Sep 29, 2023  
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Chemistry B.S.


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TOTAL DEGREE HOURS: 120
Plans of Study

The Bachelor of Science in Chemistry is designed for students wishing to continue with graduate training in chemistry and closely allied disciplines and the degree is certified by the American Chemical Society. The Bachelor of Science in Chemistry provides a firm foundation in all five disciplines of chemistry: organic, physical chemistry, inorganic, analytical and biochemistry. Students interested in research, the pursuit of an advanced degree, employment in the chemical industry, or who want to teach at the secondary education level may find this degree attractive. The curriculum for the B.S. degree in Chemistry meets the requirements for degree certification by the American Chemical Society.

University Admissions - College of Arts and Sciences


Admission to the University is based on the University’s Undergraduate Admission Requirements that may be found by clicking on the following urls:

For Admission information specific to the College of Arts and Sciences, see the information at College of Arts and Sciences .

Progression Requirements - College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)


All students in the below listed programs must successfully complete the below science and math coursework without earning three (3) D and/or F grades. Students unable to successfully complete these courses within these prescribed parameters will be required to select a different major and will not be permitted to take any additional courses offered by the below Departments/Divisions. In addition, registration for all courses offered by these departments will be dependent on students meeting the prescribed parameters regardless of their major. Grade Forgiveness will NOT apply to the mandated requirement of changing majors.

Included Departments/Divisions:

  • Effective Fall 2022: Department of Physics* and all other Departments/Divisions continued from Fall 2018.
  • Effective Fall 2018: Division of Health Professions Advising; Department of Chemistry; Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology; and Department of Integrative Biology.

Furthermore, any student who requests a change of major to one offered in the above identified departments will be required to meet these prescribed parameters as well as those criteria outlined in the Degree Progression Policy 10-505. Students who are able to complete one of the below majors by earning fewer credit hours than required to complete any other major offered at USF may petition to request an exception to the CAS Sciences D/F Policy and should contact the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Advising Office (sdfx@usf.edu) for instructions.

*Students who are redirected from one of the above Departments/Divisions as a result of the CAS Sciences D/F Policy may pursue the following degrees offered by the Department of Physics: B.S. Physical Sciences and B.A. Physical Sciences.

Included courses:

Graduation Requirements - College of Arts and Sciences


Satisfactory completion of the following requirements:

  • Students must complete all State and University level graduation requirements.
  •  Maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 in USF coursework. Note: Some Departments/program/major require a higher GPA. Students should refer to Department/program/major specific catalog requirements.
  • Physical Education coursework is limited to two (2) semester hours.
  • ROTC courses that are primarily physical training and field experiences will not be applied to College of Arts and Sciences degree programs. All other military Science coursework will apply, in particular, coursework utilized toward completing an established ROTC minor will be applied to the total hours toward degree. 
  • When earning a second degree, double major or concurrent degree, the Major Core and Major Elective/Concentration areas of the degree audit must not overlap for both degrees.  All other areas of the degree audit may have overlapping credit hours applied.
  • Maximum of 20 hours of S/U option. S/U contracts must be negotiated in writing within the first three (3) weeks of the term. None of the 20 credits may be taken in the student’s major unless S/U is the only grading option. Coursework fulfilling the General Education Core Curriculum Requirements and the State Communication Requirement (formerly known as Gordon Rule Writing) and State Computation Requirement (formerly known as Gordon Rule Math) may not be taken S/U.
  • The Audit option is available only during the first 5 days of classes.
  • “D” grades are not acceptable in the major and supporting sciences for all natural sciences majors (Biomedical Sciences; Cell Biology, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology; Integrative Biology; Interdisciplinary Natural Sciences; Medical Technology; Chemistry; Geology; Math; Physics, and Physical Sciences). “D” grades are not acceptable for the major area in Anthropology, Communication, English, Geography, History, Humanities, Mass Communications, Philosophy, Psychology, and Sociology.
  • Complete all major course requirements.
  • College of Arts and Sciences students are expected to complete a minimum of 50% of their major and/or minor coursework in residence at USF. Some College of Arts and Sciences Departments/programs/majors have established additional major course hours to be taken in residency at USF. See the major or program section of the catalog for these credit-hour requirements.

State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites - Chemistry B.S.


Following Florida BOG Regulation 8.010, state mandated common course prerequisites are lower-division courses that are required for progression into the upper division of a particular baccalaureate degree program. 

Transfer students should complete the State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites at the lower level prior to entering the university. If these courses are not taken at a Florida College System institution, they must be completed before the degree is granted. Successful completion of the common prerequisites alone does not guarantee a student admission into the degree program. 

Unless stated otherwise, a grade of C- is the minimum acceptable grade in prerequisite courses.

