About the Program
Chemistry at Purdue University has a ratio of 1 faculty member for every 8 undergraduates, which allows students to enjoy a great deal of individualized attention. It also offers opportunities for mentoring programs and cutting-edge undergraduate research in a wide range of fields from drug discovery to climate change. Chemistry majors can pursue one of two degrees: B.S. in chemistry, accredited by the American Chemical Society (ACS); or the more flexible B.S. with chemistry as a field of study.
Chemistry (ACS accredited) is designed primarily for students planning professional careers as chemists in industry, universities, or research institutes. This degree program fulfills the recommendations of the Committee of Professional Training of the ACS and graduates will be certified by the ACS as having fulfilled its recommended requirements.
This degree provides an excellent preparation for students pursuing graduate school in Chemistry.
There is also the opportunity to complete in five years a dual degree with chemical engineering if the student has been accepted into the College of Engineering.
Chemistry - American Chemical Society Website
Chemistry Department Major Change (CODO) Requirements
Degree Requirements
120 Credits Required
Curriculum and Degree Requirements for College of Science
A College of Science degree is conferred when a student successfully completes all requirements in their degree program. Students will complete coursework or approved experiential learning activities to meet the following three degree components:
- Major
- Science Core Curriculum
- Electives
Students may use any of the following options to meet College of Science degree requirements:
- Purdue Coursework
- AP, IB, and CLEP credit. The use of AP and IB coursework varies between College of Science degree plans.
- Transfer Credit. Students should consult the Admissions Transfer Credit Resource page for all available transfer options.
College of Science degree programs vary widely in their approval and use of the proceeding options and thus students are strongly encouraged to work closely with their academic advisors and to regularly consult their MyPurduePlan to view the use of each option in their degree plan.
Most College of Science degree programs contain elective credits students may use to pursue courses that relate to their interests or which support their major area of study. The elective area of a degree plan may also be used to complete minors, second majors and certificates such as the Entrepreneurial Certificate. Any Purdue course may be used to meet the elective area of a student’s degree plan.
College of Science Core Requirements
All Students starting Purdue University Fall semester, 2007 or later are required to pursue the 2007 Science Core curriculum.
The College of Science Core Curriculum requires the completion of approved coursework and/or experiential learning opportunities in the following academic areas:
Earning Core Curricular Requirements through Experience
Students may meet selected core curriculum requirements through approved experiential learning opportunities. Interested students should contact their academic advisor for more information on this option and incorporating experiential learning into their four-year program of study. For more information on earning requirements through experience, please click here.
Departmental/Program Major Courses (68-75 credits)
Required Major Courses (42-44 credits)
Required Selectives (10-13 credits)
Required Analytical Selective (4 credits)
Choose one.
Upper Level Selective (3 credits)
Choose one.
Additional Selectives (3-6 credits)
Additional Selectives Option 1
Choose three. Courses cannot double count with Required Analytical Selectives.
Additional Selectives Option 2 (3-6 credits)
Choose three. Courses cannot double count with Required Analytical Selectives.
Required Calculus and Physics Courses (16-18 credits)
Other Departmental /Program Course Requirements (21-57 credits)
COLLEGE OF SCIENCE CORE REQUIREMENTS
^ - Labeled as a Science Core Selection in the four year plan of study
* - Requirement may be met with a zero credit experiential learning option. See your advisor for more information.
Composition & Presentation
Written Communication (3-4 credits)
Choose one course from the Written Communication list here. (satisfies Written Communication and Information Literacy for core)
Technical Writing And Presentation* (0 or 3 credits)
Students may elect to take one course (COM 21700), a combination of courses, or experiences to meet the TWTP requirement. The list of approved courses and experiences can be found HERE . (satisfies OC for core)
- Special Note: Students completing both COM 11400 (elective) and COM 21700 (Technical Writing and Presentation requirement) may use both courses to meet degree requirements.
- *Students wishing to meet the Technical Presentation and/or Technical Writing requirement through experience are required to complete the Experiential Learning Contract process.
- International Students Only: International students whose primary high school/equivalent instruction was not in English may meet this requirement with a course option only.
Cultural Diversity (Language & Culture)^* (0-9 credits)
Choose courses from this list to fulfill each Option below (select courses COULD satisfy Humanities for core).
