Major & Minor Requirements

Chemistry Major

We provide you with the foundation to pursue a variety of careers in scientific research and discovery, education, medicine, engineering, or careers outside of chemistry.

Major Course 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).

*Students may substitute Chem 105 Principles of General Chemistry I and Chem 106 Principles of General Chemistry II for Chem 111A General Chemistry I and Chem 112A General Chemistry II.  Please consult Chemistry's Director of Undergraduate Studies (Prof. Richard Mabbs, mabbs@wustl.edu) for details.

** Physics 193 Focused Physics I may replace Physics 191 Physics I, Physics 194 Focused Physics II may replace Physics 192 Physics II, Physics 193L Focused Physics I Laboratory may replace Physics 191L Physics I Laboratory, and Physics 194L Physics II Laboratory may replace Physics 192L Physics II Laboratory.

 

*** Math 203 Honors Mathematics I may replace both Math 131 Calculus I and Math 132 Calculus II. Math 204 Honors Mathematics II may replace Math 233 Calculus III.

Advanced Lab Requirement

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

 

Additional Notes

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.

Program Assessment

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.

Chemistry Major: Biochemistry Concentration

Major Course 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
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

*Students may substitute Chem 105 Principles of General Chemistry I and Chem 106 Principles of General Chemistry II for Chem 111A General Chemistry I and Chem 112A General Chemistry II.  Please consult Chemistry's Director of Undergraduate Studies (Prof. Richard Mabbs, mabbs@wustl.edu) for details.

** Physics 193 Focused Physics I may replace Physics 191 Physics I, Physics 194 Focused Physics II may replace Physics 192 Physics II, Physics 193L Focused Physics I Laboratory may replace Physics 191L Physics I Laboratory, and Physics 194L Physics II Laboratory may replace Physics 192L Physics II Laboratory.

*** Math 203 Honors Mathematics I may replace both Math 131 Calculus I and Math 132 Calculus II. Math 204 Honors Mathematics II may replace Math 233 Calculus III.

Advanced Lab Requirement

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

Additional Notes

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.

Program Assessment

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.

Chemistry Minor

Minor Requirements

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.

*Students may substitute Chem 105 Principles of General Chemistry I and Chem 106 Principles of General Chemistry II for Chem 111A General Chemistry I and Chem 112A General Chemistry II. Please consult the department's director of undergraduate studies for details.  Please consult Chemistry's Director of Undergraduate Studies (Prof. Richard Mabbs, mabbs@wustl.edu) for details.

** Physics 193 Focused Physics I may replace Physics 191 Physics I, Physics 194 Focused Physics II may replace Physics 192 Physics II, Physics 193L Focused Physics I Laboratory may replace Physics 191L Physics I Laboratory, and Physics 194L Physics II Laboratory may replace Physics 192L Physics II Laboratory.

 

*** Math 203 Honors Mathematics I may replace both Math 131 Calculus I and Math 132 Calculus II. 

Honors

Latin Honors

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.

 

Department Honors

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.

Have more questions about courses and requirements?

Consult WashU's catalog of programs and degree requirements 

browse the bulletin