Undergraduate Chemistry Program

• Bachelor of Science Degree Information

• Chemistry Minor Information

• Combined BS/MS Degree Information

• Undergraduate Course Listing (link to Student Resource Center website)

• Undergraduate Course Syllabi

• Departmental Academic Advisors

• Senior Research FAQ

• Plan of Study: 4-Year Non-Coop Option

• Plan of Study: 5-Year Coop Option

Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry

General Information

The B.S. degree in chemistry is certified by the American Chemical Society Committee on Professional Training. Chemistry is an experimental science, and as such, you are required to take a number of laboratory courses in addition to the usual lecture and recitation courses. The total number of quarter credits required for the B.S. degree is 191.5. The student may exceed this, however. Note that a cumulative GPA of 2.0 is required for graduation. The chemistry major offers two distinct programs of study:

Five-year co-op option: Drexel University has long been known for its co-operative education/internship programs (Drexel Co-op, "The Ultimate Internship"), through which students mix periods of full-time, career-related employment with their studies. This program option features three separate six-month periods of employment interspersed with your studies. After the start of the sophomore year, students study or work through all terms, including summers.

Four-year non-co-op option: The chemistry degree can also be completed in four years without co-op/internship employment. Students are not required to pursue studies during any of the summer terms. Students in this non-co-op track may elect to take one six-month period of co-op employment during the spring and summer terms of their junior year. To successfully do this elective courses usually scheduled for the spring term of the junior year need to be taken at another time. The student may take an increased load during other terms on campus or elect to stay on- campus and make up courses during the summer between sophomore and junior years. The student is urged to explore this option with their departmental academic advisor as early as possible.

Note that the two curricula are the same until the start of the 7th term (the spring quarter of sophomore year), when the five-year coop students leave on their first coop cycle. A detailed course of study for the Four-Year Non-Coop and Five-Year Coop option B.S. degrees are given in the linked pages.

Undergraduate Research

Students who show initiative and laboratory ability are encouraged to develop an individual research project in collaboration with one of the departmental faculty members who agrees to act as the student’s research advisor. This research may be done for credit by signing up for the CHEM497 Undergraduate Research course. Generally it is recommended that the student become familiar with the research interests of the department faculty as early as possible. This may be done by reading papers written by the faculty (the faculty web pages are a good place to start), attending the departmental "faculty mini-symposia" held during the fall term of each year, or by simply talking with the individual faculty members. During senior year all students are required to select a research advisor and take three quarters of CHEM493 Senior Research Project. Students in the University Honors Program are required to write a Bachelor's thesis describing the work accomplished during this year; other students may choose to write either a Bachelor's thesis or a  Research Report.

Graduate Courses

Most graduate courses in chemistry are also open to qualified juniors or seniors. Prerequisites and descriptions of available graduate courses may be found in the graduate program web pages.

Language requirement

Two terms (8 credits) of any foreign language should be taken to fulfill the chemistry language requirement.

Electives

There are 33 credits (11 courses) of free electives allowed in the chemistry curriculum. At least 6 credits must be classified as a “technical elective” while another 6 credits must be classified as a “liberal studies elective”. Technical electives are defined as 200+ level courses from the Sciences, Mathematics and Computer Science, Business, Engineering, or Information Studies. Liberal studies electives include any level course from the Culture and Communication, English and Philosophy, History and Politics, International Studies and Modern Languages, Psychology or Media Arts and Design programs. In the past the department has required the HIST 167/168 (20^th Century World I/II) and ECON 211/212 (Economics I/II) sequences as part of the liberal electives. Both of these sequences are recommended. Graduate level chemistry courses may be taken as technical electives.

Exceptions

The Department Head may approve exceptions to specific departmental curriculum requirements. All requests for variations must be reviewed by your departmental academic advisor, who then makes a recommendation to the Department Head.

Teacher Certification

The major in chemistry is sufficiently flexible to allow students to prepare to teach at the secondary level. With proper selection of electives, students can meet Pennsylvania teacher certification requirements.

For More Information...

To request more information about our undergraduate program, please fill out the Undergraduate Info Request Form here.

