BS in Chemistry - Chemistry Option
The curriculum for the BS in chemistry (either the chemistry or biochemistry option) is approved by the American Chemical Society for the professional training of chemists. It is strongly recommended that students interested in advanced study in chemistry or biochemistry should pursue this degree. Students completing the program receive certification from the American Chemical Society.
In agreement with the American Chemical Society Committee on Professional Training, the chemistry department strongly encourages students studying for the BS degree to select courses in computer science, economics, marketing and business, and to use every opportunity to develop competence in technical writing and oral communication.
Program Requirements
A minimum total of 120 credit hours is required for the BS in chemistry and includes the 82-88 credit hours of major courses that must be completed with a minimum grade point average of 2.000. In addition to meeting the requirements of the WSU General Education Program and the requirements of Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, students in the BS in chemistry must take the following courses:
Required Courses
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 211 & CHEM 212 | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry II | 10 |
| CHEM 514 | Inorganic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 523 & CHEM 524 | Analytical Chemistry and Instrumental Methods of Chemical Analysis | 8 |
| CHEM 531 & CHEM 532 | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry II | 10 |
| CHEM 545 & CHEM 546 | Physical Chemistry I and Physical Chemistry II | 6 |
| CHEM 547 | Physical Chemistry Lab | 2 |
| CHEM 615 | Advanced Inorganic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 616 | Inorganic Chemistry Lab | 2 |
| Select one of the following: 1 | 3, 6 | |
| Principles of Biochemistry | ||
| Biochemistry I and Biochemistry II | ||
| CHEM 690 | Independent Study and Research | 2 |
| BIOL 210 | General Biology I | 4 |
| PHYS 313 | Physics for Scientists I | 4 |
| PHYS 314 | Physics for Scientists II | 4 |
| PHYS 315 | University Physics Lab I | 1 |
| PHYS 316 | University Physics Lab II | 1 |
| MATH 112 | Precalculus Mathematics | 5 |
| MATH 242 | Calculus I | 5 |
| MATH 243 | Calculus II | 5 |
| MATH 344 | Calculus III | 3 |
| Professional electives as approved below 1 | 1, 4 | |
Physics courses with PHYS 314 prerequisite | ||
One academic year of German or French | ||
Other courses as approved by the Undergraduate Affairs Committee | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 82-88 | |
| 1 | If both CHEM 662 and CHEM 663 are taken, only 1 credit hour of professional electives is required. |
Representative Course Sequence
| Freshman | ||
|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Credit Hours | |
| CHEM 211 | General Chemistry I | 5 |
| MATH 112 | Precalculus Mathematics 2 | 5 |
| ENGL 101 | College English I | 3 |
| COMM 111 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| CHEM 212 | General Chemistry II | 5 |
| MATH 242 | Calculus I | 5 |
| ENGL 102 | College English II | 3 |
| General Education course in fine arts, humanities or social sciences 3 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Sophomore | ||
| Semester 1 | ||
| CHEM 531 | Organic Chemistry I 4 | 5 |
| MATH 243 | Calculus II | 5 |
| PHYS 313 | Physics for Scientists I | 4 |
| PHYS 315 | University Physics Lab I | 1 |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| CHEM 532 | Organic Chemistry II | 5 |
| PHYS 314 | Physics for Scientists II | 4 |
| PHYS 316 | University Physics Lab II | 1 |
| MATH 344 | Calculus III | 3 |
| General Education course in fine arts, humanities or social sciences 3 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Junior | ||
| Semester 1 | ||
| CHEM 523 | Analytical Chemistry | 4 |
| CHEM 545 | Physical Chemistry I | 3 |
| BIOL 210 | General Biology I | 4 |
| General Education course in fine arts, humanities or social sciences 3 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| CHEM 524 | Instrumental Methods of Chemical Analysis | 4 |
| CHEM 546 | Physical Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 661 | Principles of Biochemistry | 3 |
| General Education course in fine arts, humanities or social sciences 3 | 3 | |
| General Education course in fine arts, humanities or social sciences 3 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Senior | ||
| Semester 1 | ||
| CHEM 514 | Inorganic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 547 | Physical Chemistry Lab | 2 |
| CHEM 690 | Independent Study and Research | 2-3 |
| Professional electives | 3-4 | |
| General Education course in fine arts, humanities or social sciences 3 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 13-15 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| CHEM 615 | Advanced Inorganic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 616 | Inorganic Chemistry Lab | 2 |
| Electives | 6 | |
| General Education course in fine arts, humanities or social sciences 3 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120-122 | |
| 2 | Not needed if two years of high school algebra, one year of high school geometry and one-half year of high school trigonometry taken. |
| 3 | Please see WSU general education requirements. |
| 4 | CHEM 531, CHEM 514 and CHEM 523 all have CHEM 212 as a prerequisite and can be taken in any order. |
Applied Learning
Students in the BS in chemistry program are required to complete an applied learning or research experience to graduate from the program. The requirement can be met by completing at least one semester of undergraduate research, by enrollment in CHEM 690.