BA with a Major in Chemistry

Degree Requirements

To earn a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences degree from UIC, students must complete university, college, and department degree requirements. The Department of Chemistry degree requirements are outlined below. Students should consult the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for additional degree requirements and college academic policies.

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Summary of Requirements
Required Prerequisite and Collateral Courses		16
Major Requirements		36-40
General Education and Electives to reach Minimum Total Hours		64-68
Total Hours		120

General Education

See General Education and Writing-in-the-Discipline in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for information on meeting these requirements. Students should consult the course lists below and their advisors to determine which courses are counted toward the General Education and Writing-in-the-Discipline requirements.

Required Prerequisite and Collateral Courses

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses
MATH 180	Calculus I ^a,b	4
MATH 181	Calculus II ^a	4
Select one of the following sequences in physics:		8
PHYS 141	General Physics I (Mechanics) ^a,c
PHYS 142	General Physics II (Electricity and Magnetism) ^a,c
OR
PHYS 131	Introductory Physics for Life Sciences I ^a
PHYS 132	Introductory Physics for Life Sciences II ^a
Total Hours		16

a: This course is approved for the Analyzing the Natural World General Education category.
b: MATH 180 fulfills the LAS Quantitative Reasoning requirement.
c: PHYS 141 and PHYS 142 are recommended.

Major Requirements

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses
Select one of the following sequences in general and analytical chemistry:		10-14
CHEM 122	Matter and Energy ^a
CHEM 123	Foundations of Chemical Inquiry I ^a,b
CHEM 124	Chemical Dynamics ^a
CHEM 125	Foundations of Chemical Inquiry II ^a,c
CHEM 222	Analytical Chemistry
OR
CHEM 116	Honors and Majors General and Analytical Chemistry I ^d
CHEM 118	Honors and Majors General and Analytical Chemistry II ^d
CHEM 232	Structure and Function	3
CHEM 233	Synthesis Techniques Laboratory	2
CHEM 234	Chemical Synthesis	3
Select one of the following sequences in physical chemistry:		9
CHEM 342	Physical Chemistry I
CHEM 343	Physical Chemistry Laboratory ^e
CHEM 346	Physical Chemistry II
OR
CHEM 340	Physical Chemistry for Biochemists I
CHEM 343	Physical Chemistry Laboratory ^e
CHEM 344	Physical Chemistry for Biochemists II
CHEM 314	Inorganic Chemistry	4
Advanced chemistry electives at the 200 level or above		5
Total Hours		36-40

a: Each of the following pairs will be considered one course in meeting the LAS General Education requirements: CHEM 122/CHEM 123; CHEM 124/CHEM 125.
b: If not taken concurrently with CHEM 122, CHEM 123 should be taken within one semester of CHEM 122.
c: If not taken concurrently with CHEM 124, CHEM 125 should be taken within one semester of CHEM 124.
d: CHEM 116 and CHEM 118 are recommended for chemistry majors.
e: CHEM 343 fulfills the Writing-in-the-Discipline requirement.

Recommended Plan of Study

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
Fall Semester		Hours
ENGL 160	Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts	3
MATH 180	Calculus I	4
Select one of the following:		5
CHEM 116	Honors and Majors General and Analytical Chemistry I ^a
CHEM 122 & CHEM 123	Matter and Energy and Foundations of Chemical Inquiry I
General Education Requirement course		3
	Hours	15
Spring Semester
ENGL 161	Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research	3
MATH 181	Calculus II	4
Select one of the following:		3-5
CHEM 118	Honors and Majors General and Analytical Chemistry II ^b
CHEM 124 & CHEM 125	Chemical Dynamics and Foundations of Chemical Inquiry II
CHEM 232	Structure and Function
General Education Requirement course		3-5
	Hours	13-17
Second Year
Fall Semester
Select one of the following:		3-5
CHEM 124 & CHEM 125	Chemical Dynamics and Foundations of Chemical Inquiry II
CHEM 232	Structure and Function
CHEM 233	Synthesis Techniques Laboratory	2
Select one of the following:		4
PHYS 141	General Physics I (Mechanics)
PHYS 131	Introductory Physics for Life Sciences I
Foreign Language		4
	Hours	13-15
Spring Semester
CHEM 234	Chemical Synthesis	3
Select one of the following:		4
PHYS 142	General Physics II (Electricity and Magnetism)
PHYS 132	Introductory Physics for Life Sciences II
Foreign Language		4
General Education Requirement course		3
	Hours	14
Third Year
Fall Semester
CHEM 222	Analytical Chemistry ^c	4
CHEM 314	Inorganic Chemistry	4
Foreign Language		4
Electives		5
	Hours	17
Spring Semester
Select one of the following:		3
CHEM 340	Physical Chemistry for Biochemists I ^d
CHEM 346	Physical Chemistry II ^b
Foreign Language		4
General Education Requirement course		3
General Education Requirement course		3
Electives		3
	Hours	16
Fourth Year
Fall Semester
CHEM 343	Physical Chemistry Laboratory ^e	3
Select one of the following:		3
CHEM 342	Physical Chemistry I ^a
CHEM 344	Physical Chemistry for Biochemists II ^d
Electives		9
	Hours	15
Spring Semester
Chemistry Elective		5
Electives		10
	Hours	15
	Total Hours	120

a: CHEM 116 and CHEM 342 are offered fall semester only. CHEM 342 requires calculus-based physics (PHYS 141, PHYS 142) as a prerequisite and Calculus III (MATH 210) as a corequisite).
b: CHEM 118 and CHEM 346 are offered spring semester only.
c: Students who take CHEM 116 and CHEM 118 to fulfill the general chemistry requirement do not need to take CHEM 222.
d: CHEM 340 and CHEM 344 are offered in the fall and spring semesters.
e: CHEM 343 satisfies the Writing-in-the-Discipline requirement.

Academic Catalog

2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog