Chemistry Major

Major Requirements

The major program consists of the following requirements:

All of the Following

• CHEM 101 - General Chemistry I and CHEM 101L (usually completed in the first year)
• CHEM 102 - General Chemistry II and CHEM 102L (usually completed in the first year)
• CHEM 263 - Organic Chemistry I and CHEM 263L (usually completed in the sophomore year)
• CHEM 264 - Organic Chemistry II and CHEM 264L (usually completed in the sophomore year)
• CHEM 333 - Physical Chemistry I (usually completed in the fall of junior year)
• CHEM 334 - Physical Chemistry II (usually completed in the spring of junior year)
• CHEM 371 - Instrumental Methods (usually completed in the fall of junior year)
• CHEM 381 - Practical Quantitative Analysis (usually completed in the fall of junior year)
• CHEM 382 - Molecular Spectroscopy
• CHEM 481 - Advanced Chemistry Research (research conducted by chemistry majors while participating in Colgate's Bethesda Biomedical Research in the fall of their senior year fulfills this requirement.)
• CHEM 482 - Advanced Chemistry Research (usually completed in the spring of senior year)
   CHEM 111/CHEM 111L, a one-term course designed for the well-prepared first-year student, may be substituted for CHEM 101/CHEM 101L and CHEM 102/CHEM 102L and facilitates an early entry into CHEM 212/CHEM 212L.

Integrated Laboratory

At least one from the following (usually taken in the junior year):

• CHEM 384 - Molecular Dynamics
• CHEM 385 - Biophysical Chemistry Methods
• CHEM 387 - Special Topics: Structure and Analysis

Electives

At least two course credits one of which must be a full-semester course from:

Full-Semester Courses

• CHEM 212 - Inorganic Chemistry and CHEM 212L 
• CHEM 214 - Inorganic Chemistry
• CHEM 353 - Proteins and Nucleic Acids

Half-Semester Courses

• CHEM 413 - Molecular Symmetry
• CHEM 415 - Organometallic Chemistry
• CHEM 431 - Molecular Modeling and Simulation
• CHEM 440 - Materials Chemistry
• CHEM 452 - Metabolic Chemistry
• CHEM 454 - Bioenergetics
• CHEM 456 - Bioinorganic Chemistry
• CHEM 461 - Organic Reaction Mechanisms
• CHEM 464 - Organic Synthesis
• CHEM 468 - Medicinal Chemistry
• CHEM 477 - Environmental Chemistry

Note:

Independent Studies (CHEM 291, CHEM 391, and CHEM 491) may not normally be substituted for one of the courses listed in the above requirements, but if it can be demonstrated that such a course provides sufficient breadth at the advanced level, the department will consider a petition for substitution.

Additional Requirements

Calculus Course Option

At least one course from the following:

• MATH 162 - Calculus II
• MATH 163 - Calculus III
   MATH 161 is the recommended starting point for students with minimal secondary school calculus experience.

Physics Sequence

One of the following sequences (usually taken by the sophomore year):

• PHYS 111 - Fundamental Physics I and PHYS 111L 
• PHYS 112 - Fundamental Physics II and PHYS 112L 
  or
• PHYS 131 - Atoms and Waves and PHYS 131L 
• PHYS 232 - Introduction to Mechanics and PHYS 232L 
  or
• PHYS 232 - Introduction to Mechanics  and PHYS 232L 
• PHYS 233 - Introduction to Electricity and Magnetism and PHYS 233L 

Seminar Series

Junior and senior majors are expected to attend a weekly seminar series at which students, faculty, and guests present topics from the current literature and their own research.

GPA Requirement

An overall GPA of at least 2.00 is required for the chemistry courses (and associated labs) chosen to meet major requirements.

Honors and High Honors

Students interested in pursuing honors can find the additional requirements on the Chemistry department page.

Chemistry Department

For more information about the department, including Faculty, transfer credit, awards, etc., please visit the Chemistry department catalog page.