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The Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry

Total Course Requirements for the Bachelor's Degree: 120 units

See Bachelor's Degree Requirements in the University Catalog for complete details on general degree requirements. A minimum of 39 units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.

A suggested Major Academic Plan (MAP) has been prepared to help students meet all graduation requirements within four years. You can view MAPs on the Major Academic Plans page or you can request a plan from your major advisor.

Courses in this program may complete more than one graduation requirement.

This degree is appropriate for students pursuing single subject matter preparation in science with a concentration in chemistry. This degree is also an excellent preparation for students considering chemistry-related interdisciplinary fields. Students who choose this program should consult with their major advisor.

General Education Pathway Requirements: 48 units

See General Education in the University Catalog and the Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education Pathway Requirements and course offerings.

This major has approved GE modifications. See below for information on how to apply these modifications.

  • CHEM 401W is an approved major course substitution for Upper-Division Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning.

Diversity Course Requirements: 6 units

See Diversity Requirements in the University Catalog. Most courses taken to satisfy these requirements may also apply to General Education .

Upper-Division Writing Requirement:

Writing Across the Curriculum (Executive Memorandum 17-009) is a graduation requirement and may be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of four Writing (W) courses, two of which are designated by the major department. See Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning and Writing Requirements in the University Catalog for more details on the four courses.  The first of the major designated Writing (W) courses is listed below.

  • Any upper-division Writing (W) course.

The second major-designated Writing course is the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GW) (Executive Order 665). Students must earn a C- or higher to receive GW credit. The GE Written Communication (A2) requirement must be completed before a student is permitted to register for a GW course.

Grading Requirement:

All courses taken to fulfill major course requirements must be taken for a letter grade except those courses specified by the department as Credit/No Credit grading only.

Course Requirements for the Major: 60-64 units

Completion of the following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, is required of all candidates for this degree.

Lower-Division Requirements: 32-36 units

6 courses required:

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
Prerequisites: GE Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning Ready; second-year high school algebra; one year high school chemistry. (One year of high school physics and one year of high school mathematics past Algebra II are recommended.)
Prerequisites: CHEM 111 with a grade of C- or better.
Prerequisites: CHEM 112.
Prerequisites: GE Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning Ready; both MATH 118 and MATH 119 (or college equivalent); first-year freshmen who successfully completed trigonometry and precalculus in high school can meet this prerequisite by achieving a score that meets department guidelines on a department administered calculus readiness exam.
Prerequisite: MATH 120.
Prerequisites: MATH 121.

2-3 courses selected from:

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
Prerequisites: High school physics or faculty permission. High school trigonometry and second-year high school algebra or equivalent (MATH 051 and MATH 118 at CSU, Chico).
Prerequisites: PHYS 202A with a grade of C- or higher.

Or the following group of courses may be selected:

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
Prerequisites: High school physics or faculty permission. Concurrent enrollment in or prior completion of MATH 121 (second semester of calculus) or equivalent.
Prerequisites: MATH 121, PHYS 204A with a grade of C- or higher.
Prerequisites: MATH 121, PHYS 204A with a grade of C- or higher.

Note: One full sequence (PHYS 202AB or PHYS 204ABC) must be completed.

Upper-Division Requirements: 28 units

8 courses required:

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
Prerequisites: CHEM 112 with a grade of C- or higher.
Prerequisites: CHEM 370M, MATH 220; PHYS 202A and PHYS 202B or PHYS 204A, PHYS 204B, and PHYS 204C.
Prerequisites: CHEM 112; MATH 220; PHYS 202A and PHYS 202B or PHYS 204A, PHYS 204B, and PHYS 204C.
Prerequisites: CHEM 270 with a grade of C- or higher.
Prerequisite: CHEM 370 (may be taken concurrently).
Prerequisites: CHEM 331 (may be taken concurrently), CHEM 361 (may be taken concurrently), CHEM 370M.
Prerequisites: GE Written Communication (A2) requirement, CHEM 320, CHEM 370; either CHEM 331, CHEM 361, or CHEM 451.
Prerequisites: CHEM 370 with a grade of C- or higher.

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
Prerequisite: CHEM 331 with a grade C- or higher.
Prerequisite: CHEM 451.
Prerequisites: CHEM 320, CHEM 370M.
Corequisite: CHEM 451.

2 units selected from:

Any upper-division courses (300- and 400- level courses) in Chemistry and Biochemistry (CHEM)

Electives Requirement:

To complete the total units required for the bachelor's degree, select additional elective courses from the total University offerings. You should consult with an advisor regarding the selection of courses which will provide breadth to your University experience and possibly apply to a supportive second major or minor.

Catalog Cycle:21