Major Requirements
Requirements for Concentration: A total of 12 units Chemistry 108/109 or 125 or the equivalent as approved by the department; Chemistry 244 and 245 or the equivalent as approved by the department; 8 or 9 units to include Chemistry 300, 350, 352, 362, 372, 373 and 2 units of additional graded 300-level courses, one of which must be taken senior year. Chemistry 198, 298, 365, and 399 do not count toward these 8 units. Mathematics 121/122 or 125 or the equivalent as approved by the department; Physics 113/114 or the equivalent as approved by the department. No courses required for the chemistry major may be elected on an NRO basis.
Recommendations: A reading knowledge of French, German, Russian, or Japanese, and courses in allied sciences. Students who wish to graduate with certification by the American Chemical Society should consult the department. Entering students who plan to concentrate in chemistry are advised to elect both chemistry and mathematics in the freshman year and physics in the freshman or sophomore year.
Teaching Certification: Students who wish to obtain secondary certification in Chemistry should consult both the Chemistry and Education Departments for appropriate course requirements.
Requirements for M.A.: The candidate must satisfy all requirements for the B.A. degree as described above. In addition, 8 units of advanced work are required as follows: 3 to 5 units of 300-level courses; 2 units of 400-level courses; 1 to 3 units will be credited for the thesis, which will be based on a research project normally carried out during the fourth year. Chemistry 326, 342, 357, or 450, must be included among the advanced courses elected to fulfill the requirements. For students selecting thesis research in biochemistry or an interdisciplinary area, advanced courses in biology, biochemistry, mathematics, and physics may, with the permission of the adviser, be substituted for some of the required courses in chemistry. Further information regarding the thesis may be found in the separate publication, “Graduate Study in Chemistry at Vassar College.” Consult the chair in the department.
Advisers: Class of 2009, Mr. Tanski; Class of 2010, Mr. Donhauser; Class of 2011, Ms. Garrett; Class of 2012, Mr. Smart; Correlate Sequence, Mr. Eberhardt.
Correlate Sequence in Chemistry: A correlate sequence in chemistry provides students interested in careers ranging from public health to patent law an excellent complement to their major field of study. The chemistry correlate sequence is designed to combine a basic foundation in chemistry with the flexibility to choose upper-level chemistry courses relevant to the student’s particular interests. Students considering careers in such areas as art conservation, public policy relating to the sciences, scientific ethics, archeochemistry, the history of science, law or public health may benefit from a course of study in chemistry. This correlate is not intended for students majoring in closely related disciplines, such as biology or biochemistry, and therefore not more than one course can be credited towards both the correlate and the student’s major. The correlate consists of 6 1⁄2 units distributed as follows:
Required Courses: (Units)
General Chemistry with lab (Chemistry 108/109) (2)
or
Chemical Principles with lab (Chemistry 125) (1)
Organic Chemistry with lab (Chemistry 244/245) (2)
Minimum of two classes from the following: (2)
Chemistry 272 Biochemistry or
Chemistry 255 Science of Forensics
Chemistry 323 Protein Chemistry
Chemistry 326 Inorganic Chemistry
Chemistry 342 Organic Chemistry
Chemistry 350 Physical Chemistry: Thermodynamics and Chemical Kinetics
Chemistry 352 Physical Chemistry: Molecular Structure
Chemistry 357 Chemical Physics
Chemistry 362 Instrumental Analysis (1)
One half unit of laboratory work at the advanced level: (1⁄2)
(Completion of chemistry 362 from the previous list satisfies this requirement)
Chemistry 298 Independent Research
Chemistry 365 Spectrometric Identification of Organic Compounds
Chemistry 370 Advance Laboratory
Chemistry 372/373 Integrated Laboratory (2)