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 Molecular Biosciences; 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 a major in one of the above Departments/Divisions 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.
- The College may approve an exception when a student has successfully earned the minimum grade required for all courses applied in the major but does not have a major GPA of 2.0.
- 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.
- 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.
Required Courses: (76 credit hours)
State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites - Chemistry B.S. (34 credit hours)
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
State Mathematics Pathway – Chemistry B.S. (6 Credit Hours)*
The Chemistry B.S. uses the Algebra through Calculus Mathematics Pathway with the following requirements:
Major Core Courses: 3 courses; 8 credit hours
Major Required Courses: 9 courses; 28 credit hours
Required Natural Science or Engineering Elective Courses: 2 courses; 6 credit hours
Additional Information - Chemistry B.S.
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
Department Major Academic Residency Requirement - At least Nine (9) hours of upper-level chemistry courses must be completed at USF.
College of Arts & 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
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 course. This course will not impact degree credits or GPA but will show on an official transcript and document the experience. The Office of Undergraduate Research is able to assist with further inquiries.
Advising Information - College of Arts and Sciences
Undergraduate Advising Information
The College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) Advising Team provides students with support to create timely graduation plans that will integrate both their academic and professional goals. Each of our undergraduate programs has dedicated professional advisors with specialized knowledge and understanding of the major requirements, course offerings, undergraduate research, and career opportunities in their field. Additionally, we have dedicated pre-health and prelaw advisors to help students prepare for admission to professional graduate programs.
CAS Academic Advisor Contact information can be found here: CAS Advisors
To schedule an advising appointment: Advising Appointments
Plans of Study - Chemistry B.S.
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