Students interested in science or engineering normally enter the Chemistry
curriculum by taking Chemistry 010 or 010H. These courses are taught primarily
in the Fall semester, although a limited-enrollment section of Chemistry
010 (but not 010H) is normally taught in the Spring semester as well. Students
who have any interest in majoring in chemistry or biochemistry are strongly
urged to take Chemistry 010 or 010H in the Fall of their first year, for
course sequencing purposes.
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry will accommodate all first-year
students who wish to register for General Chemistry (Chemistry 010 or 010H)
in the Fall. While the number of students who may take General Chemistry
is open, the size of each lab section is limited and therefore ALL lab sections
are lotteried. As part of the computerized pre-registration, students pre-register
for the lecture and their first choice of lab section. In addition, students
will print and fill out a pdf form that will provide information regarding
their anticipated schedule for the fall. Using this information, the department
will assign lab sections that are consistent with as many student schedules
as possible. Students who cannot be accommodated based on the information
provided will have an opportunity to choose from remaining available section
spaces at the Saturday registraion before classes begin.
First-year students with especially strong backgrounds in chemistry will
be invited to enroll in Chemistry 010H. Students with an AP score of 5 or
an Advanced Chemistry IB score of 6 or 7 earned no earlier than the junior
year in high school, receive both a chemistry credit and placement into
010H. Alternatively, the department administers a placement exam during
orientation period, and students with a strong chemistry background can
earn credit and/or placement into 010H by performing sufficiently well on
this placement exam. Students cannot receive credit both for their high
school work, and also for Chemistry 010 (or Chemistry 001); the Chemistry
010 (or Chemistry 001) credit supersedes the AP/IB/placement exam credit.
However, students can receive credit both for their AP/IB/placement exam
score and also for Chemistry 010H. Students taking Chemistry 010H must also
enroll in a General Chemistry (Chemistry 10/10H) lab section. There is no
distinction between Chemistry 010 and 010H labs. Pre-registration is required.
In addition to the traditional lecture format of Chemistry 010 we will offer a section of Chemistry 010 in a first-year seminar format.
This section is limited to twelve first-year students and will meet once
a week. (Be sure to sign up for a non-conflicting
laboratory section; again, there is no distinction between lecture and seminar
regarding the labs). Participants will be asked to prepare for class by
completing a reading assignment, working problems and/or preparing a report
for presentation. Class time will be used for a review of the assignment,
additional discussion of the material, and working problems. Pre-registration
is required.
Chemistry 3 and 4 together provide a somewhat enriched and slower-paced
alternative to Chemistry 10 as an entry to the Chemistry curriculum. Chemistry
3/4 is intended primarily for students who have not taken any high school
chemistry, or who feel that they require extensive review of basic high
school chemistry. The sequence begins in the spring with Chemistry 3, which
has no associated laboratory, and continues the next fall with Chemistry
4, which does have a lab component. Students considering a major in chemistry
or biochemistry, however, are strongly urged to take Chemistry 010 or 010H
in their first semester. Potential majors who feel under-prepared for Chemistry
010 should consult with the Department as soon as possible.
N.B.: Although the department will offer a small section of Chemistry 10
in the Spring semester to accommodate non-majors, all other courses in our
sequence are offered either only in the Fall semester or only in the Spring
semester. Consequently, a student taking Chemistry 10 in the Spring will
not be able to continue with the next course in our sequence, Chemistry
022, until the Spring semester of the following year.
For additional information, consult the Department Chair: Paul Rablen, (610) 328-8341; prablen1.