Undergraduate Chemistry Program

The chemistry department at Baylor University is fully accredited by the American Chemical Society and is authorized to offer the certified bachelors degree in chemistry. All undergraduate courses are taught by a teaching staff of approximately 20 dedicated chemical professionals with Ph.D. degrees from major universities across the country (see our List of Faculty). State-of-the-art facilities give students the opportunity to conduct experiments and make measurements with the latest in modern chemical instrumentation. To tailor the curriculum to the widest possible range of student career goals, the chemistry department offers the following four different degree plans.

B.S. Degree in Chemistry Certified by the American Chemical Society:

The ACS Certified B.S. degree, as exemplified by the sample degree plan, satisfies all the general College of Arts and Sciences requirements for a B.S. degree with a major in chemistry and meets all the requirements for a professional degree as set forth by the American Chemical Society. This degree is recommended for those students who are considering a career in chemistry, especially those considering graduate study in any field of chemistry. Please read the NOTE'sin the course listings following the sample degree plan carefully. This degree plan is only an example. Some flexibility is available in scheduling many of the courses, but others are fairly rigid in their scheduling due to prerequisite considerations.

B.S. Degree in Chemistry with Concentration in a Subdiscipline:

For those students who desire to concentrate in one particular field of chemistry, or who desire the opportunity to take more courses outside of chemistry, the so-called "Concentration Option" major in chemistry requires fewer upper-level chemistry courses and so provides room for more electives. The required math and science courses are identical to those of the ACS Certified degree up to CHE 4321/4127 with the exception that MTH 3325 is not required. After CHE 4321/4127, you must complete 17 semester hours of upper level chemistry, including 2 semesters of 4151 or 4152 and at least 4 semester hours of laboratory courses. Please note that some electives at the 3000 or 4000 level will be necessary to satisfy the 36 hour upper-level requirement.

B.S. Degree in Chemistry Certified by the American Chemical Society with Option in Biochemistry:

For those students who desire to concentrate in biochemistry and who wish to maintain certification by the American Chemical Society, Baylor offers a Biochemistry Option to the ACS Certified B.S. major in chemistry. This degree is recommended for those students who are considering a career in biochemistry, especially those considering graduate study in biochemistry. Most of the requirements are the same as those for the ACS Certified B.S. degree, but some upper level courses are limited to biochemistry and related topics.

B.A. Degree in Chemistry:

For those students who desire a broader background in the liberal arts in preparation for further education in the health professions, business, law, etc., the B.A. degree with a major in chemistry offers significantly more social science courses and requires significantly less chemistry than the B.S. degrees. The required math and science courses are identical to those of the ACS Certified degree up to CHE 4321/4127 with the exception that MTH 3325 is not required. After CHE 4321/4127, you must complete 9 semester hours of upper level chemistry, including 1 semester of 4151 or 4152 and at least 2 semester hours of laboratory. Please see the Baylor University Undergraduate Catalog for complete details of the requirements outside math and science. Please note that some electives at the 3000 or 4000 level will be necessary to satisfy the 36 hour upper-level requirement.

Questions About the Chemistry Program

NOTE: The 2005-2006 Undergraduate Catalog is the ultimate authority for any requirement.

Questions About Careers in Chemistry and Related Fields

If you would like information about career opportunities in chemistry and related fields, you can visit the Homepage of the American Chemical Society's Younger Chemists Committee (YCC).