Click here to view the Suggested Plan of Study
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Degree Requirements
Students must complete WVU General Education Foundations requirements, College B.S. requirements, major requirements, and electives to total a minimum of 120 hours.For complete details on these requirements,visit the B.S. Degrees tab on the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences page. Students may not earn both a B.A. and a B.S. in Chemistry.
Departmental Requirements for the B.S. in Chemistry
- Capstone Requirement: The university requires the successful completion of a Capstone course, which for the B.S. Chemistry degree involves CHEM 402 . WVUTeach students may substitute CHEM 376L for CHEM 402 .
- Writing Requirement: Chemistry Bachelor of Science fulfill the Writing and Communication Skills requirement by completing ENGL 101 and ENGL 102 (or ENGL 103), and two additional SpeakWrite Certified CoursesTM: CHEM 348L, and CHEM 402. WVUTeach students may substitute CHEM 376L for CHEM 402 .
- Calculation of GPA in the major: A grade of C- is required in all courses applied to major requirements, including the STEM Foundations. If a course is repeated, all attempts will be included in the calculation of the GPA, unless the course is eligible for a D/F repeat.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | 46 | |
| ECAS B.S. Requirements | 4 | |
| Chemistry Major Requirements | 70 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits) | ||
| Outstanding GEF Requirements 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7 | 18 | |
| CHEM 191 | First-Year Seminar | 1 |
| General Electives | 27 | |
| Total Hours | 46 | |
ECAS Bachelor of Science Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COLLEGE REQUIREMENT | 4 | |
Global Studies and Diversity Requirement | ||
| MATHEMATICS REQUIREMENT | ||
| Calculus 1a with Precalculus and Calculus 1b with Precalculus | ||
or MATH 155 | Calculus 1 | |
SCIENCE REQUIREMENT fulfilled by major requirements | ||
| Total Hours | 4 | |
Chemistry Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| STEM FOUNDATIONS * | 12 | |
| Calculus 2 | ||
| General Physics 1 and General Physics 1 Laboratory and General Physics 2 and General Physics 2 Laboratory | ||
| CORE COURSES | 49 | |
| Introductory Biochemistry | ||
| Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 and Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 Laboratory | ||
| Fundamentals of Chemistry 2 and Fundamentals of Chemistry 2 Laboratory | ||
| Introductory Analytical Chemistry and Introductory Analytical Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Organic Chemistry 1 | ||
| Organic Chemistry 1 Laboratory | ||
| Organic Chemistry 2 | ||
| Organic Chemistry 2 Laboratory | ||
| Instrumental Analysis | ||
| Instrumental Analysis Laboratory | ||
| Methods of Structure Determination | ||
| Physical Chemistry 1 | ||
| Physical Chemistry 2 | ||
| Physical Chemistry 2 Laboratory | ||
| Inorganic Chemistry 2 | ||
| Inorganic Synthesis Laboratory | ||
| Multivariable Calculus | ||
| UPPER-DIVISION ELECTIVES * | 6 | |
Select 2 classes: | ||
| Environmental Chemistry | ||
| Organic Syntheses Laboratory | ||
| Quantum Chemistry | ||
| Forensic Chemistry | ||
| Forensic Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Biochemistry 2 | ||
| Biochemistry 2 Laboratory | ||
| Senior Thesis | ||
| Research | ||
| Honors | ||
| CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE | 3 | |
| Chemistry Capstone: Chemical Literature | ||
| Total Hours | 70 | |
Footnotes
- *
STEM foundation courses are common to most STEM majors and excluded from the calculation of the percentage of upper-division courses
- **
Only three hours of CHEM 497 may be counted toward the six-hour requirement.
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| CHEM 191 | 1 | ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| GEF 4 | 3 | CHEM 116 & 116L (GEF 8; B.S. First Area 2)* | 4 |
| ECAS Global Studies and Diversity Requirement (GEF 7) | 3 | MATH 156 (GEF 8; B.S. Second Area 1) | 4 |
| CHEM 115 & 115L (GEF 2; B.S. First Area 1)* | 4 | General Elective | 3 |
| MATH 155 (GEF 3) | 4 | General Elective | 1 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| CHEM 215 & 215L | 4 | ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| CHEM 233 & 233L | 4 | CHEM 234 & 234L | 4 |
| MATH 251 (B.S. Second Area 2) | 4 | GEF 5 | 3 |
| PHYS 111 (GEF 8; B.S. Third Area 1) | 4 | PHYS 112 (B.S. Third Area 2) | 4 |
| 16 | 14 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| GEF 6 | 3 | CHEM 310 | 3 |
| AGBI 410 | 3 | CHEM 348 | 3 |
| CHEM 335 | 4 | General Elective | 3 |
| CHEM 346 | 3 | General Elective | 4 |
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| 16 | 13 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| CHEM 310L | 1 | CHEM 402 | 3 |
| CHEM 348L | 2 | CHEM 422L | 2 |
| CHEM 422 | 3 | Chemistry Elective 2 | 3 |
| Chemistry Elective 1 | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 2 |
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Total credit hours: 120 | |||
Major Learning Outcomes
Chemistry
- Will have sufficient knowledge of the fundamental chemical principles and an understanding of the methods of chemistry to be able to formulate solutions to problems of chemical relevance.
- Will have acquired sufficient training to perform accurate and precise quantitative analyses, to utilize modern instrumental methods of analysis, to analyze and report the results of chemical experimentation, to work safely with chemicals, and to work effectively both as an individual and in a small group.
- Will understand how to retrieve information from the chemical literature and be able to organize and communicate chemical information effectively in written reports and oral presentations.
- Will possess the basic laboratory skills and chemical knowledge to qualify for entry level industrial or government laboratory positions or to be able to apply and gain admission to competitive graduate and professional schools.