Information and Policies
The requirements for the bachelor of arts (B.A.) in chemistry have been kept to a minimum so that students may tailor their program to their own purposes, (for example: to pursue a double major, to pursue more independent research, to complete major requirements late in their college career, to take more physical and biological science courses outside of chemistry to enter an interdisciplinary area such as health sciences or education, or to take more courses in other arts and sciences disciplines. While more flexible, the degree is still suitable for students who intend to pursue graduate studies or careers in chemistry.
Academic Advising for the Program
The chemistry and biochemistry advisors provide counsel to undergraduate majors. Students are encouraged to seek out advising and assistance in planning their academic careers to ensure completion of their major in a timely manner. For assistance, please contact Chemistry Advising at chemistryadvising@ucsc.edu or visit our department website. Transfer students should also consult the Transfer Information and Policy Section below.
Program Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes summarize the most important knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes that students are expected to develop over the course of their studies.
Students graduating with a B.A. in chemistry should be able to:
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demonstrate mastery of a broad set of chemical knowledge concerning the fundamentals in the basic areas of the discipline (organic, inorganic, and physical chemistry);
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solve area-specific problems by identifying the essential parts of a problem, formulating a strategy for solving the problem, applying appropriate techniques to arrive at a solution, testing the correctness of the solution, and interpreting their results;
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use modern library search tools (such as SciFinder, PubMed, or Web of Science) to locate and retrieve scientific information about a topic, chemical, chemical technique, or an issue relating to chemistry;
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know and follow the proper procedures and regulations for safe handling and use of chemicals;
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understand the objective of their chemical experiments, properly carry out the experiments, and appropriately record and analyze the results;
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use computers in data acquisition and processing, and use available software as a tool in data analysis;
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use standard laboratory equipment, modern instrumentation, and classical techniques to carry out experiments;
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communicate the concepts and results of their laboratory experiments through effective writing and/or oral communication using the discipline standards for reporting and citation; and
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collaborate effectively as part of a team to solve problems, debate different points of view, and interact productively with a diverse group of team members.
Getting Started in the Major: Frosh
High School Preparation
Prospective chemistry majors should have a solid foundation in high school mathematics; familiarity with algebra, logarithms, trigonometry, and analytic geometry is particularly required. Students taking chemistry at the University of California, Santa Cruz, begin with CHEM 1A, CHEM 1B, CHEM 1C and associated labs, CHEM 1M and CHEM 1N. Alternatively, students with an exceptionally strong background in high school chemistry, equivalent to AP Chemistry, may begin with CHEM 4A/CHEM 4B and CHEM 1M/CHEM 1N (Advanced General Chemistry: Molecular Structure and Reactivity—see admission policy below).
Transfer Information and Policy
Transfer Admission Screening Policy
The following courses or their equivalents are required prior to transfer, by the end of the spring term for students planning to enter in the fall.
| CHEM 4A | Advanced General Chemistry: Molecular Structure and Reactivity | 5 |
| CHEM 4B | Advanced General Chemistry: Molecular Structure and Reactivity | 5 |
| MATH 22 | Introduction to Calculus of Several Variables | 5 |
| CHEM 8A | Organic Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 8L | Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 2 |
Note: CHEM 8A/CHEM 8L is required prior to transfer for winter admits only. CHEM 8A/CHEM 8L are still recommended for fall transfer admits, as listed below.
Students must complete the above courses or their equivalents, with a grade of C or better, have a cumulative GPA in these courses of 2.5 or greater.
For more information on qualifying for the major as a transfer applicant, see the Transfer Students webpage.
Plus one of the following options:
Recommended courses
The following courses are highly recommended before the transfer to ensure timely graduation. Students who only complete the minimum required transfer coursework for the major will likely need more than two years to complete the Chemistry B.A.:
Prospective students are encouraged to prioritize required and recommended major preparation, and may additionally complete courses that articulate to UC Santa Cruz general education requirements as time allows.
Getting Started in the Major: Transfer Students
Transfer students are highly encouraged to meet with the chemistry academic advisor in their first quarter. For assistance with advising, please contact Chemistry Advising at chemistryadvising@ucsc.edu. More information specific to transfer students may also be found on our department website.
Transfer students entering at the junior level who have satisfied the screening requirements can declare their major any time after coming to UC Santa Cruz but are required to be declared in a major by the declaration deadline in their second term at UCSC. Transfer students who are proposed in a different major (other than chemistry) and have advanced standing when they come to UC Santa Cruz require permission from the department to change into the major. Admission to the major is not guaranteed. For more information on qualifying for the major as a transfer applicant, see the Transfer Students webpage.