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Minor in Chemistry

The academic minor program in chemistry is designed to expose you to each of the major sub-disciplines of chemistry (analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical). In order to accomplish this you must take a total of at least 27.5 credits of chemistry past the freshman year (100 level courses). As chemistry is an experimental science at least two laboratory courses must be included in the group of courses taken for the minor. Note that your academic major may require certain chemistry courses that can also be used to fulfill the requirements for a minor in chemistry.  

Required courses:

CHEM241 Organic Chemistry I                  (4 credits)

CHEM230 Quantitative Analysis                 (3 credits)

CHEM251 Physical Chemistry I                  (3 credits)*

CHEM421 Inorganic Chemistry I                (3 credits)

You must also take at least two laboratory courses, one of which must be

CHEM244 Organic Chemistry Laboratory I             (3 credits)

The remaining 11.5 credits can be selected from any of the regularly offered chemistry department lecture or laboratory courses 200-level and above according to your interests. Note that existing course pre-requisites may affect which courses may be selected. The variable credit courses CHEM493 Senior Research Project or CHEM497 Undergraduate Research may also be used to fulfill either the lecture or laboratory requirements for the minor.

Notes:

*You may substitute one of

CHEC352 Physical Chemistry II                  (4 credits)

CHEC353 Physical Chemistry III                 (4 credits)

for the CHEM251 physical chemistry lecture requirement.

A PDF version of the Chemistry Department Minor Program requirements can be downloaded here

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Combined Bachelors/Masters Degree in Chemistry

The Bachelor’s/Master’s (BS/MS) dual degree program is an accelerated program providing the academically qualified student with an opportunity to earn both a BS and an MS degree (two diplomas are awarded) in five years, the time normally required to finish the co-op option BS degree alone. Because both degrees are completed in the time it takes to obtain a BS degree, both degrees may be completed at the undergraduate tuition rate.

This is an academically demanding program, but there are several allowances built in to enable the program to be completed in the time allotted. For instance, only 180 rather than 192 undergraduate quarter credits are required. The co-op experience may be adjusted; the student may take two rather than three coop cycles, enabling two additional quarters of on-campus study. If needed, the student may also take evening courses while on co-op.

Tuition

Students in the BS/MS program are billed at the undergraduate tuition rate for all courses taken while in the program. Some additional charges may be incurred, however, particularly for those who opt for two extra quarters in school in place of one of the co-op cycles. Students who take evening graduate courses while on co-op are also charged the graduate tuition rate. Students receive a fellowship, however, which provides 40% of their tuition (excluding fees) during this quarter.

Note that all Drexel and federal financial aid continues for the duration of the BS/MS program, provided that the student 1) continues in the program, 2) takes a combination of both graduate and undergraduate courses, and 3) completes both programs in no more than five years with both programs completed at the same time.

Eligibility

Exceptional students with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 and who are enrolled in the five-year co-op option program are eligible for the BS/MS program. Students formally apply to the program after they have completed 90 credits but before they have completed 120 credits. Students are strongly encouraged to begin planning for the program as early as their freshman year. Students who have more than 120 credits are not eligible.

Transfer students are eligible to join the BS/MS program, but they must be able to complete the program in the time it would take to complete the BS degree alone. International transfer students must be able to meet the required minimum TOEFL score for the department graduate program (currently 550) in order to be admitted to the BS/MS program.

Application Process

You need to formally apply to the program. Applications are available in the Office of Graduate Admissions or in the College of Arts & Sciences advisor’s office. Your application must be accompanied by a Plan of Study prepared in consultation with the undergraduate and graduate advisor in the department and approved by both the Department Head and the Dean. Entry into the program must be officially approved by both the Department Head and Academic Dean.

Requirements

Students enrolled in the BS/MS dual degree program must complete 180 undergraduate quarter credits for the BS degree and at least 45 graduate quarter credits for the MS degree. All graduate departmental requirements must be satisfied in full, including producing a thesis, if the thesis-option Masters program is elected. Masters thesis requirements may be completed in the summer term of the final year with prior approval of the department. Students in the BS/MS program must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in their undergraduate and graduate coursework to remain in the program.

Further questions about the BS/MS degree program should be directed to the departmental graduate advisor.

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