Major & Minor Requirements

Course Number	Course Title	Credit(s)
Chem 105* or Chem 111A	General Chemistry I	3
Chem 106* or Chem 112A	General Chemistry II	3
Chem 151	General Chemistry Lab I	2
Chem 152	General Chemistry Lab II	2
Chem 261	Organic Chemistry with Lab I	4
Chem 262	Organic Chemistry with Lab II	4
Math 131	Calculus I	3
Math 132	Calculus II	3
Math 233	Calculus III	3
Physics 197 or 191/191L	Physics I	4
Physics 198 or 192/192L	Physics II	4
Chem 401	Physical Chemistry I	3
Chem 402	Physical Chemistry II	3
Chem 461	Inorganic Chemistry	3

Students earning a Chemistry Major must take 9 additional units in chemistry at the 300 level or above (not including Chem 490 or Chem 495). At least 3 of these units must be an Advanced Lab (see below).

*Please note: In certain instances, students may substitute Chem 105/106 for Chem 111A/112A. Please consult Chemistry's Director of Undergraduate Studies (Prof. Richard Mabbs, mabbs@wustl.edu) for details.

At least one advanced lab, selected from:

Course Number	Course Title	Credit(s)
Chem 358	Organic Chemistry Laboratory II	4
Chem 435	Nuclear and Radiochemistry Laboratory	3
Chem 445	Instrumental Methods: Physical Chemistry Laboratory	3
Chem 462	Polymer Synthesis Laboratory	3
Chem 470	Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory	3

 

Students have the advantage of planning their course program with their adviser in accordance with personal interests. Some graduate courses also are available to seniors. All chemistry coursework must be taken in residence at Washington University to be eligible to earn a chemistry major. A minimum grade of C- must be earned in each course to count toward the chemistry major.

Note: Per the College of Arts & Sciences guidelines, if a student has a major and a minor or has two minors, only introductory (100- and 200-level) courses may be counted, when relevant, toward the requirements of both programs. All advanced (300- and 400-level) courses must be unique to each program, i.e., no advanced course may "double-count" for the coursework needed to fulfill either program's minimal requirements. Should a student's major/minor programs require the same course, a departmentally-sanctioned elective must be chosen to replace the course in one of the programs.

In an effort to develop an annual program evaluation in cooperation with the Higher Learning Commission, the Chemistry Department offers an exit interview and an exit exam to all graduating seniors. All graduating majors are required to sit for the exam, the ACS Diagnostic of Undergraduate Knowledge in Chemistry exam. It takes one hour and includes questions with multiple choice answers. The performance on this exam does not affect the student’s transcript of GPA. The exam is tentatively scheduled for the week of Commencement each Spring.

Course Number	Course Title	Credit(s)
Chem 105* or Chem 111A	General Chemistry I	3
Chem 106* or Chem 112A	General Chemistry II	3
Chem 151	General Chemistry Lab I	2
Chem 152	General Chemistry Lab II	2
Chem 261	Organic Chemistry with Lab I	4
Chem 262	Organic Chemistry with Lab II	4
Chem 401	Physical Chemistry I	3
Chem 402	Physical Chemistry II	3
Chem 461	Inorganic Chemistry	3
Chem 481	General Biochemistry I	3
Chem 482	General Biochemistry II	3
Math 131	Calculus I	3
Math 132	Calculus II	3
Math 233	Calculus III	3
Physics 197 or 191/191L	Physics I	4
Physics 198 or 192/192L	Physics II	4
Biol 2960	Principles of Biology I	4
Biol 2970	Principles of Biology II	4

 

*Please note: In certain instances, students may substitute Chem 105/106 for Chem 111A/112A. Please consult Chemistry's Director of Undergraduate Studies (Prof. Richard Mabbs, mabbs@wustl.edu) for details.

Students must select at least one advanced lab from:

Course Number	Course Title	Credit(s)
Chem 358	Organic Chemistry Laboratory II	4
Chem 435	Nuclear and Radiochemistry Lab	3
Chem 445	Instrumental Methods: Physical Chemistry	3
Chem 462	Polymer Synthesis Laboratory	3
Chem 470	Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory	3
Biol 4522	Laboratory in Protein Analysis, Proteomics and Protein Structure	3
Biol 4523	Molecular Methods in Enzyme Analysis	4

All chemistry course work must be taken in residence at Washington University to be eligible to earn a chemistry major. A minimum grade of C- must be earned in each course to count toward the chemistry major.

