BS in Chemistry
Degree Requirements
To earn a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry degree from UIC, students need to 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.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Summary of Requirements | ||
| Requirements for the Curriculum | 120 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
Requirements for the Curriculum
The requirements for the curriculum include the courses necessary to complete the General Education and Writing-in-the-Discipline requirements described in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| ENGL 160 | Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts | 3 |
| ENGL 161 | Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research | 3 |
| Foreign language (the equivalent of two years of a single language at the college level) | 0-16 | |
| Exploring World Cultures course a | 3 | |
| Understanding the Creative Arts course a | 3 | |
| Understanding the Individual and Society course a | 3 | |
| Understanding the Past course a | 3 | |
| Understanding U.S. Society course a | 3 | |
| MATH 180 | Calculus I b,c | 4 |
| MATH 181 | Calculus II c | 4 |
| MATH 210 | Calculus III c | 3 |
| PHYS 141 | General Physics I (Mechanics) c | 4 |
| PHYS 142 | General Physics II (Electricity and Magnetism) c | 4 |
| Select one of the following sequences in general and analytical chemistry: | 10-14 | |
| Honors and Majors General and Analytical Chemistry I c,d | ||
| Honors and Majors General and Analytical Chemistry II c,d | ||
OR | ||
| General Chemistry I Lecture e | ||
| General Chemistry Laboratory I c,e | ||
| General Chemistry II Lecture e | ||
| General Chemistry Laboratory II c,e | ||
| Analytical Chemistry | ||
| CHEM 232 | Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 233 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | 2 |
| CHEM 234 | Organic Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM 314 | Inorganic Chemistry | 4 |
| CHEM 333 | Advanced Synthetic Laboratory | 3 |
| CHEM 342 | Physical Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 343 | Physical Chemistry Laboratory f | 3 |
| CHEM 346 | Physical Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 402 | Chemical Information Systems | 2 |
| CHEM 421 | Instrumental Analysis | 3 |
| CHEM 452 | Biochemistry I | 4 |
| Select one of the following advanced lecture courses: | 2 | |
| Advanced Inorganic Chemistry | ||
| Advanced Organic Chemistry | ||
| Spectroscopy in Chemistry and Biochemistry | ||
| Select one of the following advanced laboratory courses: | 3 | |
| Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Biochemistry Laboratory | ||
| Supervised Research | ||
| Electives at the 300-level or above in the natural sciences or mathematics, as approved by the departmental advisor | 3 | |
| Electives | 7-27 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
| a | Students should consult the General Education section of the catalog for a list of approved courses in this category. |
| b | MATH 180 fulfills the LAS Quantitative Reasoning requirement. |
| c | This course is approved for the Analyzing the Natural World General Education category. |
| d | |
| e | General Education credit is given for successful completion of both CHEM 122/CHEM 123 or CHEM 124/CHEM 125. |
| f | CHEM 343 fulfills the LAS Writing-in-the-Discipline requirement. |
Recommended Plan of Study
Chemistry is a highly structured discipline. Because most advanced courses require physical chemistry as a prerequisite, which in turn requires prerequisites of general chemistry, physics, and mathematics, careful course planning is essential. It is best to start with mathematics and general chemistry in the first year, followed by organic chemistry and physics in the second year, and physical chemistry in the third year. Consult the Biochemistry section for more information on the BS in Biochemistry.
Note: Students who are not ready to start with MATH 180 and CHEM 122/CHEM 123 should expect to take summer session courses and/or take longer than four years to graduate.
| 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 | |
| Honors and Majors General and Analytical Chemistry I a | ||
| General Chemistry I Lecture and General Chemistry Laboratory 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: | 5 | |
| Honors and Majors General and Analytical Chemistry II b | ||
| General Chemistry II Lecture and General Chemistry Laboratory II |
||
| General Education Requirement course | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CHEM 222 | Analytical Chemistry (or Electives) c | 4 |
| CHEM 232 | Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 233 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | 2 |
| PHYS 141 | General Physics I (Mechanics) | 4 |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CHEM 234 | Organic Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM 333 | Advanced Synthetic Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYS 142 | General Physics II (Electricity and Magnetism) | 4 |
| Foreign Language | 4 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CHEM 314 | Inorganic Chemistry | 4 |
| MATH 210 | Calculus III | 3 |
| Foreign Language | 4 | |
| General Education Requirement course | 3 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CHEM 342 | Physical Chemistry I b | 3 |
| CHEM 452 | Biochemistry I | 4 |
| General Education Requirement course | 3 | |
| Foreign Language | 4 | |
| Electives | 3 | |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CHEM 343 | Physical Chemistry Laboratory d | 3 |
| CHEM 402 | Chemical Information Systems | 2 |
| CHEM 346 | Physical Chemistry II a | 3 |
| CHEM 415 |
Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory or Biochemistry Laboratory or Supervised Research |
3 |
| Foreign Language | 4 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CHEM 421 | Instrumental Analysis | 3 |
| CHEM 414 |
Advanced Inorganic Chemistry or Advanced Organic Chemistry or Spectroscopy in Chemistry and Biochemistry |
2 |
| Electives at the 300-level in the natural sciences or mathematics, as approved by the departmental advisor | 3 | |
| Electives | 4 | |
| General Education Requirement course | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
| a | |
| b | |
| c | Students who take CHEM 116 and CHEM 118 to fulfill the general chemistry requirement do not need to take CHEM 222. |
| d | CHEM 343 fulfills the LAS Writing-in-the-Discipline requirement. |