Departmental Requirements

The Carlson School of Chemistry and Biochemistry offers two tracks leading to a BA in Chemistry. The requirements for the two tracks are designed to allow students to choose their course work depending upon their ultimate career goals. The requirements for the two tracks, the Standard degree and the ACS-certified degree are listed below.  The ACS-Certified track is recommended for those students with a strong interest in chemistry and a desire to continue to a profession in chemical sciences.  It meets the entrance requirements for graduate study in chemistry.  The standard track offers more latitude in course selection and is appropriate for those students with an interest in chemistry, but who plan to continue in one of the health professions (medical, dental, veterinary school), public school teaching, technical sales, and other chemistry related fields.  The recommended courses for the two tracks are the same for the first two semesters, so students do not need to decide until the spring of their sophomore year.

All Chemistry Majors:

Non-chemistry classes:

• Calculus I (Math 120 or 124)
• Calculus II (Math 121 or 125)
• Introductory Physics I (Phys 110 or 120)
• Introductory Physics II (Phys 111 or 121)

Chemistry Classes:

• Introduction to Chemistry I (Chem 101)
• Introduction to Chemistry II (Chem 102)
• Organic Chemistry I - (Chem 131)
• Organic Chemistry II (Chem 132)
• Environmental Chemistry - (Chem 142)* or
• Bioanalytical Chemistry - (Chem 144)*
  *Students may only receive credit for one towards their major.

Standard Track

• One semester of Physical Chemistry (Chem 260, 262, 264)
• Four additional advanced chemistry courses (200-level or above).  Two must have laboratory sections.  One may be Chem 299, Directed Research, but is not required.

ACS-Certified Track

• Inorganic Chemistry (Chem 250)
• Physical Chemistry I (Chem 260)
• Physical Chemistry II (Chem 262)* or
• Biophysical Chemistry (Chem 264)*
• Biochemistry I (Chem 271) or
• Students must have taken (Chem 144 and Chem 264)
Additional courses at the 200-level or above to total a minimum of eleven courses in Chemistry.  One must be Honors (Chem 297), or Directed Research (Chem 299)
*Students may only receive credit for one towards their major.

In special cases, one of these courses may be replaced by advanced Biology, Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science courses.  However, such a replacement course must be at an advanced level and must be approved by the Chairman of the Chemistry Department, in advance.

These are required courses. It is often advantageous to take additional courses, particularly in biochemistry, chemistry, mathematics, or physics, depending on the area of your interest. Some computer experience is also recommended.

Planning a Course of Study:
Individual courses of study will obviously vary a great deal, but it is important to plan ahead as far as possible.  The following points need to be considered:

1. Many advanced courses have other courses as prerequisites so it is advisable to take the basic courses early.
2. Students intending to take MCAT or GRE exams should try to complete all basic courses before sitting for the exam.
3. Students contemplating research or Honors should complete Organic, Environmental (or Bioanalytical) and Physical Chemistry courses early, because most research projects involve application of the material learned in these courses.
4. It is important to take Calculus early, and certainly before Chemisty 260.

The most common program is:

• FIRST YEAR
  Introductory Chemistry (Chem 101 & Chem 102)
  Calculus (Math 120 & 121)
   
• SECOND YEAR
  Organic Chemistry (Chem 131 & Chem 132)
  Introductory Physics (Phys 110 & 112)
   
• THIRD YEAR
  Environmental Chemistry (Chem 142 or Chem 144)
  Physical Chemistry (Chem 260 and Chem 262 or Chem 264)
   
• FOURTH YEAR
  Inorganic Chemistry (Chem 250)
  Biochemistry (Chem 271)
  Directed Research (Chem 299)
  Advanced Chemistry Courses

Nevertheless, many students fall behind this schedule without detriment. For example some students take Physical Chemistry in their senior year. The main disadvantage is that it is then impossible to take advanced courses which have these courses as prerequisites.

If you do not take Chem 101 and Chem 102 in your first year, you can certainly still major in Chemistry.  A typicl program would be:

Second Year:

• Introductory Chemistry (Chem 101 and Chem 102)
• Introductory Physics (Phys 110 and Phys 111)
• Calculus I and II (Math 120 and Math 121)

Third Year:

• Organic Chemistry (Chem 131 and Chem 132)
• Environmental Chemistry (Chem 142)
• Physical Chemistry I and II (Chem 260 and Chem 262)

Fourth Year:

• Inorganic Chemistry (Chem 250)
• Biochemistry (Chem 271)
• Directed Research (Chem 299)
• Advanced Electives

However, you must be careful to plan your course of action because many courses are taught only in either the fall or spring semester. You will also find that your junior and senior years are fairly chemistry oriented. One problem is that most chemistry courses have labs and more than two labs a week can prove to be an extreme burden, both for your peace of mind and your social life. Although it is not essential to follow the suggested order, each student should follow a general plan. Organic Chemistry is almost always taken as the first advanced course. It is largely nonmathematical, so taking it early leaves time to accumulate additional math and physics background. Environmental Chemistry follows after Chem 102 and does not require calculus. Since the laboratory component of the course concentrates on basic technique, it is a good idea to take this course as soon as possible. It is recommended that chemistry majors take this in their sophomore or junior year.

