B.S. in Chemistry

Program Chair: Phillip Christiansen

Chemistry is the most central of sciences. It deals with the properties, composition and structure of matter, with the changes that occur in matter and with energy relationships involved in those changes. Chemistry has been at the forefront of virtually all recent advances in materials, medicine and renewable fuels. The chemistry program at Clarkson has been designed to:

• Provide students with a core knowledge base to meet the challenges of professional careers spanning the full range of the chemical sciences.
• Ensure that students have the opportunity to develop strong professional communication skills.
• Provide a stimulating intellectual environment with exposure to open-ended problems likely to be encountered in industry, graduate schools and professional programs.

It is a rigorous degree program and students completing the requirements may be certified by the American Chemical Society if so desired. At the same time, it has the flexibility to allow students to develop the specialties that best meet their career goals. The small laboratory learning environment provides strong interaction between students and with instructors and the laboratory, as well as research experiences provide students ample opportunities to develop communication skills through small group presentations and reports. The chemistry faculty are internationally known for the quality of their research and undergraduates are encouraged to become involved in research with the faculty and graduate students as early as their freshman year.

A pre-health sciences program is available for students interested in medical school or a health-care related field. Clarkson also offers a pre-physical therapy undergraduate concentration and a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree program. Detailed information about this program is available to students through the Associate Dean for Health Sciences at 315–268–3786.

Chemistry Curriculum
FIRST YEAR
First Semester				Second Semester
Course	Title	Cr. Hrs.		Course	Title	Cr. Hrs.
CM103	Structure and			CM104	Equilibrium and Dynamics1	3
	Bonding1	3		CM106	Chemistry Lab II1	2
CM105	Chemistry Lab I1	2		MA132	Calculus II	3
MA131	Calculus I	3		PH132	Physics II	4
PH131	Physics I	4		CM121	Freshman Seminar	1
FY100	First-Year Seminar	1			KA Elective	3
UNIV190	Clarkson Seminar	3
						16
		16
SOPHOMORE YEAR
First Semester				Second Semester
Course	Title	Cr. Hrs.		Course	Title	Cr. Hrs.
CM221	Spectroscopy	3		CM242	Organic Chemistry II	3
CM223	Spectroscopy Lab	3		CM244	Organic Chemistry Lab	3
CM241	Organic Chemistry I	3			KA/UC Elective	3
MA232	Differential Equations	3			Statistics Elective	3
	KA/UC Elective	3			Free Elective	3
		15				15
JUNIOR YEAR
First Semester				Second Semester
Course	Title	Cr. Hrs.		Course	Title	Cr. Hrs.
CM345	Advanced Laboratory	4		CM300	Instrumental Laboratory	3
CM371	Physical Chemistry I	3		CM312	Survey of Inorganic Chemistry	3
	KA/UC Elective	3		CM320	Separations and
	Technology Elective	3			Electrochemistry	3
	Professional Experience	3		CM372	Physical Chemistry II	3
					Biology Course	3
		16
						15
SENIOR YEAR
(Standard Option)
First Semester				Second Semester
Course	Title	Cr. Hrs.		Course	Title	Cr. Hrs.
	KA/UC Elective	3		CM402	Undergraduate Seminar	1
	Free Electives2	9			Free Electives2	14
		12				15
(Thesis Option)
First Semester				Second Semester
Course	Title	Cr. Hrs.		Course	Title	Cr. Hrs.
CM491	Undergraduate Thesis	6		CM402	Undergraduate Seminar (c1)	1
	KA/UC Elective	3		CM492	Undergraduate Thesis	6
	Free Electives2	3			Free Electives2	8
		12				15

¹  With the permission of the department chair, CM131-132 may be accepted in lieu of CM103-106 for a student 
who wishes to transfer into the Department of Chemistry after having completed the first year in another 
department.

²  Those students wishing to satisfy the requirements for an American Chemical Society-accredited B.S. degree will 
need at least six credit hours in advanced chemistry electives, including biochem I. Thesis can count for only three 
such credits. Those students electing the standard option need at least one credit hour of an elective chemistry 
laboratory course.

Students in the Class of 2010 and later — see Academic Requirements for details of the Clarkson Common Experience including the First-Year Seminar, the Clarkson Seminar, Knowledge Area (KA) courses, University Courses (UC), and related requirements.

* See also CM300/500 and CM405.
** See also the colloid and surface science [SU] courses listed in the Courses publication.