Program Overview
College of Natural and Health Sciences
Contact: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Location: Ross Hall 3480
Email: chemistry@unco.edu
Website: www.unco.edu/nhs/chemistry
Advising Information:
Students must consult with their assigned major advisor each semester prior to registering.
To find your advisor, log into ursa.unco.edu; go to 'Student' tab and click 'View Student Information' link. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information.
The program consists of three parts:
- Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
- Required Major Credits
- University-Wide Credits
Program Description:
This program is designed to give students a broad background in chemistry and biology. Students will have the opportunity to work with a faculty member on an independent research project in chemistry. Students receiving this degree can be certified by the American Chemical Society. See advisor for details.
Students graduating with this concentration will be prepared to pursue graduate study in chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, environmental health, professional schools (e.g., medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and other health-related areas) or obtain an entry position within the chemical or biotechnological industry.
Program Admission Requirements:
Academic Good Standing
Program Requirements:
- All students in the program must take an assessment examination before graduation.
- Students majoring in chemistry must earn a grade of “C” or better (C- is not acceptable) in all courses having a CHEM prefix which count toward the major.
- In accordance with University Policies, coursework earned more than 10 years prior to the date of matriculation to UNC may not be used to satisfy any major or minor requirements. Any exception to this policy is at the discretion of the academic program.
Program Recommendations:
- Graduate level CHEM courses are recommended for juniors and seniors. Other recommended electives include MATH 221, MATH 335, STAT 150, PHYS 321 and PHYS 343.
- It is recommended that students have a fundamental background in computers.
- Juniors and seniors are required to participate in Chemistry and Biochemistry’s undergraduate research program.
- Qualifying students may be eligible for a five-year program resulting in a B.S./M.S. degree. Consult your advisor early in your program for details.
Degree Requirements — 120 Credits
1. Liberal Arts Curriculum — 31 credits
To complete the degree in 120 credits as outlined, the program recommends the below LAC courses that also count toward the 89-91 required major credits.
Any additional coursework completed outside of the recommended list below may extend the length of the program of study.
Written Communication — 6 credits
SCI 291 (3) is recommended to fulfill the Intermediate Writing Course in the Written Communication requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Written Communication courses
Mathematics — 3 credits
MATH 131 (4) is recommended to fulfill Mathematics requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Mathematics courses
Arts & Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, U.S. Multicultural Studies [MS], and International Studies [IS] — 15 credits
To complete the LAC in the minimum number of credits, be sure to choose at least one course with an IS designation and one course with an MS designation.
Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.
See Arts & Humanities, History, and Social & Behavioral Sciences courses
Natural & Physical Sciences — 7 credits
CHEM 111 (4), CHEM 111L (1), and BIO 110 (4) are recommended to fulfill Natural & Physical Sciences requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Natural & Physical Sciences courses
See Liberal Arts Curriculum
2. Required Major — 89-91 credits
Take all of the following courses:
Take two of the following courses (7-8 credits):
Take one of these two combinations (CHEM 451/451L and CHEM 452/452L) (5 credits):
Take two of the following four (lecture + lab) combinations (CHEM 421, CHEM 442/443, 451/451L, and CHEM 452/452L) (8-9 credits):
3. University-Wide Credits — 0 credits*
*Note: Students must apply the recommended courses to both the liberal arts curriculum requirements and the major requirements to complete this degree program in 120 credit hours. Students may have an increased number of university wide electives to apply to this degree depending on the number of credits applied to both the LAC and the major. See your advisor for details.
Program Notes
Students wishing to participate in the Honors Program should consult their advisors about Liberal Arts Curriculum selections and other requirements.
Four Year Plan
This four year plan is a recommended schedule to complete this bachelor's degree in 4 years. Courses are subject to availability. Students must consult with their major advisor to receive information on any additional graduation requirements and course sequence guidance.
Year 1 – 31 credits
Fall Semester
| BIO 110 | Biology: Atoms to CellsLAS1LASL | 4 |
| CHEM 111 | Principles of Chemistry ILAS1 | 4 |
| CHEM 111L | Principles of Chemistry I LaboratoryLAS1LASL | 1 |
| ENG 122 | College CompositionLAW1 | 3 |
| MATH 131 | Calculus ILAX1 | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
Spring Semester
| CHEM 112 | Principles of Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM 112L | Principles of Chemistry II Laboratory | 1 |
| MATH 132 | Calculus IILAX1 | 4 |
| | LAC Social and Behavioral SciencesLAB1LAB2LAB3 | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
LAC Social and Behavior Sciences: Choose U.S. Multicultural Studies (MS) or International Studies (IS) course.
Year 2 – 30 credits
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
Year 3 – 30 credits
Fall Semester
| CHEM 321 | Chemical Analysis | 4 |
| CHEM 481 | General Biochemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 481L | Experimental Biochemistry I | 1 |
| | Major Elective | 3 |
| | or | |
| | Major Elective | 4 |
| | LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 14-15 |
Spring Semester
| CHEM 421 | Instrumental Analysis | 4 |
| | or | |
| | University-Wide Elective | 4 |
| CHEM 482 | General Biochemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 482L | Experimental Biochemistry II | 1 |
| | LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4 | 3 |
| | LAC HistoryLAH1 | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 1 |
| | or | |
| | University-Wide Elective | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15-16 |
LAC Arts and Humanities and LAC History: Choose one U.S. Multicultural Studies (MS) or one International Studies (IS) course.
Year 4 – 29 credits
Fall Semester
| CHEM 441 | Inorganic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 452 | Physical Chemistry II | 4 |
| | and | |
| CHEM 452L | Physical Chemistry II Laboratory | 1 |
| | or | |
| | University-Wide Elective | 5 |
| CHEM 499 | Seminar and Research in Chemistry | 1- 3 |
| | Major Elective | 4 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
Spring Semester
| CHEM 442 | Inorganic Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 443 | Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| CHEM 451 | Physical Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 451L | Physical Chemistry I Laboratory | 1 |
| CHEM 499 | Seminar and Research in Chemistry | 1- 3 |
| | LAC Arts and Humanities, History, or Social and Behavioral SciencesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4LAB1LAB2LAB3LAH1 | 3 |
| | Chemistry Assessment Exam | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 13 |
Advising Notes –
- Students who lack sufficient preparation in mathematics may need to start in MATH 124 College Algebra (4), MATH 125 Plane Trigonometry (3), or MATH 127 Elementary Functions (4). Consult your advisor.
- With advisor approval, students can substitute ENG 123 for SCI 291.
- A minor in Biology may be declared and earned by completing BIO 110, BIO 111, and nine additional hours of appropriate BIO courses. See your advisor for suggested coursework to complete this minor.
- Upper-level courses are generally taught only one semester per year. In the four year plan courses are listed in order of required prerequisites first.
- Some upper-level courses are separate from laboratory, e.g., CHEM 481/CHEM 481L General Biochemistry I and Experimental Biochemistry I and CHEM 482/CHEM 482L General Biochemistry II and Experimental Biochemistry II. In these cases, CHEM 481/CHEM 481L are taught in the Fall and CHEM 482/CHEM 482L are taught in the Spring.