in chemistry, mathematics and physics. After these foundation courses are completed, chemistry majors will then choose from a variety of advanced courses to complete the major requirements. In addition to a wide variety of course options, the department offers an active undergraduate research program. We encourage students to become involved in research activities early in their academic careers to augment the information they recieve in their course work.

Declaring the Chemistry Major

Students may declare a Chemistry Major by submitting a Declaration of Major Form to the Chemistry Department Chair. The Department Chair will assign the student to an advisor (if she or he does not already have one) from the Chemistry faculty. The advisor will help direct the student to the most appropriate set of courses for the completion of the degree requirements. Students meet with their advisors at least once per quarter during pre-registration and are also encouraged to meet more frequently to discuss academic and career goals.

Requirements for the chemistry major

The course requirements for each of the four chemistry majors can be found in the on-line catalog. All provide for a solid foundation in chemistry, physics and mathematics. They differ in the number and type of advanced courses, with the B.S. degree requiring several more chemistry courses than the B.A. degree. The department strongly recommends that students who intend to enter a graduate program in chemistry pursue the B.S. degree.

Note that the department requires a minimum grade of C- in all prerequisites for admission to any course. Information on prerequisite courses is available from the undergraduate course catalog.

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