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 four parts:
- Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
- Required Major Credits
- Required Minor
- University-Wide Credits
Program Description:
This program is designed to prepare students to enter the field of forensic science by providing them with background courses in chemistry, physics, sociology and criminal justice along with laboratory experiences as research and an internship. Students completing this degree concentration who wish to pursue graduate study in one of the areas of chemistry may be required to complete additional course work in physical chemistry and/or mathematics and biology depending on the entrance requirements of the specific graduate school.
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 courses in statistics, sociology, criminal justice, anthropology, or additional courses in mathematics.
- It is recommended that students have a fundamental background in computers.
- Juniors and seniors are expected to participate in the Department of 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 66 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 BIO 110 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 — 66 credits
Take all of the following courses:
3. Required Minor — 18 Credits
A minor in Criminology and Criminal Justice or Anthropology is required.
4. University-Wide Credits — 5 credits*
Complete additional credits to achieve the minimum credits needed for any degree at UNC; for this program, that will typically be 5 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
| 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 |
| | Minor Course | 3 |
| | LAC Social and Behavioral SciencesLAB1LAB2LAB3 | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 14 |
LAC Social and Behavior Sciences: Choose U.S. Multicultural Studies (MS) or International Studies (IS) course.
Year 2 – 32 credits
Fall Semester
| CHEM 331 | Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 331L | Organic Chemistry I Laboratory | 1 |
| PHYS 220 | Introductory Physics ILAS1LASL | 5 |
| | Minor Course | 3 |
| | LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
LAC Arts and Humanities: Choose one U.S. Multicultural Studies (MS) or one International Studies (IS) course.
Spring Semester
| CHEM 332 | Organic Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM 332L | Organic Chemistry II Laboratory | 1 |
| PHYS 221 | Introductory Physics II | 5 |
| SCI 291 | Scientific WritingLAW2 | 3 |
| | Minor Course | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
Year 3 – 28 credits
Fall Semester
| CHEM 321 | Chemical Analysis | 4 |
| CHEM 381 | Principles of Biochemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 381L | Principles of Biochemistry Lab | 1 |
| CHEM 441 | Inorganic Chemistry I | 3 |
| | Minor Course | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 14 |
Spring Semester
| CHEM 421 | Instrumental Analysis | 4 |
| CHEM 425 | Forensic Chemistry | 4 |
| | Minor Course | 3 |
| | LAC HistoryLAH1 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 14 |
Year 4 – 30 credits
Fall Semester
| CHEM 422 | Directed Studies | 1- 3 |
| or | |
| CHEM 499 | Seminar and Research in Chemistry | 1-3 |
| | |
| | Minor Course | 3 |
| | LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4 | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 14 |
A minimum of 2 credits in CHEM 422 or 2 credits in CHEM 499 must be completed. Consult with your advisor about these options.
Spring Semester
| CHEM 450 | Survey of Physical Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 450L | Survey of Physical Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| | LAC Arts and Humanities, History, or Social and Behavioral SciencesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4LAB1LAB2LAB3LAH1 | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | Chemistry Assessment Exam | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
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.