Information for Chemistry Majors
Chemistry Majors
From time to time students who want to study chemistry have been confused about which science courses they should take in their first two years. This information may help you in advising them.
Most Carleton students have a good high school background in chemistry and will end up taking a one-term introductory course, either CHEM 123 or CHEM 128. These two courses are equivalent in the material covered and prepare students for futher study in chemistry except CHEM 128 covers basic chemical principles within the context of environmental science issues. Some Carleton students will not be well prepared to cover basic chemical principles in a one-term course. These students should be directed to take CHEM 122, Introduction to Chemistry, first before proceeding on to CHEM 123 or 128. If there is some question as to where a student should start in the chemistry sequence, the Chemistry Department offers a self-administered placement test that is available on the department's web site.
Prospective chemistry majors should take at least one chemistry course in their first year as described above. Because of necessary prerequisites, students who major in chemistry, but who have not taken chemistry in their first year, have little flexibility in their choice of advanced chemistry courses. Their participation in off-campus study programs also becomes limited. Therefore, it is important that prospective chemistry majors study chemistry as first-year students. In addition, these students should take MATH 111, MATH 121 and a physics course (PHYS 113 and 115 or 114 and 115) in their first year at Carleton if possible. Finally, future chemistry majors should aim to complete the following additional courses by the end of their sophomore year: CHEM 230, CHEM 233, CHEM 234, and MATH 211.
For students who want to study chemistry but are not considering a science major, the chemistry department occasionally offers two courses, CHEM 113 and CHEM 115, for students who want to learn more chemistry but don't anticipate a desire to study chemistry at a more advanced level.