Note: Per the College of Arts & Sciences guidelines, if a student has a major and a minor or has two minors, only introductory (100- and 200-level) courses may be counted, when relevant, toward the requirements of both programs. All advanced (300- and 400-level) courses must be unique to each program, i.e., no advanced course may "double-count" for the coursework needed to fulfill either program's minimal requirements. Should a student's major/minor programs require the same course, a departmentally-sanctioned elective must be chosen to replace the course in one of the programs.

In an effort to develop an annual program evaluation in cooperation with the Higher Learning Commission, the Chemistry Department offers an exit interview and an exit exam to all graduating seniors. All graduating majors are required to sit for the exam, the ACS Diagnostic of Undergraduate Knowledge in Chemistry exam. It takes one hour and includes questions with multiple choice answers. The performance on this exam does not affect the student’s transcript of GPA. The exam is tentatively scheduled for the week of Commencement each Spring.

A student planning to complete a minor in Chemistry must complete the following pre-requisite courses:

Course Number	Course Title	Credit(s)
Chem 105* or Chem 111A	General Chemistry I	3
Chem 106* or Chem 112A	General Chemistry II	3
Chem 151	General Chemistry Lab I	2
Chem 152	General Chemistry Lab II	2
Chem 261	Organic Chemistry with Lab I	4
Chem 262	Organic Chemistry with Lab II	4
Math 131	Calculus I	3
Math 132	Calculus II	3
Math 233	Calculus III	3
Physics 197 or 191/191L	Physics I	4
Physics 198 or 192/192L	Physics II	4

In addition, nine units of Chemistry encompassing at least two sub-disciplines are required at the advanced (300+ level). Chem 490 and Chem 495 are specifically excluded from the minor.

*Please note: In certain instances, students may substitute Chem 105/106 for Chem 111A/112A. Please consult Chemistry's Director of Undergraduate Studies (Prof. Richard Mabbs, mabbs@wustl.edu) for details.

Latin Honors are determined on the basis of a student’s performance through eight semesters in college.  To be eligible for Latin Honors, the student must have maintained a 3.65 GPA and must complete the Latin Honors curriculum in Chemistry.

The Latin Honors Curriculum for Chemistry majors requires the completion of a second advanced chemistry lab. One of the advanced labs must be a Physical Chemistry Lab (Chem 435 or Chem 445). The other advanced lab must be a Synthetic Chemistry Lab (Chem 358, Chem 462, or Chem 470). 

The Latin Honors Curriculum for Chemistry: Biochemistry Concentration majors requires the completion of an additional 3 units of advanced biochemistry or biological chemistry course credit. Courses may be chosen from the following list: Biol 334, Biol 349, Chem 453, Chem 464, Chem 483, Chem 485, Chem 510, Chem 358, Chem 435, Chem 445, Chem 462, Chem 470, Biol 4522, or Biol 4523.

 

Departmental or “English” honors are awarded by the Chemistry Department for the successful completion of a rigorous program of study in Chemistry, which emphasizes research as an important part of Chemistry education. 

To earn Chemistry Department honors, a student must first complete the Latin Honors Curriculum and must also achieve the following:

Department Honor	Chemistry GPA Requirement	Research Requirement
With distinction	3.50	At least one semester of Chem 490 research*
With high distinction	3.65	At least two semesters of Chemistry research, one of which is Chem 495
With highest distinction	3.80	At least two semesters of Chemistry research, one of which is Chem 495

*for students with alternate research experiences, petitions will be considered Chemistry research is defined as a research project performed under the direction of a Chemistry faculty member or a research project approved by the Chemistry Undergraduate Work Committee. The Chemistry GPA is calculated from the grades received in Chemistry courses and Chemistry prerequisites (including lower-level Chemistry courses, Math, Physics, and Biology (if pursuing the Biochemistry Focused major). The level of Department Honors a student achieves will appear on the student’s final transcript.