Undergraduate Course Catalog 2015-2016

College of Engineering and Physical Sciences

» http://www.ceps.unh.edu

Chemistry (CHEM)

Professor: Christopher F. Bauer, Arthur Greenberg, Richard P. Johnson, Howard R. Mayne, Glen P. Miller, W. Rudolf Seitz, Sterling A. Tomellini, Charles K. Zercher
Associate Professor: Roy Paul Planalp
Assistant Professor: Erik Berda, Leila Deravi, Margaret E. Greenslade, Gonghu Li, Samuel Pazicni

A study in chemistry is the pathway to multiple options. These options include careers in education, law, forensics, medicine, biotechnology, environmental protection, technical sales, pharmaceutical research, semiconductors, and industrial chemical production. The potential is limitless. Students interested in pursuing chemistry as an undergraduate degree have two options available to them, which are based on their career plans. These are the bachelor of science degree (B.S.) and a bachelor of arts degree (B.A.). Since the required chemistry courses in each degree program are the same the first year, it is easy to change from one program to another. A chemistry faculty adviser is assigned to a student once she/he enters the program. The student's adviser provides academic guidance concerning the choice of courses to meet requirements for the major and overall.

First-Year Student Requirements
In general, a first-year student should register for the following courses, and this applies to both programs (B.A. and B.S.):

Semester I: Freshman Seminar, Chemistry 400; General Chemistry with lab, Chemistry 403; Calculus I, Mathematics 425
Semester II: General Chemistry with lab, Chemistry 404; Calculus II, Mathematics 426; First Year Writing, English 401W
- Math 425 satisfies the Discovery Foundation Quantitative Reasoning category and fulfills a chemistry major science requirement.
- ENGL 401 satisfies the Discovery Foundation Writing Skills category and is one of the four required writing-intensive courses.

Chemistry Major Requirements
        1. UNH Discovery Program requirements must be satisfied.
        2. Specific chemistry major course requirements are listed in the Baccalaureate Degree Required Chemistry Courses table.
        3. Chemistry majors cannot use CHEM 403, CHEM 404, or CHEM 405 to satisfy Discovery Program requirements.

Inquiry Course
Chemistry 574 provides an Inquiry Course experience for Chemistry majors. This 4-credit course has a mandatory recitation session that enables students to explore and inquire about the open-ended lecture material in greater depth. This enhances the term project experience within the course.

Writing Intensive Courses
Chemistry 698, Senior Seminar, and Chemistry 699, Senior Thesis, are writing-intensive courses for chemistry majors. Writing-intensive courses are required for every program, but these two courses serve to enhance a student's educational program by being capstone courses as well.

Capstone Experience
A capstone experience is required for all chemistry majors during their senior year. The B.S. major requires CHEM 699, Senior Thesis, as the capstone experience.

Senior thesis is a year-long project involving literature research, developing scientific writing skills, and obtaining lab experience using a variety of techniques and equipment. Senior thesis research is focused on an area of specialty within a research group in the Department of Chemistry. Possible areas of research include analytical, inorganic, organic, physical, and materials chemistry. Students must interview with a faculty member before choosing to register for CHEM 699. The interview process enables the student to explore areas of interest and the faculty adviser to determine a potential project. The senior thesis experience immerses the student in the lab environment: working with peers, graduate students, and the faculty research adviser. This creates a community to facilitate discussion, questions, and new ideas for projects.

Completing a senior thesis in chemistry provides valuable field experience for careers in chemistry or closely related fields. Students combine their research with another course, CHEM 698, Senior Seminar, to develop posters exhibiting their research. These are presented at the UNH Undergraduate Research Conference. This is in addition to creating a written, bound thesis. Copies of student theses are displayed in the chemistry library and the adviser’s personal library, and students retain personal copies. Choosing to complete a senior thesis enables a student's B.S. degree to be ACS certified.

