Chemistry Minor

Requirements

The Minor in Chemistry is available to any non-Chemistry or non-Biochemistry major. Students must earn a “C” or better in every course counted towards the minor.

A minimum of 19 units of chemistry coursework which must include a minimum of six units of upper division chemistry courses and the following:

CHEM 111A - General Chemistry (5 units)
or
CHEM 112A - Advanced General Chemistry (5 units)
CHEM 111B - General Chemistry (5 units)
or
CHEM 112B - Advanced General Chemistry (5 units)

Organic Chemistry

If students choose to take Organic Chemistry, then they may use courses from only one of the two Organic Chemistry paths to meet the requirements of the minor:

CHEM 227 - Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry (3 units)
or
CHEM 220A - Organic Chemistry I (3 units)
CHEM 220B - Organic Chemistry II (3 units)

Physical Chemistry

If students choose to take Physical Chemistry, then they may use courses from only one of the three Physical Chemistry paths to meet the requirements of the minor:

CHEM 371A - Physical Chemistry: Thermodynamics and Kinetics (3 units)
CHEM 371B - Physical Chemistry: Quantum Mechanics and Spectroscopy (3 units)
or
CHEM 375 - Physical Chemistry for Engineers (3 units)
or
CHEM 379 - Physical Chemistry for the Biosciences (4 units)

Biochemistry

If students choose to take Biochemistry, then they may use courses from only one of the two Biochemistry paths to meet the requirements of the minor

CHEM 441A - Biological Chemistry (3 units)
CHEM 441B - Biological Chemistry (3 units)
or
CHEM 448 - Fundamentals of Biological Chemistry (3 units)

In addition to the courses listed above

the following courses may be used to complete the minor in chemistry. A maximum of 3 units of CHEM 496 may be used to complete the minor in chemistry:

CHEM 223A - Organic Chemistry Laboratory I (1 unit)
CHEM 223B - Organic Chemistry Laboratory II (1 unit)
CHEM 251 - Quantitative Analysis (4 units)
CHEM 330 - Bio-inorganic Chemistry (3 units)
CHEM 331 - Inorganic Chemistry (3 units)
CHEM 320L - Organic Chemistry Laboratory (2 units)
CHEM 332 - Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory (2 units)
CHEM 373 - Physical Chemistry Laboratory (3 units)
CHEM 381 - Special Topics in Spectroscopy (1 unit)
CHEM 385 - Materials Science (3 units)
CHEM 420 - Advanced Organic Chemistry Laboratory (3 units)
CHEM 421 - Physical Organic Chemistry (3 units)
CHEM 431 - Advanced Inorganic Chemistry (3 units)
CHEM 443 - Biochemistry Laboratory (4 units)
CHEM 449 - Nutritional Biochemistry Laboratory (1 unit)
CHEM 451 - Instrumental Methods of Analysis (5 units)
CHEM 480 - Biomolecular Modeling and Simulation (3 units)
CHEM 496 - Undergraduate Directed Research (1-3 units)

The following courses are not acceptable toward the minor:

CHEM 90 - Introduction to General Chemistry (4 units)
CHEM 100 - Chemistry and Today’s World (4 units)
CHEM 140 - General, Organic, and Biochemistry (5 units)
CHEM 224A - Organic Chemistry I Recitation (1 unit)
CHEM 224B - Organic Chemistry II Recitation (1 unit)
CHEM 301 - Naturally Dangerous (3 units)
CHEM 361 - Chemical Communications (3 units)

Graduate Credit Earned as an Undergraduate Chemistry or Biochemistry Major

Graduate credit usually may not be earned in advance of the baccalaureate degree. However, based upon the recommendation of the Department Chairman and the Chairman of the Department Graduate Studies Committee, academic performance (a grade point average of 3.00 overall and 3.00 in the major), and promise of academic achievement in postgraduate study, a student in his/her senior year may be granted approval to earn a maximum of 12 units of course work in the 400 and 500 level taken at this University toward his/her prospective graduate program, subject to the following conditions:

The course work must be in addition to that required by the Department for the B.A. or B.S. degree in Chemistry or the B.S. degree in Biochemistry.
The undergraduate student must have a “Petition to Earn Credit in the Senior Year” approved by the appropriate Department Graduate Advisor, the Associate Dean for Graduate Accountability in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and the Dean of Graduate Studies.