Undergraduate Overview
The faculty of the Department of Chemistry, through courses and research opportunities, provides a nurturing but challenging environment for students pursuing undergraduate degrees in chemistry. Undergraduate students in our department typically take a total of 45 credits in chemistry courses for a B.S. degree and 36 credits for a B.A. degree. The courses offered range from basic level General Chemistry, to the two semester sequence of Organic Chemistry and more advanced courses in Physical, Organic and Inorganic Chemistry. Many students also choose to do research, as hands-on laboratory experience is vital in the development of a chemist. When graduating from our department undergraduate students follow diverse paths, such as working for the chemical industry or going to graduate and medical school, among others. Chemistry or Biochemistry? Chemical Engineering? Biology? Physics?
The chemical engineering, biology, and physics majors have fewer courses in common with chemistry, but crossover to or from these fields is also possible at the graduate level. Crossover between biochemistry and biology is common.
As preparation for medical school, students often major in chemistry or biochemistry. There is lore, supported by statistics from the American Association of Medical Schools, that chemistry and biochemistry majors have high rates of getting into medical school.
The tables below show sample science course schedules, in order to complete the required classes for each of the 5 possible chemistry majors by the end of the 3rd year. For the speciifc requirements consult the Course Catalog. These schedules require no more than 8-9 credits towards the major in each of the first 3 semesters, and no more than 12-13 in each of the next 3. This generally leaves sufficient space in the schedule also to complete Arts & Sciences Core requirements by the end of the 6th semester.
For the BS degrees in particular, adhering to (or accelerating) these schedules from the very first semester is generally the only way--other than with AP credit or summer classes--to finish the required non-elective courses in 3 years. This leaves the 4th year open for required research (CHE 450) and for upper-division science electives, also needed for each degree. These electives typically have the required courses listed below as prerequisites, and often also conflict in time with them. Furthermore, except for CHE/BCM 477 (which can be interchanged with BIO 475), every one of the CHE, BCM, and BIO courses listed in the charts below is an invariant requirement of that degree, and is only offered in the spring or in the fall, as indicated.
Falling behind these timelines in the first few years may therefore make it impossible to complete the desired degree in 4 years, due to complex scheduling conflicts with 4th-year chemistry electives. Meeting with a chemistry advisor long before declaring a major can help students to foresee and avoid these conflicts.
Chemistry BS (ACS-certified) Specific Requirements in the Course Catalog
Chemistry BS (ACS-certified) |
Required CHE Courses |
Required Non-Chemistry Courses |
Fall 1st year |
106,107 (or 109/129), 450* |
MAT 295 |
Spring 1st year |
116,117 (or 119/139), 450* |
MAT 296 |
Fall 2nd year |
275/276, 450* |
PHY 211/221 |
Spring 2nd year |
325/326, 450* |
PHY 212/222 |
Fall 3rd year |
346/347, 411, 450* |
BCM 475 |
Spring 3rd year |
356/357, 422, 450* |
|
Fall 4th year |
450* + electives |
|
Spring 4th year |
450* + electives |
*CHE 450 should be started as early as possible; 3 credits are required.
Chemistry BS (Medicinal) Specific Requirements in the Course Catalog
Chemistry BS (Medicinal) |
Required CHE Courses |
Required Non-Chemistry Courses |
Fall 1st year |
106,107 (or 109/129), 450* |
BIO 121 |
Spring 1st year |
116,117 (or 119/139), 450* |
BIO 326 |
Fall 2nd year |
275/276, 450* |
MAT 285 or 295 |
Spring 2nd year |
325/326, 450* |
MAT 286 or 296 PHY 211,221 |
Fall 3rd year |
474, 335, 427, 450* |
|
Spring 3rd year |
412, 414, 450* |
BIO 305 PHY 212/222 |
Fall 4th year |
450* + electives |
|
Spring 4th year |
450* + electives |
*CHE 450 should be started as early as possible; 3 credits are required.
