Chemistry, B.S.

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About the Chemistry Bachelor’s Program

The B.S. in Chemistry degree prepares a student for graduate school or a career as a professional chemist. This degree program is technically oriented, requiring greater depth of mathematics, physics, and chemistry than does the Bachelor of Arts degree. This degree requires 120 credit hours and has a heavier chemistry requirement than the B.A. degree program. As a result, students have fewer elective courses to pursue other interests. Completion of the B.S. curriculum leads to automatic American Chemical Society certification of a student as the recipient of a professional degree.

Communication Literacy Requirement. Students attending Texas Tech University for the first time in the Fall 2017 term or later will complete a Communication Literacy requirement in their program(s) of study.

Texas Tech University’s transition from the Writing Intensive requirement to the Communication Literacy requirement signals the university’s awareness that in addition to the fundamental role that writing plays in enabling students to explore, develop, focus, and organize a message, other types of communication must also be taught as appropriate for a student’s discipline. Throughout each program of study, then, students must be given ample opportunity to develop their skills in forms of communication central to that program.

Communication Literacy courses for the B.S. in Chemistry are CHEM 4101 plus two other CL courses (see degree plan for specific requirements).

Recommended Curriculum

First Year

Fall

CHEM 1307 - Principles of Chemistry I 3 Semester Credit Hours
CHEM 1107 - Experimental Principles of Chemistry I 1 Semester Credit Hours
ENGL 1301 - Essentials of College Rhetoric 3 Semester Credit Hours
U.S. History 3 Semester Credit Hours*
MATH 1451 - Calculus I with Applications 4 Semester Credit Hours (See Below)
Creative Arts Elective 3 Semester Credit Hours*^†

Total: 17

Spring

CHEM 1308 - Principles of Chemistry II 3 Semester Credit Hours
CHEM 1108 - Experimental Principles of Chemistry II 1 Semester Credit Hours
ENGL 1302 - Advanced College Rhetoric 3 Semester Credit Hours
U.S. History 3 Semester Credit Hours*
MATH 1452 - Calculus II with Applications 4 Semester Credit Hours (See Below)
POLS 1301 - American Government 3 Semester Credit Hours

Total: 17

Second Year

Fall

CHEM 3305 - Organic Chemistry I 3 Semester Credit Hours
CHEM 3105 - Experimental Organic Chemistry I 1 Semester Credit Hours
MATH 2450 - Calculus III with Applications 4 Semester Credit Hours
PHYS 1408 - Principles of Physics I 4 Semester Credit Hours
English 3 Semester Credit Hours*^§

Total: 15

Spring

CHEM 3306 - Organic Chemistry II 3 Semester Credit Hours
CHEM 3106 - Experimental Organic Chemistry II 1 Semester Credit Hours
CHEM 3301 - Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry 3 Semester Credit Hours
POLS 2306 - Texas Politics and Topics 3 Semester Credit Hours
PHYS 2401 - Principles of Physics II 4 Semester Credit Hours
Personal Fitness and Wellness 1 Semester Credit Hours *

Total: 15

Third Year

Fall

CHEM 3307 - Physical Chemistry I 3 Semester Credit Hours
CHEM 3107 - Experimental Physical Chemistry I 1 Semester Credit Hours ‡
CHEM 4309 - Advanced Inorganic Chemistry 3 Semester Credit Hours
CHEM 4105 - Experimental Inorganic Chemistry 1 Semester Credit Hours ^‡
Foreign Language 3 Semester Credit Hours
Minor Course 3 Semester Credit Hours#

Total: 14

Spring

CHEM 3201 - Advanced Experimental Organic Chemistry 2 Semester Credit Hours ^‡
CHEM 3308 - Physical Chemistry II 3 Semester Credit Hours
CHEM 3108 - Experimental Physical Chemistry II 1 Semester Credit Hours ^‡
CHEM 3351 - Analytical Chemistry 3 Semester Credit Hours
CHEM 3251 - Experimental Analytical Chemistry 2 Semester Credit Hours ^‡
Minor Course 3 Semester Credit Hours^#

Total: 14

Fourth Year

Fall

CHEM 3310 - Molecular Biochemistry 3 Semester Credit Hours
Minor Course 3 Semester Credit Hours^#
Major-Related Elective 3 Semester Credit Hours
Oral Communications 3 Semester Credit Hours *

Total: 12

Spring

CHEM 4314 - Instrumental Analytical Methods 3 Semester Credit Hours
CHEM 4114 - Experimental Instrumental Analytical Methods Chemistry 1 Semester Credit Hours ^‡
Elective 3 Semester Credit Hours**^‡
Social & Behavioral Sciences Elective 3 Semester Credit Hours*^†
Major-Related Elective 6 Semester Credit Hours

Total: 16

Total Hours: 120

* Select from Arts and Sciences General Requirements for B.S. degree.
^† At least one should also be multicultural. If not, students must complete an additional course from the university’s Multicultural list.
^‡ Communication Literacy Course
^§ Chosen from ENGL 2305 , ENGL 2306 , ENGL 2307 , ENGL 2308 , ENGL 2351 , ENGL 2388 , ENGL 2391
^# Selecting a minor other than math may require additional hours.
** May be outside of major.

Major-Related Electives

Nine hours from CHEM 3000 (1-3), CHEM 4300 , CHEM 4302 , CHEM 4306 , CHEM 4310 or ENGL 2311 .

Calculus

Adequate training in algebra, trigonometry, and analytic geometry is a prerequisite for calculus. A score of 7 on the Math Placement Exam is necessary to take calculus the first year. Scores below 7 will require additional coursework.

Foreign Language

A student must complete 3 hours at the sophomore level or above in a single language. The prerequisite for all sophomore language courses is credit for the freshman level. This credit can be determined through a credit by examination. The score attained on the exam will determine whether the student is placed in a second-year course, a 5-hour review course, or in some cases the first or second semester of a beginning (first-year) language course. See Arts and Sciences General Degree Requirements for further explanation.