Chemistry

Area of Study: Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Program: Major and Minor
Major/Minor Exclusions: A student minoring in Chemistry may not major in Biochemistry

General Principles to consider in advising a student for Chemistry:

Chemistry is a hierarchical major, so the key strategy for early advising is getting your advisee into CHEM 120 as soon as possible. Since the prerequisite for CHEM 120 is placement into MATH 151, a student’s first-year schedule is often determined by the mathematics background. Below are some recommended first- and second-year schedules based on various scenarios.

Typical timeline
Assumptions: No AP CHEM transfer credit; placement into MATH 151.

Year 1 Fall	Year 1 Spring	Year 2 Fall	Year 2 Spring
CHEM 120 MATH 151 minor or elective SWS 105, minor, or elect	CHEM 122 MATH 152 minor or elective SWS 105, minor, or elect	CHEM 231 CHEM 284/285 (2 cred) PHYS 110 SWS 205, minor, or elect	CHEM 332 CHEM 386 (3 cred) CHEM 222 SWS 205, minor, or elect

Accelerated timeline I
Assumptions: AP CHEM exam score of 4 (transfer credit for CHEM 120); placement into MATH 151.

Year 1 Fall	Year 1 Spring	Year 2 Fall	Year 2 Spring
CHEM 284/285 (2 cred) MATH 151 minor or elective SWS 105, minor, or elect	CHEM 122 MATH 152 minor or elective SWS 105, minor, or elect	CHEM 231 PHYS 110 minor or elective SWS 205, minor, or elect	CHEM 332 CHEM 386 (3 cred) CHEM 222 SWS 205, minor or elect

Accelerated timeline II
Assumptions: AP CHEM exam score of 5 (transfer credit for CHEM 122); placement into MATH 151.

Year 1 Fall	Year 1 Spring	Year 2 Fall	Year 2 Spring
CHEM 231 CHEM 284/285 (2 cred) minor or elective SWS 105, minor, or elect	CHEM 332 CHEM 386 (3 cred) MATH 152 SWS 105, minor, or elect	CHEM 242 PHYS 110 minor or elective SWS 205, minor, or elect	CHEM 222 CHEM 345 minor or elective SWS 205, minor, or elect

Delayed timeline
Assumptions: Placement into MATH 140. No CHEM transfer credit.

Year 1 Fall	Year 1 Spring	Year 2 Fall	Year 2 Spring
CHEM 119 (2 cred) MATH 140 minor or elective SWS 105, minor, or elect	CHEM 120 MATH 141 minor or elective SWS 105, minor or elect	CHEM 231 CHEM 284/285 (2 cred) PHYS 110 MATH 152	CHEM 332 CHEM 386 (3 cred) CHEM 122 SWS 205

Please note: All of these schedules involve more than one course in the Natural Sciences each semester. This is a necessary paradigm for a Chemistry major, and following these suggested schedules will make your advisee’s life much more manageable in subsequent semesters.

Course offerings by semester (may change occasionally from sabbatics)

Course	Fall	Spring
CHEM 120	X	X
CHEM 122		X
CHEM 222		X
CHEM 231	X
CHEM 242	X
CHEM 253	X	X
CHEM 284/285	X
CHEM 332		X
CHEM 345		X¹
CHEM 362		X¹
CHEM 386		X
CHEM 400-level	X²	X²
CHEM 584	X
CHEM 600	X
CHEM 610		X

¹Offered in alternate years
²Topics rotate

Final thoughts. Please encourage your advisees interested in Chemistry and/or Biochemistry to contact someone in the Chemistry Department for guidance. We are happy to have conversations with students about academic planning.

Should your advisee be interested in both a Chemistry major and a semester abroad, please make sure they contact the Chair in the first year. Depending upon the particular semester abroad program, it may be necessary to take the Junior Seminar in the sophomore year, along with other considerations. The Chemistry Department is very supportive of international academic experience, but it requires careful planning early on.

A visual map of the Chemistry curriculum is included on the following page.

Chemistry Chart

Allegheny College

College Handbooks & Academic Bulletin

Chemistry