Major in Chemistry - Professional Track
The major in Chemistry requires completion of the required and elective courses. A student may repeat no more than three courses, including multiple attempts at the same course, required for the Chemistry major. This includes all foundation courses, as well as required courses and electives for the major.
Professional Track
This track is recommended for those students who wish to obtain a more in-depth view of chemistry. This program is strongly recommended for those who intend to pursue graduate studies in chemistry or a closely related field, or who intend to work in basic or applied research in chemistry or as a chemist in industry. Students electing this track should contact the Department of Chemistry and be assigned an adviser to assist them in designing programs to meet their career needs.
The Professional track consists of 45 units of required chemistry courses, 16 units of additional required courses and 6 units of elective courses, of which 2 units must be CHEM or FRSC courses. The Professional track is designed to meet the requirements for American Chemical Society (ACS) certification as described elsewhere in the catalog.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Required Chemistry Courses | ||
| CHEM 131 & 131L | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I LECTURE and GENERAL CHEMISTRY I LABORATORY | 4 |
| CHEM 132 & 132L | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II LECTURE and GENERAL CHEMISTRY II LABORATORY | 4 |
| CHEM 220 & 220L | ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY [LECTURE] and ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY [LAB] | 5 |
| CHEM 310 | INSTRUMENTAL ANALYSIS | 4 |
| CHEM 331 & CHEM 332 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I and ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II | 10 |
| CHEM 323 | INORGANIC CHEMISTRY | 5 |
| CHEM 345 | PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY | 3 |
| CHEM 346 | THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY | 3 |
| CHEM 351 | BIOCHEMISTRY | 3 |
| CHEM 372 | PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY | 2 |
| CHEM 401 | COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN CHEMISTRY | 1 |
| CHEM 491 | RESEARCH IN CHEMISTRY | 2 |
| Additional Required Courses | ||
| MATH 273 & MATH 274 | CALCULUS I and CALCULUS II | 8 |
| PHYS 241 & PHYS 242 | GENERAL PHYSICS I CALCULUS-BASED and GENERAL PHYSICS II CALCULUS-BASED 1 | 8 |
| Total Units | 62 | |
- 1
PHYS 211 and PHYS 212 may be taken in place of PHYS 241 and PHYS 242, but this is not recommended. For ACS certification of the degree, two semesters of calculus-based physics is required.
In addition to the required courses listed above, students selecting this track must take a minimum of two additional courses (6 additional units) from the list of electives given below. These 6 units must include at least one CHEM or FRSC course.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Elective Courses | ||
| Select at least 6 units of the following: | 6 | |
| CELL BIOLOGY 2 | ||
| MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2 | ||
| IMMUNOLOGY 2 | ||
| VIROLOGY 2 | ||
| BIOCHEMISTRY LAB | ||
| ADVANCED BIOCHEMISTRY | ||
| SPECIAL PROBLEMS IN CHEMISTRY I 1 | ||
| ADVANCED LECTURE TOPICS | ||
| ADVANCED LABORATORY TECHNIQUES | ||
| APPLICATIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY | ||
| CHEMICAL TOXICOLOGY | ||
| RESEARCH IN CHEMISTRY 1 | ||
| HONORS THESIS IN CHEMISTRY | ||
| CHEMISTRY OF DANGEROUS DRUGS | ||
| FORENSIC CHEMISTRY | ||
| FORENSIC ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY | ||
| MINERALOGY 2 | ||
| HYDROGEOLOGY | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | ||
| DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS | ||
| INTRO TO BIOINFORMATICS | ||
| ADVANCED BIOINFORMATICS 2 | ||
| INTRODUCTORY MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS | ||
| MODERN PHYSICS I | ||
| THERMODYNAMICS AND KINETIC THEORY | ||
| ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM 2 | ||
| Total Units | 6 | |
- 1
A maximum of 1 unit of CHEM 391 and a maximum of 2 units of a combination of CHEM 391, CHEM 491, or CHEM 495 may be used for elective credit.
- 2
Course has prerequisite(s) not listed among the required courses above.
Students selecting this track should plan their college careers carefully because not all the advanced chemistry courses are offered every term. A long-term schedule for these courses may be obtained from the Department of Chemistry. Advanced chemistry electives are offered periodically, subject to adequate enrollment.
Suggested Four-Year Plan
Based on course availability and student needs and preferences, the selected sequences will probably vary from those presented below. Students should consult with their adviser to make the most appropriate elective choices.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Units | Term 2 | Units |
| CHEM 131 & 131L (Core 7) | 4 | CHEM 132 & 132L (Core 8) | 4 |
| MATH 273 (Core 3) | 4 | MATH 274 | 4 |
| PHYS 211 or 241 | 4 | PHYS 212 or 242 | 4 |
| Core 1 (or Core 2) | 3 | Core 2 (or Core 1) | 3 |
| Core 14 | 3 | ||
| 15 | 18 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Term 1 | Units | Term 2 | Units |
| CHEM 220 & 220L | 5 | CHEM 310 | 4 |
| CHEM 331 | 5 | CHEM 332 | 5 |
| Core 4 | 3 | Core 9 | 3 |
| Core 5 | 3 | Core 10 | 3 |
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Term 1 | Units | Term 2 | Units |
| CHEM 351 | 3 | CHEM 491 | 1-3 |
| Core 6 | 3 | CHEM 323 | 5 |
| Core 11 | 3 | Core 12 | 3 |
| Elective 1 (from approved list) | 1-4 | Core 13 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective 2 (from approved list) | 1-4 |
| 13-16 | 13-18 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Term 1 | Units | Term 2 | Units |
| CHEM 345 | 3 | CHEM 346 | 3 |
| CHEM 401 | 1 | CHEM 372 | 2 |
| Elective 3 (from approved list) | 2-3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15-16 | 17 | ||
| Total Units 122-131 | |||
- Explain important chemical concepts and solve chemical problems by application of relevant concepts and analytical tools.
- Design an experiment to test a hypothesis or theory in chemistry, and collect and interpret experimental data within the framework of the appropriate chemical theory.
- Prepare written laboratory reports in a journal format that provide a description of the experiment, explain the experiment and reasoning clearly, and provide an appropriate conclusion. Students will be able to give oral presentations on topics in chemistry.
- Use computer resources effectively.