The department's curriculum can be described in terms of the traditional areas of chemistry. While every major should know something about all those areas, we have chosen to state the specific requirements for the chemistry major or minor in a different -- we think more flexible -- way that emphasizes the various ways chemists approach chemical systems and the broad range of skills that chemists use.
Thus, a chemistry major or minor starts in the introductory sequences in chemistry, physics, and mathematics. These courses lay the groundwork of facts and skills on which the rest of the major builds: practice in thinking and problem-solving, an introduction to laboratory methods, the mathematical reasoning necessary for interpretation of laboratory results, and some important physical and chemical models.
Students then select several intermediate-level courses from each of two groups or clusters. The courses in each cluster differ in the specifics of their content, to be sure, but are similar to one another in approach to chemistry, in the models they use to explain the physical and chemical world, in the laboratory methods they rely upon, etc. Thus a student who takes two terms of organic chemistry and one of biochemistry will learn these approaches, models, and skills, but so will a student who takes one term of organic, one of inorganic, and one of materials science. Thus the major can be constructively tailored to a student's interests.
The first cluster is designated "Structure, Properties and Synthesis,", and includes the organic and inorganic courses, biochemistry, and our introduction to materials chemistry. These courses tend to be organized around the relationship of atomic or molecular structure to chemical reactivity, and include substantial emphasis on the isolation or synthesis of various compounds.
The second cluster is designated "Quantitative Chemistry" or "Energetics and Dynamics". It includes courses in analytical and physical chemistry, which are more likely to concern themselves primarily with quantitative issues, the study of reaction rates or equilibrium, and the like. In these courses, the conceptual models are more often mathematical than structural, and laboratory work is more likely to focus on data collection than on the synthesis or isolation of new substances.
To round out the major, students choose from a group of more topical or advanced courses that make up a third cluster. These courses draw upon the skills and background acquired in both the other sets, and encourage students to achieve an integrated view of the discipline. Finally, chemistry majors and minors also participate in a series of three partial-credit seminars that provide a capstone for the program.
The chemistry major, then, has four components :
an introductory chemistry sequence,
supporting introductory-level coursework in mathematics and physics,
eight courses chosen from the three clusters mentioned above (3, 3, 2), and
a course credit (6 units) earned in the three-part seminar series.
The Chemistry Minor provides an opportunity for students with major interests in other disciplines to complete a broad but flexible program in chemistry as well. The requirements for the minor are built on the same framework as those for the major, but fewer courses are required, and there is not an explicit requirement for as much supporting work in mathematics and physics.