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.

At least one advanced lab, selected from:

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.

*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.

Students must select at least one advanced lab from:

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:

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. 

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:

*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.