Major Qualification Policy and Declaration Process
Major Qualification
Students must complete the following qualification courses, or their equivalents, each with a grade of C (2.0) or better and with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.50 or greater in these required courses:
Plus one of the following options:
And one of the following options:
| | Either this course | |
| MATH 22 | Introduction to Calculus of Several Variables | 5 |
| | OR | |
| MATH 23A | Vector Calculus | 5 |
| | OR | |
| AM 30 | Multivariate Calculus for Engineers | 5 |
Qualifying for the Advanced General Chemistry series
Both the CHEM 1A/CHEM 1B/CHEM 1C series (with associated labs CHEM 1M and CHEM 1N) and the Advanced CHEM 4A/CHEM 4B series (with associated labs CHEM 1M and CHEM 1N) fully satisfy the General Chemistry prerequisites of any major declaration or required/elective class of PBSci programs.
CHEM 4 is an advanced series intended for chemistry-proposed students who enter UC Santa Cruz with excellent preparation in high school chemistry. Students in this series will learn fundamental concepts in chemistry at a deeper level than traditional general chemistry, with emphasis on quantum theory, molecular structure, and chemical driving forces. Students with an exceptionally strong background in high school chemistry (such as taking AP or IB Chemistry) are strongly encouraged to begin with CHEM 4A (Advanced General Chemistry: Molecular Structure and Reactivity) instead of CHEM 1A.
All students who want to enroll in the advanced series must complete an online learning module and assessment administered by the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, regardless of high school AP scores. For more information, please contact chemistry advising at chemistryadvising@ucsc.edu or visit our department website.
Determining qualification for the major
When determining qualification to declare the major:
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All courses must be taken for a letter grade.
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For courses required to qualify for the major that have been satisfied with advanced placement (AP) credit based on an AP examination score (See Admissions AP Chart), students may substitute a grade of A for each course when calculating their GPA.
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UC Santa Cruz native students with two or more grades of NP, C-, D+, D, D-, or F in courses required to qualify for the major are not eligible to declare.
Transfer students should also consult the Transfer Information and Policy Section above.
How to Declare a Major
Students may declare a major as early as they would like if they have decided which major to pursue and have satisfied prerequisites or qualification requirements (if any) for the major.
Per UCSC major declaration policy, students who enter UC Santa Cruz as frosh are required to be formally declared in a major by the campus deadline in their 6th quarter and before enrolling in their third year (or equivalent). Upper-division transfer students are required to be declared in a major by the deadline in their second term at UCSC.
Students should log into MyUCSC and submit the Petition for Major/Minor via MyUCSC as soon as they have met major qualification requirements and/or reach their declaration deadline quarter, whichever comes first. If you are not yet logged into MyUCSC, the petition can also be accessed by going to MyUCSC and navigating to the Student Homepage, and selecting the Undergraduate Student eForms tile > Petition for Major/Minor.
Each major/minor advising office has a process for declaring. For assistance, please contact chemistry advising at chemistryadvising@ucsc.edu.
Students petitioning when the campus declaration deadline is imminent (i.e., in their sixth quarter, for students admitted as frosh), will either be approved, denied, or provided with conditions (e.g., completion of final qualification courses with certain grades), but will not be declared until all requirements have been met and satisfactory grades have been posted.
Appeal Process
Students may appeal to the major either prior to OR after submitting a petition to declare and being denied (in the latter case, appeals must be submitted within 15 days from the date the denial notification was sent).
To appeal to declare a Chemistry major, submit a letter to the chemistry advisor at chemistryadvising@ucsc.edu.
All appeals must contain the following information at the top of the appeal letter:
In the body of your appeal letter, explain the extenuating circumstances that influenced your academic performance. Identify solutions/resources you are using or intend to use to improve your academic performance in the future. Include anything else you feel is relative to explaining your circumstance.
Please note: The information you share in your appeal or with your advisors will be kept confidential and shared only with campus officials as required to serve you in an advising capacity or process your appeal. However, in limited circumstances, including those related to potential harm to yourself or others, sexual assault, and abuse, we may be required by law to report incidents you disclose to other need-to-know offices on campus such as the Title IX Office and/or University of California Police Department. If you are in need of support for any issues, please see the list of confidential and/or support resources.
Within 15 days of receipt of the appeal, the department will notify the student and their affiliated college of the decision. For more information about the appeal process, see the Appeal Process on the Chemistry website.
Letter Grade Policy
For all students entering UCSC in fall 2001 and later, all courses used to satisfy degree requirements in any of the chemistry and biochemistry majors must be taken for a letter grade. Additionally, letter grades of C or higher must be attained to meet major and minor requirements for graduation.
