Degree Requirements

The chemistry major leads to a B.S. or B.A. and is a major within the College of Letters & Science. When pursuing a chemistry major, the undergraduate must meet all general requirements of their college, along with the chemistry major requirements. This curriculum provides excellent preparation in chemistry, along with a wide breadth of liberal arts coursework. The specific requirements for the chemistry major are outlined below.

Required Chemistry Courses (37 credits)
A.  General Chemistry
Chem 109 Advanced General Chemistry (5 credits)
OR Chem 109H Advanced General Chemistry Honors (5 credits)
OR Chem 115 Chemical Principles I (5 credits) (Enrollment by invitation only.)
OR Chem 104 (5 credits) (Chem 103 is a prerequisite.)
(Chem 109 or 115 are recommended for chem majors, but Chem 103 & 104 will fulfill this requirement.)

B.  Analytical Chemistry
Chem 329¹ Fundamentals of Analytical Science (4 credits)
OR Chem 116 Chemical Principles II (5 credits) (only open to students who took Chem 115)

C.  Inorganic Chemistry
Chem 311² Chemistry Across the Periodic Table (4 credits)

D.  Organic Chemistry
Chem 343 Introductory Organic Chemistry (3 credits)
Chem 344³ Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory (2 credits)
Chem 345 Intermediate Organic Chemistry (3 credits)

E.  Physical Chemistry
Chem 561 Physical Chemistry I (3 credits) OR Chem 565 Biophysical Chemistry (4 credits)
    [CBE 310 Chemical Process Thermodynamics (3 credits) may be taken in place of Chem 561]
Chem 562 Physical Chemistry II (3 credits)
Chem 563⁴ Physical Chemistry Laboratory I (1 credit)
Chem 564 Physical Chemistry Laboratory II (1 credit)

F. Additional course work (5 credits) Choose from any 500-600 level course in Chemistry, e.g., Chem 511 Inorganic Chemistry (3 credits), Chem 524 Chemical Instrumentation (3 credits, 2 credits count for additional course work), Chem 547 Advanced Organic Chemistry (3 credits).  Courses also may be taken in Biochemistry, e.g., Biochem 501 Introduction to Biochemistry (3 credits), Biochem 507 & 508 General Biochemistry I & II (3 credits each), and/or Environmental Chemistry and Technology, e,g, Civ Engr 500 Water Chem (3 credits), Civ Engr 501 Water Analysis – Intermediate (2 credits), Civ Engr 502 Environmental Organic Chemistry (3 credits).  The extra credits associated with 116 and 565 count towards the 5 credits.

G. Additional laboratory work (3 credits) Chose from the following Chemistry labs: Chem 346 Intermediate Organic Laboratory (1 or 2 credits), Chem 524 Chemical Instrumentation (3 credits, 1 credit counts for additional lab work), any 500 level laboratory, Chem 691 & 692 Senior Thesis, and/or Chem 699 Directed Study.

For a complete list of courses that can count towards the additional course work and the additional laboratory work requirements, see the Suggested Electives for Chemistry Majors handout (pdf). 

¹ Students who declare the Chemistry major after taking Chem 327 may count Chem 327 towards the major instead of Chem 329.
 ² Chem 511 cannot be substituted for Chem 311.
 ³ Chem 344 should be taken concurrently with or after Chem 345.
 ⁴ Chem 563 Physical Chemistry Laboratory I (1 credit) should be taken concurrently with Chem 562.  Chem 564 Physical Chemistry Laboratory II (1 credit) should be taken after completion of Chem 562.

Math and Physics Requirements
Math 221 Calculus I (5 credits) and Math 222 Calculus II (4 credits) are required. Math 234 Calculus Functions of Several Variables (4 credits) and Math 320 Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (3 credits) are highly recommended.

A year of calculus-based physics: Physics 207-208 General Physics I & II (5 credits each) are recommended; Physics 201-202 General Physics I & II (5 credits each) are also accepted.  The physics courses include a three-hour laboratory.

College Requirements
Students in the College of Letters & Science (L&S) must fulfill either the Bachelor or Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) L&S degree requirements. Students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) or the College of Engineering can add chemistry as an additional major. These students do not need to satisfy the L&S specific requirements; rather they need to satisfy the requirements specific to their college. View the CALS degree requirements or the College of Engineering degree requirements in the UW-Madison Undergraduate Catalog for more details. Information on the chemistry major can also be found on the Undergraduate Catalog Chemistry page.