Program Overview
College of Natural and Health Sciences
Location: Ross Hall 1210
Telephone: 970-351-3082
Email: nhsadvising@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 offers training in chemistry, mathematics and physics with a broad base in biological sciences and biochemistry. It provides a solid foundation in chemistry and biological sciences for those students planning to pursue professional studies in dentistry, medicine, optometry, podiatry, pharmacy or veterinary medicine.
Students completing this degree concentration will meet the prerequisites to the professional schools listed above. Acceptance into these schools is competitive and students should register with and be advised by a faculty member in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Students completing this degree concentration who wish to pursue graduate study in chemistry may be required to complete additional coursework in physical chemistry and/or mathematics 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 MATH 132, MATH 221, MATH 335, 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.
Pre-Medical, Pre-Dental,
Pre-Optometry, Pre-Veterinary,
Pre-Podiatry, and Pre-Pharmacy
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 93 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 171 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 — 93 credits
Take all of the following courses — 83 credits:
Capstone Professional Experience — 1 credit
Take 1 credit of the following:
| CHEM 493 | Clinical Internship in Chemical Sciences | 1-3 |
Note: A maximum of 3 credits total of CHEM 493 can count towards the fulfillment of this category.
Professional Supporting Courses — 9 credits
NOTE: Medical, dental and some other health professional schools (pharmacy, veterinary, etc.) require specific courses from the list above. Not all courses run in all semesters. Consult an advisor to ensure that you are taking courses to match your career goals.
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 – 29 credits
Fall Semester
| CHEM 111 | Principles of Chemistry ILAS1GT-SC1 | 4 |
| CHEM 111L | Principles of Chemistry I LaboratoryLAS1LASLGT-SC1 | 1 |
| BIO 110 | Biology: Atoms to CellsLAS1LASLGT-SC1 | 4 |
| ENG 122 | College CompositionLAW1GT-CO1 | 3 |
| | LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
LAC Arts and Humanities: Choose one U.S. Multicultural Studies (MS) or one International Studies (IS) course.
Spring Semester
| CHEM 112 | Principles of Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM 112L | Principles of Chemistry II Laboratory | 1 |
| BIO 111 | Biology: Organisms to EcosystemsLAS1LASLGT-SC1 | 4 |
| BIO 109 | Foundations for PreHealth | 1 |
| MATH 171 | Calculus I for Life SciencesLAX1GT-MA1 | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 14 |
Year 2 – 32 credits
Fall Semester
| CHEM 331 | Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 331L | Organic Chemistry I Laboratory | 1 |
| BIO 210 | Cell Biology | 3 |
| PHYS 220 | Introductory Physics ILAS1LASLGT-SC1 | 5 |
| STAT 250 | Statistics for Life SciencesLAX1GT-MA1 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
Spring Semester
| CHEM 332 | Organic Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM 332L | Organic Chemistry II Laboratory | 1 |
| PHYS 221 | Introductory Physics II | 5 |
| | Concentration Elective | 3 |
| | LAC Arts and Humanities, History, or Social and Behavioral SciencesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4LAB1LAB2LAB3LAH1 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
Consider enrolling in Chem 493 this semester or any future semesters.
Year 3 – 29 credits
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
| CHEM 482 | General Biochemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 482L | Experimental Biochemistry II | 1 |
| BIO 350 | Human Physiology | 4 |
| | Concentration Elective | 3 |
| | LAC Social and Behavioral SciencesLAB1LAB2LAB3 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 14 |
LAC Social and Behavioral Studies: Choose one U.S. Multicultural Studies (MS) or one International Studies (IS) course.
Year 4 – 30 credits
Fall Semester
| BIO 341 | Human Anatomy | 4 |
| CHEM 493 | Clinical Internship in Chemical Sciences | 1-3 |
| SCI 291 | Scientific WritingLAW2GT-CO2 | 3 |
| | LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4 | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 14 |
Spring Semester
| CHEM 450 | Survey of Physical Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 450L | Survey of Physical Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| | Chemistry Assessment Exam | |
| | Concentration Elective | 3 |
| | LAC HistoryLAH1 | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
Advising Notes –
1. A total of 15 credits are required in Arts & Humanities (2 courses, minimum 3 credits each), History (1 course, minimum 3 credits), Social & Behavioral Sciences (1 course, minimum 3 credits), one additional course (minimum 3 credits) in Arts & Humanities or History or Social & Behavioral Sciences. You must also have U.S. Multicultural Studies (1 course, minimum 3 credits), International Studies (1 course, minimum 3 credits). Six total credits must be double counted.
2. 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.
3. PHIL 250 Medical Ethics (3) are recommended to fill credit hours of the Arts and Humanities LAC requirement
4. Students who will be taking the MCAT should take both PSY 120 Principles of Psychology and SOC 100 Principles of Sociology and are recommended to fill credit hours of the Social and Behavioral Studies LAC requirement.
5. It is highly recommended that students substitute ENG 123 with SCI 291 (3)—Scientific Writing.
6. All students must take a chemistry major assessment exam prior to graduation.