Biochemistry BS specific requirements in the Course Catalog
Biochemistry BS |
Required CHE Courses |
Required Non-Chemistry Courses |
Fall 1st year |
106,107 (or 109/129) |
BIO 121 |
Spring 1st year |
116,117 (or 119/139) |
BIO 326 |
Fall 2nd year |
275/276 |
BIO 327, MAT 285 |
Spring 2nd year |
325/326 |
MAT 286, PHY 211/221 |
Fall 3rd year |
474 |
BCM 475, PHY 212/222 |
Spring 3rd year |
CHE/BCM 477§ |
BIO 305 |
Fall 4th year |
electives |
electives |
Spring 4th year |
electives |
electives |
§May be substituted by BIO 475, a fall course.
Chemistry BA (Biological Chemistry track) specific requirements in the Course Catalog
Chemistry BA (Biol. Chem.) |
Required CHE Courses |
Required Non-Chemistry Courses |
Fall 1st year |
106,107 (or 109/129) |
MAT 285 or 295 |
Spring 1st year |
116,117 (or 119/139) |
MAT 286 or 296 |
Fall 2nd year |
275/276 |
PHY 211/221 |
Spring 2nd year |
325/326 |
PHY 212,222 |
Fall 3rd year |
474 |
BCM 475 |
Spring 3rd year |
477§ |
|
Fall 4th year |
electives |
|
Spring 4th year |
electives |
§May be substituted by BIO 475, a fall course.
Chemistry BA (chemistry track) specific requirements in the Course Catalog
Chemistry BA (chemistry track) |
Required CHE Courses |
Required Non-Chemistry Courses |
Fall 1st year |
106,107 (or 109/129) |
MAT 285 or 295 |
Spring 1st year |
116,117 (or 119/139) |
MAT 286 or 296 |
Fall 2nd year |
275/276 |
PHY 211/221 |
Spring 2nd year |
325/326 |
PHY 212/222 |
Fall 3rd year |
346/347 |
|
Spring 3rd year |
356/357 |
|
Fall 4th year |
electives |
|
Spring 4th year |
electives |
How do you go about doing research? It doesn't happen on its own - it depends on your initiative. You should first have a look at the faculty pages on the departmental web site (chemistry.syr.edu). Don't worry if you don't understand what you read there. What you're looking for are the types of projects that sound interesting to you. Make a list of faculty whom you might like to work with, and start contacting them by phone, email, or knocking on doors. You will likely find some who are unable to take another student. Working with someone new in the lab takes time! If you cannot set something up right away, you probably will be able to make arrangements for the next semester. You will get credit for the research that you do, usually as CHE 450.
A new development is the Degree in Chemistry with Distinction. To receive this degree, a student must graduate with a 3.4 GPA (both overall and in chemistry) and complete a thesis describing a significant research project.
Other research opportunities exist in the summer, and you will generally get paid with money rather than credit in the summer. Our department has an REU program, in which about 21 students, including a few SU students, do research for ten weeks for a $4,500 stipend. Many such REU programs exist, supported by the National Science Foundation and listed on their web site (www.nsf.gov), and these offer great research experiences. Deadlines are typically February or March. They are highly competitive but certainly worth pursuing. For our program, see the department web site (chemistry.syr.edu).
Now, are you better off going to graduate school or directly to work for a company? Two primary considerations are level of responsibility and salary. As a B.S. chemist, you will likely be a bench chemist or technician, answering to a Ph.D. chemist, and it will likely be difficult to move up in the company from this position. You might like this just fine, and you will be making good money, with average starting salaries running $38,000 (manufacturing sector, 2004). If you go to graduate school, you will make half as much for about five years, but when you then go to work for a company, you will have much more responsibility and make, on average, $75,000. Ph.D. chemists may supervise anywhere from a handful to hundreds of other chemists, and moves into upper management are common.