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Undergraduate Catalog

2010 - 2011

BA in Chemistry (57.5 hours*)

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This degree provides an excellent preparation for those individuals in preprofessional programs (e.g., medicine, dentistry, master of business administration, or law), and it also provides career alternatives in chemistry.

Program Requirements    |    View MAP

  1. No more than 3 hours of D credit is allowed in major courses.

  2. The Chemistry and Biochemistry Department requires the final 10 hours of required chemistry credit to be taken in residence at BYU for this degree program. These hours may also go toward BYU's 30-hour residency requirement for graduation.

  3. Complete the following:

  4. Complete one of the following options:
      Either
        CHEM 468 : Biophysical Chemistry. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        CHEM 468 : Biophysical Chemistry. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:Winter
        PREREQUISITE: CHEM 481 & MATH 113 & PHSCS 123; or CHEM 481M & MATH 113 & PHSCS 123
        DESCRIPTION: Applications of physical chemistry to biological systems. Spectroscopic applications, computational methods, structural biochemistry, thermodynamics, equilibria, statistical mechanics, transport properties, kinetics, quantum mechanics.
        NOTE: For biochemistry (BS) majors and those interested in the health professions or biochemistry.

        CHEM 481M : Biochemistry 1--Majors. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        CHEM 481M : Biochemistry 1--Majors. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall
        PREREQUISITE: CHEM 352M & PDBIO 120; or CHEM 352 & PDBIO 120
        DESCRIPTION: First-semester biochemistry. Molecular components of cells, chemical structure and function, enzymes, metabolic transformations, photosynthesis.
        NOTE: For chemistry and biochemistry majors only.

        CHEM 584 : Biochemistry Laboratory/Proteins. (3:1:2)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        CHEM 584 : Biochemistry Laboratory/Proteins. (3:1:2)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter
        PREREQUISITE: CHEM 481M; or equivalent.
        DESCRIPTION: Introduction to current biochemical research procedures including spectrophotometry, chromatography, electrophoresis, and immunological techniques. Protein over-expression; isolation and characterization methods. Enzyme kinetics and protein-ligand interactions. Introduction to bioinformatics.
        NOTE: May be taken before or after Chem 586.

          Or
          CHEM 586 : Biochemistry Laboratory/Nucleic Acids. (3:1:2)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
          CHEM 586 : Biochemistry Laboratory/Nucleic Acids. (3:1:2)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
          WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter
          PREREQUISITE: CHEM 482
          DESCRIPTION: Laboratory course covering major techniques involved in isolation, amplification, and cloning of recombinant DNA as well as isolation, synthesis, translation, and identification of RNA.
          NOTE: May be taken before or after Chem 584.

        STAT 121 : Principles of Statistics. (3:3:1)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        STAT 121 : Principles of Statistics. (3:3:1)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        OFFERED: Independent Study also; Honors also.
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter; Spring; Summer
        RECOMMENDED: MATH 110 or equivalent.
        DESCRIPTION:  Stemplots, boxplots, histograms, scatterplots; central tendency, variability; confidence intervals and hypothesis testing involving one and two means and proportions; contingency tables, simple linear regression.

                  : Honors Principles of Statistics.

      Or
        CHEM 462 : Physical Chemistry. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        CHEM 462 : Physical Chemistry. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall
        PREREQUISITE: Chem 227 or concurrent enrollment; Chem 351M or 351; Math 302 or 313; Phscs 123.
        DESCRIPTION: Quantum mechanics, group theory, atomic and molecular structure, spectroscopy, computational methods, statistical mechanics.

        CHEM 463 : Physical Chemistry. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        CHEM 463 : Physical Chemistry. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:Winter
        PREREQUISITE: CHEM 227 & CHEM 462 & PHSCS 123 & MATH 302; or CHEM 227 & CHEM 462 & PHSCS 123 & MATH 314
        RECOMMENDED: Math 302.
        DESCRIPTION: Thermodynamics and equilibria, states of matter, kinetic-molecular theory, kinetics, statistical mechanics.

        CHEM 464 : Physical Chemistry Laboratory 1. (1:0:3)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        CHEM 464 : Physical Chemistry Laboratory 1. (1:0:3)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:Winter
        PREREQUISITE: Chem 463 or 467 or 468 or concurrent enrollment.
        DESCRIPTION: Experiments related to physical chemistry: thermodynamics and equilibria, phase transitions, kinetic-molecular theory, kinetics; computer manipulation of data, report preparation.
        NOTE: May be taken before, after, or concurrent (preferred) with Chem 465.

        CHEM 465 : Physical Chemistry Laboratory 2. (1:0:3)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        CHEM 465 : Physical Chemistry Laboratory 2. (1:0:3)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:Winter
        PREREQUISITE: Chem 462 or 467 or 468 or concurrent enrollment.
        DESCRIPTION: Experiments related to physical chemistry: quantum mechanics, group theory, atomic and molecular structure, spectroscopy, computational methods, statistical mechanics; computer manipulation of data, report preparation.
        NOTE: May be taken before, after, or concurrent (preferred) with Chem 464.

        MATH 302 : Mathematics for Engineering 1. (4:4:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        MATH 302 : Mathematics for Engineering 1. (4:4:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter
        PREREQUISITE: MATH 113; Passing grade on required preparatory exam taken during first week of class. (Practice exams available on class web site).
        DESCRIPTION: Multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and numerical methods.

  5. Complete the following:

  6. After consulting with an advisor, complete 4 hours from the following:

Recommended Courses

Note: Supporting courses suggested by most medical and dental schools are found by visiting the Preprofessional Advisement office. The more rigorous chemistry, mathematics, and physics courses required for the chemistry majors will satisfy the minimum requirements listed there. Elective courses in biochemistry and in biological science are especially pertinent to these preprofessional programs.

*Hours include courses that may fulfill university core requirements.



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