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 Chemistry majors who participate in Colgate’s Bethesda Biomedical Research in the fall of their senior year are exempted from
CHEM 481
.
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):

Electives

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

Full-Semester Courses

Half-Semester Courses

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.