- Language & Culture Option I
- Language & Culture Option II
- Language & Culture Option III
General Education^ (9 credits)
Choose courses from this list to fulfill each Option below (select courses COULD satisfy Behavioral/Social Science for core).
- General Education Option I
- General Education Option II
- General Education Option III
Great Issues In Science (3 credits)
Choose one from this list .
Laboratory Science
Met with required major coursework (CHM 11500/11600; CHM 12500/12600).
Mathematics
Met with required major coursework (MA 16100/16200; MA 16500/16600).
Science Technology and Society^* (1-3 credits)
Choose one from the Science Technology and Society list here. (satisfies STS for core).
Team-Building and Collaboration
Met with required major coursework (PHYS 17200).
GPA Requirements
- Students must earn a cumulative GPA of 2.0 in all CHM courses.
- 2.0 Graduation GPA required for Bachelor of Science degree.
- Students may graduate with Honors in Chemistry distinction. An approved honors thesis and a min of 3.4 GPA are required. Consult your CHM advisor.
Course Requirements and Notes
- **Satisfies a Non-departmental Major Course Requirement
- Courses cannot double count between General Education, Culture and Diversity, and Great Issues requirements.
- Cannot dual major with Chemical Biology & Biochemistry, Biochemistry, Chemistry (ACS), BS or Chemistry, BS.
College of Science Pass/No Pass Option Policy
- Only electives and courses at the 50000-level general education requirement may be taken under the pass/no pass option.
- The pass/no pass grade mode may be entered for courses which are not required by a student’s major(s), minor(s) or science core curriculum.
- Grade mode Passing is equivalent to at a minimum grade of C- had a letter grade been awarded.
- Students may elect to use the pass/no pass option for no more than 20% of the 124/120 credit requirement for graduation and for no more than two courses per academic year (Fall-Summer).
- The pass/no pass option cannot be elected for a course that has already been completed with a letter grade. University Regulation.
- Students may take elective credit while abroad using the P/NP mode. In the case of universities which only post P/NP, the University will apply a calculation process to determine a letter grade.
- Department of Languages and Cultures P/NP policy and Language Placement results. Students must take advanced coursework for a letter grade to receive credit for lower-level language courses.
College of Science Transfer Credit Policy
College of Science degree programs vary widely in their approval and use of non-Purdue originated credit (AP, IB, CLEP, and transfer credit). Students work closely with their academic advisors and degree plan audits to review the use and approval of each non-Purdue credit option.
University Requirements
University Core Requirements
For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the University Senate Website.
- Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
- Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
- Information Literacy (IL)
- Oral Communication (OC)
- Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
- Science #1 (SCI)
- Science #2 (SCI)
- Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
- Written Communication (WC)
Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement
The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry. For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.
To obtain the Civics Literacy Proficiency, students will complete an educational activity as part of their chosen Civics Literacy Pathway and pass the Purdue Civics knowledge test. The knowledge test can be completed at any time while the pathway is being perused. There are three different pathways:
- Civics Event pathway - Attend six approved civics-related events and pass the required exam; or
- Civics Literacy Podcast pathway - Complete 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship & Engagement that use C-SPAN material and pass the required exam; or
- Approved course pathway - Complete one of the following approved courses and pass the required exam.
More details about each pathway and how to complete the requirement can be found on the Civics Literacy Student Dashboard in myPurdue.
Upper Level Requirement
- Resident study at Purdue University for at least two semesters and the enrollment in and completion of at least 32 semester hours of coursework required and approved for the completion of the degree. These courses are expected to be at least junior-level (30000+) courses.
- Students should be able to fulfill most, if not all, of these credits within their major requirements; there should be a clear pathway for students to complete any credits not completed within their major.
Pre-Requisite Information
For pre-requisite information, log in to mypurdue.purdue.edu and click here.
World Language Courses
World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor. (ASL-American Sign Language; ARAB-Arabic; CHNS-Chinese; FR-French; GER-German; GREK-Greek(Ancient); HEBR-Hebrew(Biblical); HEBR-Hebrew(Modern); ITAL-Italian; JPNS-Japanese; KOR-Korean; LATN-Latin; PTGS=Portuguese; RUSS-Russian; SPAN-Spanish)
Critical Course
The ♦ course is considered critical.
In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major. Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful. These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program.”
Disclaimer
The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student. The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.
Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
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