Course Substitution Policy
At least half of the upper-division courses (CHEM 100– CHEM 199) required for any chemistry major must be taken through the chemistry program at UCSC, not as transfer credits from another department or institution. Transfer students are advised to contact a department undergraduate advisor before enrolling in any upper-division courses at other institutions to verify articulation. For more information on transferring courses to UCSC, please consult the Transfer Preparation website.
CHEM 199, Senior Research: Independent Research in the Lab may not be taken more than once per quarter and may be repeated no more than three times during an undergraduate career.
Double Majors and Major/Minor Combinations Policy
Double Major
Pursuing a double major that includes a chemistry major is a highly individual decision, and should be based on a student’s educational and career goals. Because the chemistry major itself is a rigorous, it should be noted that completing a double major involving chemistry is difficult (though possible).
To declare a double major program, a student must obtain an academic plan showing that they are able to complete both degrees within the maximum number of quarters of enrollment available at UC Santa Cruz. Therefore, the steps to pursue chemistry as a second major are as follows:
- Create and review a major academic plan for your first major and have it signed by the appropriate UCSC major advisor.
- Make an appointment with the chemistry major advisor and send the link to your signed academic planning form to chemistryadvising@ucsc.edu.
- The chemistry major advisor will review your major academic plan and will add the chemistry major courses to your plan, if it is viable to do so per double unit counting, enrollment limitations, and time-to-degree guidelines.
- The chemistry major advisor will discuss the double major plan with you during your appointment. If the plan is viable, it will be approved and signed by both yourself and the chemistry major advisor.
- Once you have an approved and viable double major plan, the chemistry major advisor will process your chemistry major declaration.
Chemistry Minor
To view the course requirements for the chemistry minor, see the chemistry minor catalog.
Students electing a chemistry minor may not use the online petition to declare. The steps to pursue a chemistry minor are as follows:
- Review a major academic plan and have it signed by your UC Santa Cruz major advisor.
- Make an appointment with the chemistry minor advisor and send the link (or PDF) to your signed academic planning form to chemistryadvising@ucsc.edu.
- The chemistry minor advisor will review your major academic plan and will add the chemistry minor courses to your plan, if it is viable to do so per double unit counting, enrollment limitations, and time-to-degree guidelines.
- The chemistry minor advisor will discuss your chemistry minor plan with you during your appointment.
- Once approved as a viable major/minor plan by both the major/department advisor and the chemistry minor advisor, the chemistry minor advisor will sign the academic planning form and they will process your minor declaration.
Note: Students need to declare a major before they can declare a minor. If the student is not declared in a major, they must wait for the minor to be declared even if they have a signed academic plan.
More general information on double majors and minors may be found at the following link: http://registrar.ucsc.edu/navigator/section3/declaring/double.html.
Honors
To receive Honors in the chemistry major, a GPA of 3.5 or higher is required in all chemistry courses; highest honors requires a 3.8 or higher GPA in all chemistry courses for the major. Students may also receive honors for a senior research thesis.
Materials Fee
Chemistry students should be aware of the materials fee required for some courses. The fee is billed to the student’s account for specific laboratory materials purchased by the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department through the university. Students may incur additional expenses for individual supplies.
Program for Students of the Health Sciences
Students intending to enter medical, dental, or another health science professional school can satisfy entrance requirements with a major program in chemistry supplemented with further courses, especially in biology, as specified by the admissions requirements of the school where they intend to apply. Students are strongly encouraged to review the Health Professions section of the Career Success website to review preparation recommendations, prerequisite and other information about professional health education programs (medical school, dental school, etc.), and more important information to assist in preparation for a career in health sciences.
Students are urged to contact Career Success for assistance with the application process.
Requirements and Planners
Course Requirements
Lower-Division Courses
General Chemistry:
Calculus:
Choose one of the following options:
Multivariable Calculus:
Physics:
Choose one of the following options:
Organic Chemistry:
By permission and invitation of the instructor, students may substitute CHEM 8M with CHEM 8N, Honors Organic Chemistry Lab. This course is designed to introduce the exceptional student to many of the techniques associated with organic chemistry while taking part in an active organic chemistry research experience.
Upper-Division Courses
Intermediate Organic Chemistry:
| CHEM 110 | Intermediate Organic Chemistry with Emphasis on Synthesis and Analytical Methods | 5 |
| CHEM 110L | Intermediate Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 2 |
By permission and invitation of the instructor, students may substitute CHEM 110L with CHEM 110N, Honors Organic Chemistry Lab. This course is designed to introduce the exceptional student to many of the techniques associated with organic chemistry while taking part in an active organic chemistry research experience.
