Chemistry Major

For more information about the department, honors/high honors, transfer credit, etc., visit the chemistry department page.

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 NIH Study Group in the fall of their senior year are exempted from CHEM 481 .
CHEM 482 - Advanced Chemistry Research (usually completed in the spring of junior 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 allows 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 recommended for students with minimal secondary school calculus experience.

Physics Sequence

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

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.