Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry

1. Students graduating with a baccalaureate degree in chemistry should be proficient in the basic skills of chemistry. They will:

• Have a functional knowledge of all the basic areas of chemistry including analytical, organic, physical, inorganic and biochemistry.
• Be able to integrate their knowledge in these areas and use their critical thinking skills in order to become problem solvers.
• Be proficient in chemistry laboratories, especially with respect to:
  • Following and understanding general laboratory practice guidelines, especially proper laboratory safety.
  • Performing chemical analyses.
  • Performing simple chemical synthesis.
  • Understanding and using modern chemical instrumentation.
• Be able to articulate clearly scientific information, both in written and oral forms.
• Be able to use effectively the scientific literature.

2. Students graduating with a baccalaureate degree in chemistry will be prepared for entry into professional schools (e.g., medical, dental, pharmaceutical, or veterinary), graduate programs, or chemical industries.

Degree Requirements

The minimum departmental requirements for this degree are:

1. The equivalent of one year of general chemistry (CHEM 211, CHEM 212R and CHEM 212LR).
2. PHYSICS 210, PHYSICS 220 and MATH 110 (or math exception based on high school math courses).
3. CHEM 341WI (writing intensive, for which the WEPT is an enforced prerequisite.)
4. Any combination of 300-level and 400-level chemistry courses (exceptions noted below; see 5, 6, 7 and 11) to bring the total credit hours to 26. Certain biochemistry courses (offered by the School of Biological Sciences) also may be included in this total. Please confer with the principal undergraduate adviser.
5. No more than three hours total in CHEM 395, CHEM 399, CHEM 495 and CHEM 499 may be used in meeting the major course requirements.
6. CHEM 320 and CHEM 321 may not both be counted toward the required number of credit hours. (CHEM 321 + CHEM 322R and CHEM 320 + CHEM 322R are both acceptable combinations for meeting, in part, the bachelor of arts departmental course requirements, although the CHEM 320 + CHEM 322R combination is not preferred. The combinations CHEM 320 + CHEM 321 and CHEM 320 + CHEM 321 + CHEM 322R are not acceptable.)
7. Similarly, either CHEM 330-or- the combination CHEM 431 + CHEM 432 is acceptable, but the combination CHEM 330 + CHEM 431 + CHEM 432 is not acceptable.
8. All majors must receive a C- or better in all chemistry courses with an overall chemistry GPA of 2.0 for graduation.
9. A minimum grade of C- is required for all prerequisite courses (including physics and mathematics courses). In exceptional cases, students may receive written consent of the instructor and the Chemistry Undergraduate Adviser to waive this requirement.
10. Each chemistry major must be advised by the Chemistry Undergraduate Adviser every semester.
11. In order t o meet The College's residency requirement for a major in Chemistry, a minimum of 12 credit hours must be completed in the Department of Chemistry at UMKC, of which 9 of the 12 hours must be at the 300/400 level.  While credit as a result of advanced placement (AP) scores and courses in Biochemistry (LS-BIOC 341, LS-BIOC 365, or LS-BIOC 366) may be used towards meeting major requirements, they do not count towards the residency requirement.

Total Chemistry Credit Hours: 26 (or more)