Inorganic Chemistry:
Physical Chemistry:
Students may substitute CHEM 163A and CHEM 163B with BIOC 163A and BIOC 163B, respectively. A student may combine the CHEM 163 series with the BIOC 163 series to complete this portion of the major requirement(s). For example, a student can take and complete CHEM 163A and then take and complete BIOC 163B.
One of the following laboratory courses:
| CHEM 146A | Advanced Laboratory in Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 146B | Advanced Laboratory in Inorganic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 146C | Advanced Laboratory in Physical Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 160L | Biochemistry Research Laboratory | 5 |
Note: CHEM 160L requires completion of CHEM 160J & CHEM 160K as prerequisites.
Students currently conducting senior thesis research are strongly encouraged to choose an advanced laboratory in the CHEM 146 series that is outside their research area.
Electives
At least two from the following:
| BIOC 100A | Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | 5 |
| CHEM 103 | Biochemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 124 | Bioanalytical Chemistry | 4 |
| CHEM 143 | Organic Chemical Structure and Reactions | 5 |
| CHEM 144 | Catalysis In Organic Synthesis Using Metals and Metalloids Based Reagents | 5 |
| CHEM 151B | Chemistry of the Main Group Elements | 5 |
| CHEM 156C | Materials Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 163C | Statistical Thermodynamics and Kinetics | 5 |
| CHEM 169 | Chemistry and Biology of Drug Design and Discovery | 5 |
| CHEM 194 | Senior Essay | 5 |
| METX 101 | Sources and Fates of Pollutants | 5 |
| METX 102 | Cell and Molecular Toxicology | 5 |
| OCEA 120 | Aquatic Chemistry: Principles and Applications | 5 |
| OCEA 121 | Aqueous Geochemistry | 5 |
| PHYS 156 | Applications of Quantum Materials | 5 |
| PHYS 180 | Biophysics | 5 |
Students cannot receive elective credit toward the major for both BIOC 100A and CHEM 103.
Students may also satisfy the elective requirement by completing a chemistry graduate course with the permission of the instructor and department. Please consult with a department undergraduate advisor prior to enrolling.
Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement
Students of every major must satisfy that major’s upper-division Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement. The DC Requirement for the bachelor of arts degree in chemistry is satisfied by completing:
Plus one of the following courses:
| CHEM 146A | Advanced Laboratory in Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 146B | Advanced Laboratory in Inorganic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 146C | Advanced Laboratory in Physical Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 160L | Biochemistry Research Laboratory | 5 |
Comprehensive Requirement
The comprehensive requirement is a part of all UCSC degrees. For the Chemistry B.A., this requirement can be satisfied by receiving a passing grade in the upper-division labs listed below. These courses provide modern, individualized training in the discipline thus serving as relevant capstone experiences.
Plus one of the following courses:
| CHEM 146A | Advanced Laboratory in Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 146B | Advanced Laboratory in Inorganic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 146C | Advanced Laboratory in Physical Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 160L | Biochemistry Research Laboratory | 5 |
Planners
The tables below are for informational purposes and do not reflect all university, general education, and credit requirements. See Undergraduate Graduation Requirements for more information.
This is the ideal academic plan for chemistry B.A. majors. If needed, the plan can be arranged differently. Please meet with an academic advisor in the Chemistry Department to review your specific official academic plan .
* CHEM 146A is offered in fall quarter; CHEM 146B or CHEM 146C is offered in spring. Only ONE advanced lab (CHEM 146A, CHEM 146B, or CHEM 146C) is required for degree completion. Alternatively, students can take the CHEM 160 series: CHEM 160J, CHEM 160K, and CHEM 160L, which are offered in the fall, winter, and spring, respectively.
Two of the required general education requirements will be fulfilled by the major requirements listed in the above planner (MF & SI). In addition to the specific courses shown in these planners, a student will also need to complete courses satisfying the following general education requirements: Cross-Cultural Analysis, Ethnicity & Race, Interpreting Arts & Media, Statistical Reasoning, Textual Analysis & Interpretation, Perspectives, and Practice.
Sample Transfer Two-Year Planner
Note: The sample planner below is configured as if a transfer student entered UCSC with all of the required & most of the recommended chemistry transfer coursework. Failure to complete both the required and highly recommended courses prior to transfer may require additional time to degree.
Please meet with an academic advisor in the Chemistry Department to review your specific official academic plan.
* CHEM 146A is offered in fall quarter; CHEM 146B or CHEM 146C is offered in spring. Only ONE advanced lab (CHEM 146A, CHEM 146B, or CHEM 146C) is required for degree completion. Alternatively, students can take the CHEM 160 series: CHEM 160J, CHEM 160K, and CHEM 160L, which are offered in the fall, winter, and spring, respectively.