Chemistry Major Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete a major in Chemistry are expected to be able to:

• Demonstrate a broad but thorough knowledge of the fundamental concepts of stoichiometry, atomic theory, structure and reactivity of elements and compounds, physical properties of matter, kinetics, equilibrium, and thermodynamics;
• Demonstrate extensive knowledge in at least or one more of the subdisciplines of chemistry : analytical chemistry, biochemistry, chemistry education, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry;
• Develop questions that can be answered through chemical experimentation, design and conduct safe and appropriate experiments to answer such questions, interpret the results of these experiments, and effectively communicate these results in both oral and written forms;
• Critically analyze chemical data, hypotheses, results, theories, and explanations by applying both chemical knowledge and intuition.

The Chemistry Major

At graduation, Chemistry majors must have a GPA of at least 2.0 in departmental courses and in required courses outside the department. The calculation is based on the grades of all required courses for completion of the major. Only the most recent grade is considered for courses that have been repeated. Chemistry courses exceeding the minimum requirements of the major may be taken on a Credit/No Credit basis. The department recommends that the number of Credit/No Credit courses be kept to a minimum.

Chemistry courses numbered below 120 may not be counted toward the major.

For students wishing to receive an ACS-certified BS degree in Chemistry, all the requirements of the major must be satisfied, with the following provisos:

• The PHYS 110 /PHYS 120  sequence (or equivalent AP credit) is required;
• The CHEM 120 /CHEM 122  sequence (or equivalent AP credit) is required;
• Four credits of 400-level Chemistry are required (no substitutions allowed); and
• A minimum Chemistry GPA of 3.0 must be achieved.

Students wishing to receive ACS certification should send a brief letter of request, along with a WebAdvisor transcript, to the Chemistry Department Chair by 15 February in their senior year.