By now you should have taken:

• At least Math 118 (Calc II) (Math 121 (Multivariable Calc) suggested) 

• Physics 101/102 (one year of intro) or 105/106 (one year of intro for majors)

You still need to take:

• Physical Chemistry (Chem 304)

• Quantum Chemistry (Chem 305)

• Two semesters of Superlab (Chem 301, 302)

• Two quarters of Inorganic Chemistry (Chem 320 (Intro to inorganic) and Chem 32x (Inorganic elective)

• One semester of biochem (either bio 200 or two half credit biochem electives (Chem 351/2/7/9)

• Two quarters of Chemistry Electives (Chem 35x)

• Senior Seminar (Year long, half credit course in your senior year, Chem 391)

• Two semesters of research (Done with your thesis advisor for your senior thesis, Chem 36x)

By now you should have taken:

• At least Math 118 (Calc II) (Math 121 (Multivariable Calc) suggested) 

• Either one year of biology (Bio 200) or one year of physics (Phys 101/102 or 105/106)

You still need to take:

• One semester of physical chemistry (Either Chem 304 (Pchem, recommended) or Chem 305 (Qchem, harder))

• Two semesters of superlab (Chem 301, 302)

• Two quarters of inorganic chemistry (Chem 320 (Intro to inorganic) and Chem 32x (Inorganic elective))

• Two quarters of chemistry electives (Chem 35x)

• Senior seminar (year long, half credit course in your senior year, Chem 391)

• Two semesters of research (done with your thesis advisor for your senior thesis, Chem 36x)

By now you should have taken:

• At least Math 118 (Calc II) (Math 121 (Multivariable Calc) suggested) 

• One year of biology (Bio 200)

• One year of physics (Phys 101/102 or 105/106)

You still need to take:

• One semester of physical chemistry (Either Chem 304 (PChem, recommended) or Chem 305 (Qchem, harder))

• One semester of chemistry superlab (Chem 301)

• One semester of biochemistry superlab (Chem 302)

• Two quarters of inorganic chemistry (Chem 320 (Intro to inorganic) and Chem 351 (bioinorganic elective)

• One quarter of chemistry electives (Chem 35x) -- must have biochem content

• Two quarters of biology electives (Bio 3xx) -- must have biochem content

• Senior seminar (year long, half credit course in your senior year, Chem 391)

• Two semesters of research (done with your thesis advisor for your senior thesis, Chem 36x)

By now you should have taken:

• At least Math 118 (Calc II) (Math 121 (Multivariable Calc) suggested) 

• One year of biology (Bio 200)

• One year of physics (Phys 101/102 or 105/106)

You still need to take:

• Two semesters of physical chemistry (Chem 304 (Physical Chemistry) and 305 (Quantum Chemistry))

• One semester of chemistry superlab (Chem 301)

• One semester of bio or biochemistry superlab (Chem 303 or Bio 301/2)

• Two quarters of inorganic chemistry (Chem 320 (intro to inorganic) and Chem 351 (bioinorganic elective))

• One quarter of chemistry electives (Chem 35x) -- must have biochem content

• Two quarters of biology electives (Bio 3xx) -- must have biochem content

• Senior seminar (year long, half credit course in your senior year, Chem 391)

• Two semesters of research (done with your thesis advisor for your senior thesis, Chem 36x)

For those interested in taking a computational approach to chemistry, the scientific computing concentration can be a nice tassel to put in your graduation cap. The concentration requires a number of classes outside of a normal chemistry education, however, so it would be good to plan ahead. Because so many courses span so many disciplines, a comprehensive roadmap would be impossible. Instead, we'll go through the requirements, show you which are typically completed on a "standard" chemistry track, and explain which requirements you'll still have to fulfill outside of the chemistry department's curriculum. A link to all courses involved in scientific computing (as well as full explanation of the concentration) can be found here.

Requirements:

The requirements are split into "categories" A, B, C, and D. Don't let that overwhelm you, it's just a way of grouping courses from a wide array of disciplines. They are not meant to be chronological (see timeline section below)

Requirement A: Year-long introduction to Computer Science

• CMSC H105 and CMSC H106, or CMSC B110 and CMSC B206, or CMSC H107 (CMSC H107 is semester long and can be placed into or taken after CMSC H104 or CMSC B115))

  • (Plays no role in a chemistry major plan)

Requirement B: One course involving regular programming assignments

• Almost all chemistry majors will take either CHEM H304 (Physical chemistry) or CHEM H305 (Quantum chemistry) (or both!) which will complete this requirement

Requirement C: three credits worth of electives in which real-world phenomena are investigated using computation

• A whole senior thesis can count for one credit if it has a computational element (this would almost always require doing work under a professor who focuses on computational work)

• At least one of these courses must be a 300 level (excluding your thesis)

• CHEM 104 (Computational lab) can fulfill this requirement but note you will still need a 300 level course

• CHEM B322 (Advanced Physical Chemistry: Mathematical Modeling & Natural Processes) can be taken to fulfill both requirement C and two "quarters" of chemistry electives

• Any other courses that fulfill this requirement are outside of the chemistry major and can be found on the main website (see link above)

Requirement D: a project-based experience in which computation is applied to investigate a real-world phenomenon

• A whole computational senior thesis counts for this

  • If no computational thesis, a summer research opportunity can also fulfill this requirement

  • Also a multi-week project for a course that may (or may not) be one of the three electives that fulfill requirement C

Timeline:

Because there are many chemistry requirements to fulfill in your later years (junior and senior year), it's best to get a head start on some of the courses you can take as a freshman and sophomore. Below is a general timeline that can be tweaked to each student's personal situation.

