Introduction

Please click here to see Chemistry Department information.

A Chemistry degree can prepare you for a meaningful career in:

• Developing renewable energy solutions for climate change
• Ensuring safe and pure air and drinking water
• Discovering materials for new devices using nanotechnology
• Analyzing medical samples to detect rare and dangerous diseases
• Contributing to Colorado's and America's mining and petroleum industries
• Contributing to Colorado's emerging natural products and pharmaceuticals industries.

A BS in Chemistry also stands out as a premiere accomplishment in applications for professional degree programs, including pharmacy, medicine, nursing, dentistry, medical technology, and many others. Previous BS Chemistry graduates from CU-Denver have gone on to medical, dental, and pharmacy schools; to Ph.D. programs in chemistry and biomedical sciences; and to productive careers in the biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical technology industries.

The Chemistry Department offers two options for a chemistry degree: a BS Chemistry or a BS Chemistry ACS Certified. Students interested in the chemistry major should consult regularly with a chemistry major advisor, Dr. Kyoung Nan Kim (kyoung.kim@ucdenver.edu) or Dr. Marta K. Maroń (marta.maron@ucdenver.edu). The Advisor can help you select the track that best fits your future goals. A complete description of the chemistry major programs may be obtained in the Department of Chemistry office (Science 3071) or Department website.

Qualified majors are strongly urged to participate in directed research with a research faculty member and in the departmental honors program. We also strongly encourage chemistry majors to participate in the Department by serving as graders, learning assistants, and/or teaching assistants. Contact the chemistry major advisor for more information and/or questions.

American Chemical Society (ACS) Certified Degree.

The ACS Certified degree requires a more thorough background than the minimum requirements for a Chemistry BS degree. Students planning on going into industry upon completing their Bachelor of Science are at an advantage completing the ACS Certified degree option.

• The ACS certified degree is open to all Chemistry majors regardless of future plans.
• See the ACS certified degree program page for additional coursework.

These degree requirements are subject to periodic revision by the academic department, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences reserves the right to make exceptions and substitutions as judged necessary in individual cases. Therefore, the College strongly urges students to consult regularly with their major advisor and CLAS advisor to confirm the best plans of study before finalizing them.

Program Delivery

• This is an on-campus program.

Declaring This Major

• Click here to go to information about declaring a major.

General Requirements

To earn a degree, students must satisfy all requirements in each of the areas below, in addition to their individual major requirements.

• CU Denver General Graduation Requirements
• CU Denver Core Curriculum
• College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Graduation Requirements
• Click here for information about Academic Policies

Program Requirements

1. Students must complete a minimum of 66 credit hours, including a minimum of 44 CHEM credit hours.
2. Students must complete a minimum of 16 upper-division level (3000-level and above) CHEM credit hours.
3. Students must earn a minimum grade of C- (1.7) in all courses that apply to the major and must achieve a minimum cumulative major GPA of 2.0. Courses taken using P+/P/F or S/U grading cannot apply to major requirements.
4. Students must complete a minimum of 14 CHEM credit hours with CU Denver faculty, including CHEM 4128 Instrumental Analysis Laboratory, CHEM 4518 Physical Chemistry Laboratory: Reaction Analysis or CHEM 4538 Physical Chemistry Laboratory: Molecular Structure.