  • (CHM X045 and CHM X045L) or (CHM X040 and CHM X041) or CHM X045C - 4-6 credit hours
  • (CHM X046 and CHM X046L) or CHM X046C - 4 credit hours
  • MAC X311 or MAC X281 - 4 credit hours
  • MAC X312 or MAC X282 - 4 credit hours
  • [(CHM X210 and CHM X210L) and (CHM X211 and X211L)] or (CHM X210C and CHM X211C) - 10 credit hours
  • [(PHY X048 and PHY X048L)* and (PHY X049 and PHY X049L)*] or (PHY X048C and PHY X049C)* or [(PHY X053 and PHY X053L)** and (PHY X054 and PHY X054L)**] or (PHY X053C and PHY X054C)** - 8 credit hours

* The PHY X048 and PHY X049 sequence is required for the Bachelor in Science degree.  It is an option for the Bachelor in Arts degree.

** The PHY X053 and PHY X054 sequence is not accepted for the Bachelor in Science degree.

Required Courses: (42 credit hours)


Required Natural Science or Engineering Elective Courses: 2 courses; 6 credit hours


The following courses are prerequisite and supporting courses for this major. They are required for the major, but are not counted in the total hours for this major. The degree will not be awarded if these courses have not been taken by the end of the student’s final semester.

  • Credit(s): 3
  • One 3000-level Natural Science or Engineering course (PHY 3101 suggested)  Credit(s):  3 credit hours
  •        or

  • One 2000-level Natural Science course (BSC 2011, or GLY 2010, or GLY 2100, or EVR 2001)  Credit(s):  3 credit hours

Chemistry B.S.- Additional Information


GPA Requirements


Major GPA (All USF courses which are applied to major requirements): 2.0
General Education GPA (All USF courses which are applied to General Education requirements):  2.0
USF GPA:  2.0
Overall GPA:  2.0

Grading Requirements


A grade of C- (1.67) or better to meet major course requirements unless specified elsewhere. Will vary by area.  All courses in any Chemistry major must be taken with letter grade (A, B, C, D, F, I), except those courses which are graded S/U only.

Note:  Some USF courses have higher grade criteria to meet prerequisite knowledge necessary for progression into higher level courses.

Residency Requirements - College of Arts and Sciences


Department Major Academic Residency Requirement - At least Nine (9) hours of upper-level chemistry courses must be completed at USF.

College of Arts and Sciences Major Academic Residency Requirement - 50% of major must be completed at USF.

USF Academic Residency Requirement - 30 of the last 60 hours earned must be from USF.

Other Program Information - Department of Chemistry


General Electives. Courses over and above the required courses should be taken to complete a 120 hour program. Additional courses in computer programming, economics, management, engineering, statistics, writing, and other applied disciplines are strongly recommended to strengthen the degree for subsequent professional employment.

Transfer Credit: It is strongly recommended that students transferring from community/state colleges to the University of South Florida complete whole sequences of chemistry courses, such as general and organic chemistry, before they transfer. Even though courses may carry the same common course number, topics covered may vary significantly from school to school.

Research Opportunities - College of Arts and Sciences


Undergraduate students in any degree program are able to participate in undergraduate research. Several options exist to show mentored undergraduate research activity on a student’s official transcript. Those who wish to enroll in an undergraduate research course should consult with their academic advisor to understand how the credit will apply towards the degree requirements. If no credit is needed, students may be eligible to enroll in the 0-credit IDS 4914 - Advanced Undergraduate Research Experience  course. This course will not impact degree credits or GPA but will show on an official transcript and document the experience. The Office of High Impact Practices and Undergraduate Research is able to assist with further inquiries.

Advising Information - College of Arts and Sciences


USF students schedule advising appointments online through USF Archivum Platform.   Students are encouraged to meet with their advisor each semester to discuss courses planning, degree progression, and career preparation. 

Tampa campus website:  https://www.usf.edu/arts-sciences/students/academic-advising/index.aspx

For questions, email ChemAdvise@usf.edu

4 Year Plan of Study - Chemistry B.S.


NOTES:

 

Potential Entry Level Job Titles:

  • Chemist
  • Chemical Engineer
  • Chemistry Teacher, Secondary Education

Potential Entry Level Salary Range:

$30,000 - $55,000

Year 1


Semester 1 (Fall)


Total Credit Hours: 14

Semester 2 (Spring)


Total Credit Hours: 15

Semester 3 (Summer)


Total Credit Hours: 3

Year 2


Semester 4 (Fall)


Total Credit Hours: 14

Semester 5 (Spring)


Total Credit Hours: 15

Semester 6 (Summer)


Total Credit Hours: 6

Year 3


Semester 7 (Fall)


Total Credit Hours: 13

Semester 8 (Spring)


Total Credit Hours: 13

Semester 9 (Summer)


Please consider pursing High Impact Practice opportunities this semester such as Education Abroad, Internship Opportunities, Community Engagement, or Research Opportunities.

Questions about opportunities? Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor.

Year 4


Semester 10 (Fall)


Total Credit Hours: 14

Semester 11 (Spring)


Total Credit Hours: 13

2 Year Plan of Study - Chemistry B.S.


NOTES:

 

Year 1


Semester 1 (Fall)


Total Credit Hours: 13

Semester 2 (Spring)


Total Credit Hours: 14

Semester 3 (Summer)


Total Credit Hours: 7

Year 2


Semester 4 (Fall)


Total Credit Hours: 14

Semester 5 (Spring)


Total Credit Hours: 13

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