First Year

• CMSC H105 and CMSC H106, or CMSC B110 and CMSC B206, or CMSC H107 (CMSC H107 is semester long and can be placed into or taken after CMSC H104 or CMSC B115)) will fulfill requirement A

• CHEM 104 (substitute for CHEM 112) is a great way to knock out a requirement C course early on

Sophomore Year

• Some requirement C courses are 200 level and easily accessible to sophomores. If you're interested, it's highly advisable to take at least one before junior year

Junior Year

• CHEM H304 or CHEM H305 (or both) will fulfill requirement B

• By now you should definitely plan on taking your requirement C courses

Senior Year

• Finish requirement C courses

• Computational senior thesis will fulfill requirement D

If you have any questions or to clear up an ambiguity it is always advisable to consult the chemistry department chair.

Yes! Many chemistry students have successfully been able to study, albeit it does require some planning. As most students choose to study in the fall or spring of their junior year, it's important to consult with the chemistry chair or you advisor about how to complete your superlab requirement. Some students can get a quarter credit of superlab by taking a lab intensive class abroad, while other choose to take a semester in their senior year.

Below are some of the programs students have best support them abroad in completing chemistry major requirements:

Chemistry, general

• University College London (UCL), UK

• University of Edinburgh, Scotland 

• Queens University, Belfast, Ireland

• The National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland

Environmental Science/Chemistry

• University of the West Indies, Barbados

• University of Cape Town, South Africa

• University of Stockholm, Sweden

• Denmark

Biochemistry concentration

• Melbourne, Australia 

• University of Lund, Sweden 

It is possible to study abroad elsewhere and not take Chemistry classes, though this requires careful planning.

If you're thinking about studying abroad, it's best to reach out the the chemistry chair and/or Rebecca Avery (director of study abroad) to help you plan your junior and senior year!

Oh cool, thanks for scrolling down this far. That's actually pretty easy. Assuming you made it through up until junior year and completed all the core chemistry classes (both semesters of general chemistry and organic chemistry), you will only need to complete:

• One semester of physical chemistry (Chem 304 or 305) (Note: This requires at least Math 118 and recommended Math 121)

• One semester (or two quarters) of advanced chemistry courses (Chem 301-369)

Note: While this section serves as a guide for common questions, it is always best to consult with your advisor or the chem department chair to account for individual circumstances

Q: Can I be a chemistry major if I didn't take any chemistry courses in freshman year?

It is very difficult, but not impossible, to be a chemistry major with a "late start".  Taking approved courses elsewhere over the summer can help to "catch up" (i.e. taking the equivalent of two semesters of organic chemistry), but that should be done with lots of discussion and pre-planning with the department. The prerequisite structure means that many 300-level classes would end up on top of each other (and on top of senior research) during the senior year if you were still taking 200-level courses as a junior.  But the Biochemistry concentration (as a Biology major) and Chemistry minor are still definitely open to students who start Chemistry later, and it is also very possible to get involved in Chemistry research without being a declared Chemistry major.

Q: Do I have to complete a research based thesis to be a Chemistry major?

No! While you do have to complete a thesis to graduate at Haverford, students have in the past opted to do a one semester literature review instead of a classical research thesis. It would be best to talk with your advisor/the department chair to see if this is the right decision for your circumstance and future career goals.

Q: How do I decide between chemistry and biology?

This is a hard one and in the end is up to you alone. Have you taken both organic chemistry and intro to biology to compare your academic experiences and excitement? Have you looked at the research professors in both departments are doing to see what most excites you? Have you considered your long-term plans and how chemistry or biology would fit into them? These are all good ways of gathering information to make the best personal decision. In addition, the biochemistry concentration is a great way to work at the interface of these two disciplines. In the end it's up to you, but you can be sure you have all the info at your fingertips, and do be afraid to reach out to professors/advisors for help!

Q: Help! I failed a core class for chemistry? How do I make this up?

Courses can be re-taken and the passing grade then substitutes for the lower grade on your transcript. Students are encouraged to consult with the department to make a plan for moving forward in this scenario, which could involve a number of different timing strategies (including doubling up on classes and/or waiting on specific classes until better grades are in hand): the department is very open to working with students who might struggle early to make their Chemistry experience as full as possible.