The B.A. major offers CHEM 698, Senior Seminar, as the capstone experience. Students work with the faculty member teaching the seminar to prepare a presentation based upon a research project or subject-driven professional engagement. The ability to integrate detailed subject matter and communicate this to the broader community, both scientific and general society, is encouraged. This exercise enhances the student’s writing ability, aids in the development of broader communication skills, and enables the student to obtain valuable research experience.

B.A. majors have the additional research opportunity by taking CHEM 696, Independent Study. This course can be taken prior to or in parallel with the capstone course to enhance the program of study.

Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry

This curriculum offers students the opportunity to combine the chemistry major with other interests, for example, pre-professional programs, education, or business.

Requirements
1. UNH Discovery Program requirements must be satisfied.
2. For specific course requirements, see the B.A. section in the Baccalaureate Degree Required Chemistry Courses table.

Math 425 satisfies the Discovery Foundation Quantitative Reasoning category and fulfills a chemistry major science requirement.

Baccalaureate Degree Required Chemistry Courses

Course Number	Title	BS	BA
400	Freshman Seminar	x	x
403, 404	General Chemistry	x	x
517, 518	Quantitative Analysis	x	x
547 & 549	Organic Chemistry I	x	x
548 & 550	Organic Chemistry II	x	x
574	Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry	x	x
683 & 685	Physical Chemistry I	x	x
684 & 686	Physical Chemistry II	x	x
762 & 763	Instrumental Methods of Chemical Analysis	x	x
698	Seminar	x	x
699	Thesis	x
755 & 756	Advanced Organic Chemistry	x
774 & 775	Advanced Inorganic Chemistry	x
776	Physical Chemistry III	x
708	Spectroscopic Investigations of Organic Molecules

Other Requirements:

All majors: MATH 425-426, Calculus I and II. Math 425 satisfies the Discovery Foundation Quantitative Reasoning Category.

B.S. degree: General Physics I and II, PHYS 407-408; Biochemistry, BCHM 658 or 751; one chemistry-related course.† Check course listings to see which meet a physical science discovery criteria or a biological science course criteria as a part of the Discovery Program.

B.A. degree, chemistry major: General Physics I, PHYS 407, or Introduction to Physics I and II, PHYS 401-402; two other CHEM courses, except 698, or two approved chemistry-related courses.†
_______
† Suggested courses: MATH 527, 528; PHYS 505; EE 620; the student's adviser may approve an alternative.

Bachelor of Science in Chemistry

This curriculum prepares students for careers requiring a thorough knowledge of chemistry and provides a strong foundation for careers in industry, professional schools (e.g., medical schools), and for graduate study in chemistry or in interdisciplinary areas. The curriculum requires a greater depth in chemistry and physics than do the other degree programs.

Requirements

1. UNH Discovery Program requirements must be satisfied.
2. For specific course requirements, see the B.S. section in the Baccalaureate Degree Required Chemistry Courses table.

Minor in Chemistry

A chemistry minor is achieved by taking courses with a "CHEM" label. The student must have a total of 20 credit hours in chemistry unless she/he has completed Physical Chemistry 1 (CHEM 683) and the accompanying laboratory course (CHEM 685), in which case 18 credit hours suffice.

Biochemistry (BMCB) courses do not count toward a chemistry minor. The following CHEM courses are not acceptable as part of the 20 credits: CHEM 400 (Freshman Seminar), CHEM 696 (Independent Study), CHEM 698 (Seminar), and CHEM 501/502 (Peer-Led Team Learning).

No more than 8 credit hours of chemistry coursework required by the student’s major may be counted toward the chemistry minor. The remaining credits must come from CHEM courses that are not required for the student’s major. None of the chemistry courses for a chemistry minor can be taken on a pass/fail basis. A grade of C- or better is required in all chemistry minor coursework. A cumulative GPA of 2.00 is also required for all chemistry minor coursework.

Transfer credits can only be applied to the chemistry minor with the permission of the Chemistry Department undergraduate coordinator or chair, but only up to a maximum of 8 credit hours. The transferred courses must meet the minimum grade requirements.

A student interested in obtaining a chemistry minor should discuss his/her plan with the Chemistry Department’s undergraduate coordinator.

» Click to view course offerings

^ back to top