Important Websites to bookmark!
We think that the links below would be help you in your course planning:
Chemistry Major Requirements
Chemistry Course Offerings
Chemistry Petitions
Chemistry Student Blog
Chemistry Undergrad Facebook Group
What's the difference between CHEM 4, CHEM 6A, and CHEM 6AH?
Here’s a bit of background on some of our chemistry courses to get you started!
Please note that the Chemistry placement exam and the information below is only meant to help guide you in your course selection. You will need to fulfill all course pre-requisites before enrolling in any class.
CHEM 4 (Chemical Thinking) is designed to prepare students for the General Chemistry sequence. It devotes more time on the fundamentals of chemistry, in order to help students succeed in CHEM 6A. CHEM 4 is typically only offered in the Fall Quarter and is restricted to freshmen and sophomore enrollment. You should consider taking CHEM 4 if:
- It was recommended based on your placement exam results
- You DID NOT take chemistry in high school
- It has been 2+ years since your last chemistry course
- You are apprehensive about taking chemistry and not confident in your math skills
- You are not enrolled in Calculus (Math 10A or 20A must be completed before you can begin CHEM 6B) OR you do not otherwise meet the Math prerequisites to enroll in CHEM 6A
CHEM 6A, 6B, 6C (General Chemistry) is a three-quarter sequence intended for science and engineering majors. These lower-division Chemistry courses often serve as pre-requisites for upper-division courses in a variety of majors. CHEM 7L or 7LM will fulfill the general chemistry lab requirement. You must place into MATH 10A/20A to enroll in CHEM 6A.
CHEM 6AH, 6BH, 6CH (General Chemistry Honors) devotes more time to explaining the “why” of chemistry, its underlying physical nature, and theoretical considerations. These courses provide you with a much broader picture of chemical science, with an emphasis on the physics and mathematics behind it. As such, the sequence uses a different textbook and covers topics in a slightly different order compared to the CHEM 6ABC course sequence. Chemistry 6CH will also examine topics such as Forensics, Materials, and Instrumentation, and may include a capstone project, which are not required in the ‘regular’ sequence. If you have AP/IB credit for the general chemistry series and need the course credit for pre-med purposes, this is a good option for you.
You can find more details about these and all of our Chemistry courses here.
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How do I get involved with the Department?
Fantastic Question!
Here are a few recommendations to assist you in having a successful academic experience in the Department of Chemistry:
1. Join a Pre-Professional Org like ACSSA! Want to interact with your peers and learn more about the chemistry profession? Become a member of our nationally recognized American Chemical Society Student Affiliates (ACSSA)! The student org hosts numerous events, such as lab tours, resume and interview coaching, Faculty-Student mixers, and much more. For more information, see their website here!
2. Seek Mentorship with ChemPAL! – ChemPAL provides mentoring for undergraduate students studying Chemistry and opportunities for graduate students in the Chemistry & Biochemistry Department to serve as mentors. Small mentoring groups matching graduate student mentors with undergraduate Mentees meet throughout the academic year to support the undergraduate Mentees. For more information, check out the ChemPAL Facebook Page.
3. Do Research. Connect theory with practice and gain valuable, hands-on experience, join an academic research lab or participate in an industrial internship. We suggest students to look into research positions after your second year to ensure that you have the foundational skills to be successful in a lab. This is a bit far away for most of our incoming students but it's a wonderful opportunity that we encourage students to think about early! For information on how to receive academic credit for these activities, click here.