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Undergraduate Catalog 2024-2025

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Chemistry B.S. – Chemistry Concentration (ACS Certified)

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:

  1. Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
  2. Required Major Credits
  3. University-Wide Credits

Program Description:

This program is designed to give students a broad background and an in-depth foundation in chemistry. Students will 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 are prepared to pursue graduate study in chemistry, professional schools (e.g., chemical engineering, medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and other health sciences) or an entry-level position with a chemical or petroleum company.

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 expected 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 75-76 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 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 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, CHEM 111L, and PHYS 240 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 — 75-76 credits

Take all of the following courses:

CHEM 111Principles of Chemistry ILAS1

4
CHEM 111LPrinciples of Chemistry I LaboratoryLAS1LASL

1
CHEM 112Principles of Chemistry II

4
CHEM 112LPrinciples of Chemistry II Laboratory

1
CHEM 321Chemical Analysis

4
CHEM 331Organic Chemistry I

4
CHEM 331LOrganic Chemistry I Laboratory

1
CHEM 332Organic Chemistry II

4
CHEM 332LOrganic Chemistry II Laboratory

1
CHEM 441Inorganic Chemistry I

3
CHEM 481General Biochemistry I

3
CHEM 481LExperimental Biochemistry I

1
CHEM 499Seminar and Research in Chemistry

1- 3
MATH 131Calculus ILAX1

4
MATH 132Calculus IILAX1

4
MATH 233Calculus III

4
PHYS 240General Physics ILAS1LASL

5
PHYS 241General Physics II

5
SCI 291Scientific WritingLAW2

3

CHEM 499: Take 2 credits

Take one of these two combinations (CHEM 451/451L and CHEM 452/452L) (5 credits):

CHEM 451Physical Chemistry I

4
CHEM 451LPhysical Chemistry I Laboratory

1
CHEM 452Physical Chemistry II

4
CHEM 452LPhysical Chemistry II Laboratory

1

Take three of the following five (lecture + lab) combinations (CHEM 421, CHEM 442/443, CHEM 451/451L, CHEM 452/452L, and CHEM 482/482L) (12-13 credits):

CHEM 421Instrumental Analysis

4
CHEM 442Inorganic Chemistry II

3
CHEM 443Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory

1
CHEM 451Physical Chemistry I

4
CHEM 451LPhysical Chemistry I Laboratory

1
CHEM 452Physical Chemistry II

4
CHEM 452LPhysical Chemistry II Laboratory

1
CHEM 482General Biochemistry II

3
CHEM 482LExperimental Biochemistry II

1

3. University-Wide Credits — 13-14 credits*

Complete additional credits to achieve the minimum credits needed for any degree at UNC; for this program, that will typically be 13-14 credits.

*Note: Students who apply the recommended courses to both the liberal arts curriculum and the major requirements will have an increased number of university wide electives to apply to this degree. 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 – 30 credits

Fall Semester

CHEM 111Principles of Chemistry ILAS1

4
CHEM 111LPrinciples of Chemistry I LaboratoryLAS1LASL

1
ENG 122College CompositionLAW1

3
MATH 131Calculus ILAX1

4
LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4

3
Total Credit Hours:15

Spring Semester

CHEM 112Principles of Chemistry II

4
CHEM 112LPrinciples of Chemistry II Laboratory

1
MATH 132Calculus IILAX1

4
LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4

3
LAC HistoryLAH1

3
Total Credit Hours:15

LAC Arts and Humanities and LAC History: Choose one U.S. Multicultural Studies (MS) or one International Studies (IS) course.

Year 2 – 30 credits

Fall Semester

CHEM 331Organic Chemistry I

4
CHEM 331LOrganic Chemistry I Laboratory

1
MATH 233Calculus III

4
PHYS 240General Physics ILAS1LASL

5
Total Credit Hours:14

Spring Semester

CHEM 332Organic Chemistry II

4
CHEM 332LOrganic Chemistry II Laboratory

1
PHYS 241General Physics II

5
SCI 291Scientific WritingLAW2

3
LAC Social and Behavioral SciencesLAB1LAB2LAB3

3
Total Credit Hours:16
 

Year 3 – 31 credits

Fall Semester

CHEM 321Chemical Analysis

4
CHEM 481General Biochemistry I

3
CHEM 481LExperimental Biochemistry I

1
LAC Arts and Humanities, History, or Social and Behavioral SciencesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4LAB1LAB2LAB3LAH1

3
University-Wide Elective

3
University-Wide Elective

2
Total Credit Hours:16

LAC Arts and Humanities, History, or Social and Behavioral Sciences: Choose one U.S. Multicultural Studies (MS) or one International Studies (IS) course.

Spring Semester

CHEM 421Instrumental Analysis

4
or
University-Wide Elective

4

CHEM 451Physical Chemistry I

4
CHEM 451LPhysical Chemistry I Laboratory

1

CHEM 482General Biochemistry II

3
and
CHEM 482LExperimental Biochemistry II

1
or

University-Wide Elective

4
University-Wide Elective

2
Total Credit Hours:15

Year 4 – 29 credits

Fall Semester

CHEM 441Inorganic Chemistry I

3

CHEM 452Physical Chemistry II

4
and
CHEM 452LPhysical Chemistry II Laboratory

1
or
University-Wide Elective

5

CHEM 499Seminar and Research in Chemistry

1- 3
University-Wide Elective

3
University-Wide Elective

3
Total Credit Hours:15

CHEM 499: Take 1 credit

Spring Semester

CHEM 442Inorganic Chemistry II

3
and
CHEM 443Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory

1
or
University-Wide Elective

4

CHEM 499Seminar and Research in Chemistry

1- 3
University-Wide Elective

3
University-Wide Elective

3
University-Wide Elective

3
Chemistry Assessment Exam
Total Credit Hours:14

CHEM 499: Take 1 credit

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.
  • 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 331/CHEM 331L Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Lab. In these cases, both lecture and laboratory are intended to be taken concurrently. Separate grades for lecture and lab will be issued.  

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