Program Restrictions, Allowances and Recommendations

1. A student who has declared a Chemistry major at CU Denver may not take additional chemistry courses outside of the Department for the purpose of applying those credits toward meeting the requirements of the major without prior written approval of the undergraduate Chemistry/Biochemistry advisor. No more than three additional hours of such pre-approved transfer credits will be allowed.
2. All courses applied to the chemistry major need to be taken within ten years of the graduation date with the exception of General Chemistry I and II Lecture and Lab: CHEM 2031 General Chemistry I, CHEM 2032 Majors General Chemistry I, CHEM 2038 General Chemistry Laboratory I, CHEM 2039 Majors General Chemistry I Laboratory, CHEM 2061 General Chemistry II, CHEM 2062 Majors General Chemistry II, CHEM 2068 General Chemistry Laboratory II, and CHEM 2069 Majors General Chemistry II Laboratory.  In the event that the student would like to apply for expired credit for CHEM 3481 Majors Organic Chemistry I, the student will need to test at the 50 th percentile on the ACS Standardized Exam for Organic Chemistry I. 
3. PHYS 2321 Intro Experimental Phys Lab I and PHYS 2341 Intro Experimental Phys Lab II are specifically designed for students in non-Physics majors and can be paired with either PHYS 2010 College Physics I and PHYS 2020 College Physics II or PHYS 2311 General Physics I: Calculus-Based and PHYS 2331 General Physics II: Calculus-Based lectures. Students pursuing a second major in Physics should complete PHYS 2311 General Physics I: Calculus-Based and PHYS 2331 General Physics II: Calculus-Based and PHYS 2351 Applied Physics Lab I and PHYS 2361 Applied Physics Lab II.

4. Students may double major in Biochemistry and Chemistry. Students can apply the requirements for both majors, if the respective courses are a major requirement for both the Chemistry and Biochemistry major. A course cannot fulfill more than two requirement/elective areas in a student’s degree.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Complete all of the following CHEM courses:		48
CHEM 2031	General Chemistry I
or CHEM 2032	Majors General Chemistry I
CHEM 2039	Majors General Chemistry I Laboratory
or CHEM 2038	General Chemistry Laboratory I
CHEM 2061	General Chemistry II
or CHEM 2062	Majors General Chemistry II
CHEM 2069	Majors General Chemistry II Laboratory
or CHEM 2068	General Chemistry Laboratory II
CHEM 3011	Inorganic Chemistry
CHEM 3018	Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory
CHEM 3111	Analytical Chemistry
CHEM 3118	Analytical Chemistry Laboratory
CHEM 3481	Majors Organic Chemistry I
CHEM 3488	Majors Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
CHEM 3491	Majors Organic Chemistry II
CHEM 3498	Majors Organic Chemistry Laboratory II
CHEM 4121	Instrumental Analysis
CHEM 4128	Instrumental Analysis Laboratory
CHEM 4500	Foundations of Physical Chemistry 1
CHEM 4511	Physical Chemistry: Thermodynamics and Kinetics
CHEM 4518	Physical Chemistry Laboratory: Reaction Analysis
CHEM 4521	Physical Chemistry: Quantum and Spectroscopy
CHEM 4538	Physical Chemistry Laboratory: Molecular Structure
Complete ancillary coursework.		18
Mathematics
Physics
Total Hours		66

¹

Students who choose Physics Sequence A can substitute MATH 2421 Calculus III or MATH 3511 Mathematics of Chemistry for CHEM 4500 Foundations of Physical Chemistry.

Math

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Complete all of the following:		8
MATH 1401	Calculus I
MATH 2411	Calculus II

Physics

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Complete one of the following sequences. Refer to note 3 under Program Restrictions, Allowances and Recommendations for alternative Physics lab information:		10
Sequence A 2
PHYS 2311	General Physics I: Calculus-Based
PHYS 2321	Intro Experimental Phys Lab I
PHYS 2331	General Physics II: Calculus-Based
PHYS 2341	Intro Experimental Phys Lab II
Sequence B
PHYS 2010	College Physics I
PHYS 2321	Intro Experimental Phys Lab I
PHYS 2020	College Physics II
PHYS 2341	Intro Experimental Phys Lab II

²

Students who choose Physics Sequence A can substitute MATH 2421 Calculus III or MATH 3511 Mathematics of Chemistry for CHEM 4500 Foundations of Physical Chemistry.

To learn more about the Student Learning Outcomes for this program, please visit our website. 

To review the Degree Map for this program, please visit our website.