Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Undergraduate Advising Office

Degree and Minor Information

The Degree Requirement checksheets can be downloaded by clicking the link below each degree description. To view these documents you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available for free here: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html.

Major Degrees Offered

1905F; Bachelor of Science; Chemistry and Biochemistry (Standard) Major

The Chemistry and Biochemistry (Standard) major is identical to the 1905A degree. The only differences are the name of the degree (the degree listed on the diploma remains "Bachelor of Science") and the total number of hours required for graduation (120 for the 2006 requirements, 124 for prior years).

1905F-- Chemistry and Biochemistry (Standard) Degree Requirements

1905B: Bachelor of Science in Chemistry; Chemistry (Professional) Major

The Chemistry (Professional) major is most suitable for majors who plan to pursue a graduate degree after obtaining their baccalaureate degree. It is the most rigorous in its chemistry course requirements. The professional degree program also is a good one for students to enroll in initially who begin their chemical studies unsure of their ultimate degree goal. This is because it is much easier to switch from the Professional degree program to either the Chemistry Standard or Biochemistry degree programs, even as late as the senior year, than it is to switch to the professional option from the standard option or biochemistry degree program.
The Chemistry (Professional) degree is certified by the American Chemical Society as appropriate for students wanting to pursue graduate studies. It also provides the best background in chemistry for students planning to pursue a job in chemistry after obtaining the baccalaureate degree. It is not a required degree for graduate study in chemistry or biochemistry, however, and some students prefer to take one of the other degree options so that there is room in their schedules to take additional courses outside chemistry that meet their career goals. For example, students wanting to pursue a research career in pharmaceutical research or biochemistry would probably want to take additional courses in microbiology or zoology. The Professional degree requires a total of 39 credit hours of chemistry courses beyond General Chemistry.

1905B-- Chemistry (Professional) Degree Requirements

1905E: Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, Biochemistry Major

The Biochemistry major is most appropriate for premedical and predental students or students with a strong interest in biomedical research. It replaces the Biochemistry Option and is more rigorous than the Option in both math and chemistry requirements. It includes an additional semester of math, a second semester of physical chemistry with laboratory, a biochemical methods course, and an additional advanced biochemistry course. It requires 35 credit hours of chemistry courses beyond General Chemistry.

1905E-- Biochemistry Degree Requirements

Minor in Chemistry

The Chemistry Minor (1905D) is available to students majoring in other subjects. It can be attained by completing 15 major credit hours of upper-division Chemistry. No more than three of these credit hours may be completed through independent study. At least 6 hours must be earned in courses acceptable for residence credit by Arts and Sciences standards (i.e. excluding transfer, correspondence, and examination credit). Students who are interested in obtaining a chemistry minor should contact their advising college.

Chemistry Minor Requirements