The order of the remaining courses is not so critical. Physical Chemistry is highly mathematical and requires calculus. Its concepts are used in many other courses, so it is advantageous to take Chem 260 and 262/264 in your junior rather than your senior year. Chem 250 can be taken at any time after Chem 142 and after or concurrently with Chem 260. More specialized courses are generally left until the senior year, or used to fill out a schedule. A possible exception is Directed Research, which can often be started in the second semester of the junior year.

The general principle, then, is to take your basic courses early (but not so early that you lack background for them). This has the advantage that you can use the material in later courses. It also gives you more flexibility in your senior year to choose courses that interest you, because you can be sure that you have completed the prerequisites.

 

BIOCHEMISTRY/MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (BCMB) MAJORS

The BCMB major is an in-depth study of overlapping fields, and requires background in both chemistry and biology. The curriculum is highly structured, and so you must be careful in planning your course of study. We strongly urge you to take at least eight semester courses in chemistry, biology, calculus or physics during your first two years. You should also consider getting an advisor from the BCMB program during your sophomore year. Course requirements are listed below.

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Major (Core Courses):

Introductory Chemistry I & II (Chem 101 and Chem 102)
Introductory Biology I & II (Biol 101 and Biol 102)
Organic Chemistry I & II  (Chem 131 and Chem 132)
Calculus I & II (Math 120 and Math 121)
Physics I & II (Phys 110 and Phys 111)    
Genetics (Biol 118)
Cell Biology (Biol 137) or Microbiology (Biol 109)
Biochemistry I & II (Bcmb 271) and Bcmb 272)
Biophysical Chemistry (Chem 260)

Biochemistry Track                                

Bioanalytical Chemistry (Bcmb 144)                              
Protein Chemistry (Bcmb 275) or Natural Products, or Bio-NMR (Chem 235)
Elective (Biochemistry-related)                    
Elective (Biochemistry-related)                    

Molecular Biology Track

Recombinant DNA (Biol 231)
Molecular Genetics (Bcmb 228)
Elective (Biochemistry-related)
Elective (Biochemistry-related)

 

Typical Schedule for the Biochemistry Track (Courses with labs are designated by *)

First Year:
Fall                                                         Spring
Intro Chemistry I*                                  Intro Chemistry II*
Calculus I                                               Calculus II
Elective                                                  Elective
Elective                                                  Elective

Second Year:
Fall                                                          Spring
Organic Chemistry I*                              Organic Chemistry II*
Physics I*                                               Physics II*
Intro Biology I*                                       Intro Biology II*
Elective                                                   Elective

Third Year:
Fall                                                          Spring
Biochemistry I*                                       Biochemistry II
Natural Products                                     Biophysical Chemistry*
Elective                                                   Elective
Elective                                                   Elective

Fourth Year:
Fall                                                         Spring
Genetics*                                               Bioanalytical Chemistry*
Cell Biology *                                        Any advanced BCMB Course
Any advanced BCMB                            Elective
Elective                                                  Elective

Typical Schedule for the Molecular Biology Track (Courses with labs are designated by *)

First Year:
Fall                                                        Spring
Intro Chemistry I*                                 Intro Chemistry II*
Intro Biology I*                                     Intro Biology II*
Elective                                                  Elective
Elective                                                 

Second Year:
Fall                                                       Spring
Organic Chemistry I*                             Organic Chemistry II*
Physics I*                                               Physics II*
Calculus I                                               Calculus II
Elective                                                   Elective

Third Year:
Fall                                                      Spring
Cell Biology*                                       Recombinant DNA*
Elective                                                Genetics*
Elective                                                Elective
 

Fourth Year:
Fall                                                      Spring
Molecular Genetics                            Biophysical Chemistry*
Any advanced BCMB                       Any advanced BCMB Course
Elective                                              Elective
Elective                                              Elective

BCMB Advanced Electives (any 2):
/i>Research (Bcmb 299) 
Advanced Organic Chemistry (Chem 231) 
Biology of the Brain (Biol 140)
Natural Products (Chem 235)
Brain and Behavior (Biol 141) 
Bioinorganic Chemistry (Chem 252)
Nutrition and Metabolism (Biol 170) 
Somatic Cell Genetics (Biol 227) 
Protein Chemistry (Bcmb 275)
Cell Culture Techniques (Biol 229) 
Human Physiology (Biol 240)
Signal Transduction (Biol 234) 
Biochemistry of Disease (Biol 277)

Other courses that are offered periodically may also qualify for this list. Request for approval of such courses as electives for the BCMB major should be addressed to the BCMB Program Director (Dr. David Thurlow).