Chemistry, B.S.

Transferability of credits from other institutions that are not already approved for articulation to Chapman will be determined at the discretion of the program director.

Students with sufficient high school background or appropriate AP or IB test scores may waive one course or more of the following: CHEM 140 /CHEM 140L , MATH 110 , MATH 111 , MATH 115 , PHYS 101 . (Note that these courses may need to be taken at a college/university to fulfill the requirements for medical school and/or other graduate programs.)

Program Learning Outcomes for B.S. in Chemistry.

Students pursuing the B.S. in Chemistry are required to:

Earn an overall GPA of 2.000 for all required major courses.
Complete all courses in the major for a letter grade, except those where the default grading option is P/NP.
Complete a minimum of 21 credits from upper-division courses in the major.
Complete the exit exam and a capstone requirement.

Majors are required to enroll in FFC 100B - First Year Foundations: Grand Challenges in Science and Engineering to satisfy their General Education requirement.

Grand Challenges Initiative (3 credits)

introductory courses (9 credits)

CHEM 100 - Introduction to the Chemistry and Biochemistry Majors and Career Paths 1 credit
CHEM 140 - General Chemistry I 3 credits
CHEM 140L - General Chemistry I Laboratory 1 credit
CHEM 150 - General Chemistry II 3 credits
CHEM 150L - General Chemistry II Laboratory 1 credit

cognate courses (19-20 credits)

PHYS 101 - General Physics I 3 credits
PHYS 101L - General Physics I Laboratory 1 credit
PHYS 102 - General Physics II 3 credits
PHYS 102L - General Physics II Laboratory 1 credit
MATH 110 - Single Variable Calculus I 3 credits *
MATH 111 - Single Variable Calculus II 3 credits *
MATH 210 - Multivariable Calculus 3 credits *
CHEM 220 - Scientific Computing I 3 credits **
*MATH 115/MATH 116 may be substituted for MATH 110/MATH 111/MATH 210.
**CPSC 230 (3 credits) and CPSC 298 (Data Visualization, 1 credit) may replace CHEM 220.

chemistry foundation courses (20 credits)

CHEM 230 - Organic Chemistry I 3 credits
CHEM 230L - Organic Chemistry I Laboratory 1 credit
CHEM 301 - Inorganic Chemistry, Lecture and Laboratory 4 credits
CHEM 310 - Analytical Chemistry I, Lecture and Laboratory 4 credits
BCHM 335 - Biochemistry I-Biomolecules, Lecture and Laboratory 4 credits
CHEM 340 - Physical Chemistry-Quantum Chemistry, Lecture and Laboratory 4 credits

chemistry in-depth courses (12 credits)

CHEM 331 - Organic Chemistry II 3 credits
CHEM 331L - Organic Chemistry II Laboratory 1 credit
CHEM 411 - Analytical Chemistry II, Lecture and Laboratory 4 credits
CHEM 441 - Physical Chemistry-Thermodynamics and Kinetics, Lecture and Laboratory 4 credits

electives (9 credits)***

Students must take a minimum of nine graded credits; six credits must be CHEM courses. Electives beyond nine graded credits may be taken P/NP. Note that professional programs may require graded courses.

MATH 215 - Introduction to Linear Algebra and Differential Equations 3 credits
CHEM 325 - Atmospheric Chemistry 3 credits
CHEM 327 - Environmental Geochemistry 3 credits
BCHM 336 - Biochemistry II-Biometabolism 3 credits
CHEM 338 - Symmetry in Chemistry 3 credits
BCHM 350 - Medicinal Chemistry 3 credits
BCHM 420 - Physical Biochemistry, Lecture and Laboratory 4 credits
CHEM 432 - Advanced Organic Chemistry 3 credits
CHEM 444 - Computational Chemistry 3 credits
CHEM 451 - Molecular Spectroscopy 3 credits
PHYS 451 - Quantum Mechanics I 3 credits
***Students may take FSN 501/502 in place of one elective with program director approval. Students accepted into the Integrated Bachelor of Science/Master of Science in Food Science should consult with their faculty advisor about graduate level courses that can be taken as part of the integrated program as electives in the undergraduate program.

capstone research requirement (2-4 credits)

Students are required to successfully complete a capstone project before graduation. The degree will not be conferred until the faculty advisor has notified the Office of the University Registrar that all the elements of the capstone requirement have been fulfilled. The student must register for one credit of the CHEM 498 Capstone Course in each of the fall and spring semesters of their senior year. Students will submit a formal report modeled after the format of a peer-reviewed article to the faculty advisor at the end of the final semester of the senior year and present this research in poster format at the University Student Scholar Symposium. Students will also give an oral presentation at the Schmid College Senior Research Conference in the spring semester of their senior year.

The capstone research requirement shall be fulfilled by completing one of the listed options. Students seeking honors must complete option one, two, or four.

Option one: Successful completion of an undergraduate research experience between junior and senior year funded by the National Science Foundation, American Chemical Society, Chapman SURF, Schmid Summer Research Fellowship, or other research agency that sponsors undergraduate research. The research experience must be at least eight weeks long, require full-time work in a laboratory setting and lead to the completion of a well-defined research project.

Option two: Successful completion of a pre-approved research internship immediately preceding or during senior year that results in the completion of a research project. The student must register for two credits of CHEM 490 and work with a Chapman faculty advisor and internship research supervisor to identify the student’s research project.

Option three: Successful completion of a significant review of the literature. The student must register for two credits of CHEM 491 or CHEM 499 in their senior year. The student shall expect to invest considerable time and effort researching and writing this review, which will be 30 to 40 pages in length and appropriately cited.

Option four: Successful completion of independent research overseen by a faculty member in the sciences (this will satisfy chemistry in-depth course requirements). The student must register for two credits of CHEM 491 or CHEM 499 in their senior year and complete a faculty-mentored student research project. When appropriate, a faculty member may substitute a team research project for an individual research project. When a team project is substituted, all members of the team must write a report and present a poster and oral presentation individually.

exit exam requirement

All majors will take a standardized exit exam during week 14 of the fall or spring semester in their senior year. The score on this exam will be used by the Faculty to decide whether Degree Program Honors are awarded, in addition to the requirements listed under “Degree Program Honors” under “Schmid College of Science and Technology”. The exit exam can only be taken once.