DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY — REQUIREMENTS

The Major

For the BA in Chemistry

The department requires 44 credits in chemistry, including the following courses:

CHEM 103-104 (Principles of Chemistry I and II)
CHEM 253-254 (Organic Chemistry I and II)
CHEM 311-313; CHEM 312-314 (Analytical and Physical Chemistry, and labs)
CHEM 369-CHEM 379 (Chemical Structure, and lab)
CHEM 370-CHEM 371 (Inorganic Chemistry, and lab)

* Chemistry Capstone Requirement (see below)

In addition, chemistry majors must complete two semesters of calculus (MATH 140-141) and two semesters of calculus-level physics with laboratory (PHYSIC 113-114; PHYSIC 181-182).

For the BS in Chemistry

All requirements for the BA plus:

I. one of the following courses:

CHEM 351 (Qualitative Organic Analysis)
BIOCHM 383, 385 (Biochemistry I with lab)
CHEM 361 (Analytical Instrumentation)

II. two additional courses from the following list:

Any chemistry elective at or beyond the 300 level
Any physics elective beyond PHYS 114
Any mathematics elective beyond MATH 141
Any biology course beyond BIOL 110
Any computer science course (CS 110 is recommended)
Any EEOS course beyond EEOS 100
Any biochemistry course beyond BIOCHM 383/385

For the ACS Certified BS in Chemistry

The Chemistry Department has been authorized by the American Chemical Society to offer an ACS-certified BS degree in chemistry. Requirements for this degree include all courses required for the BA, plus:

CHEM 351 (Qualitative Organic Analysis)
CHEM 361 (Analytical Instrumentation)
Two additional courses from the following list:
any chemistry elective at or beyond the 300 level.
CHEM 481-482 (Advanced Laboratory) or CHEM 491-492 (Senior Thesis) are particularly recommended.
BIOCHM 383 AND 385 (Biochemistry I, with lab)
BIOCHM 384 AND 386 (Biochemistry II, with lab; Prerequisite: BIOCHM 383)

Capstone Requirement

Students majoring in Chemistry must, during their senior year, register for CH 491 (Senior Thesis). This course will require the student to undertake a research project, either in the laboratory or literature-based research, culminating in the preparation of a research paper of significant length. The student will also present the work orally at the end of the semester. Research topics must be approved by the faculty mentor before research begins. A grade of at least C in the capstone is required for graduation.

For the Combined BS/MS Degree in Chemistry

The Chemistry Department now offers a combined BS/MS degree track, designed to offer talented and motivated students the opportunity to attain a master’s degree in five years. Students who plan to enter this program should have a solid high school record, particularly in chemistry, mathematics, physics, and English. Requirements for this degree include

All chemistry courses required for the BA.
The requirements for the MS degree in chemistry (33 credits). The master’s program is described in the University’s graduate bulletin.
A minimum of 11 credits of elective chemistry courses, chosen from departmental offerings.

The student completing these requirements will receive both the BS in chemistry and the MS in chemistry. No degree is awarded until the requirements are complete. To be retained in the program, students must maintain a GPA of 2.0 in undergraduate chemistry and biochemistry courses and grades of B or better in graduate chemistry courses.

Admission to this program is by application only. Complete information is available at the department office.

Grade Point Average

To graduate with the major in chemistry (the BA, BS, or the ACS-certified BS), the student must have a final grade point average of 2.0 in chemistry.

Pass/Fail Option

No chemistry courses taken pass/fail will count towards the major. One math or physics course can be taken pass/fail, with prior departmental approval.

The Minor

Students majoring in another discipline (with the exception of biochemistry) may minor in chemistry. Chemistry minors take both elementary and advanced courses that cover a variety of areas in the field, including both theoretical and laboratory work. Students wishing to minor in chemistry take CHEM 103, 104, 253, and 254. These basic courses are prerequisite for all of the department’s advanced courses. Minors then take two more courses at the 300 level (or above), with one being a lecture course and one being a laboratory course. At least six credits of chemistry course work must be taken at UMass Boston. Courses taken on a pass/fail basis cannot be counted towards the chemistry minor. The student must achieve at least a 2.0 GPA in the chemistry courses that are counted towards the minor.