Key differences
Below is a synopsis of the key differences between 393 and 493. Whether you directly enroll in CHE 393 or CHE 493 depends on when you started your academic journey at TCNJ. This is because the department updated its Undergraduate Bulletin, which is the document defining degree requirements.
Information relevant to students who enrolled at TCNJ before Fall 2023.
Students who first enrolled before Fall 2023 follow a previous Undergraduate Bulletin which only specifies CHE 493.
In this bulletin CHE 493 is required to complete the "ACS-Certified BS Chemistry Degree, with research."
Within this bulletin students can earn the "ACS-Certified BS Chemistry Degree" without performing independent research.
By default, students enroll directly in CHE 493 for independent research regardless of degree track. This is no longer the case in the new bulletin which applies to students who enrolled at TCNJ in Fall 2023 or after (see below).
Information relevant to students who enrolled at TCNJ in Fall 2023 or after.
Students who first enrolled in Fall 2023 or after follow the new Undergraduate Bulletin which delineates CHE 393 and CHE 493.
CHE 393 is the default course to begin and continue independent research in the chemistry department regardless of degree track.
Students seeking the "BS Chemistry Degree" track can perform research but only within CHE 393 (1 unit of CHE 393 can be applied to the 300/400 level options requirement).
1 unit of CHE 493 is required to earn an American Chemical Society (ACS) certification, which is the "ACS BS Chemistry Degree" track.
Enrolling in CHE 493 requires completion of 2 units of CHE 393 (1 unit of CHE 393 can be applied to the 300/400 level options requirement).
CHE 493 is the senior capstone requirement which requires submission of a complete technical report on independent research. This is a requirement set forth by the American Chemical Society for independent research capstones.
Expectations and Deliverables:
A student participating in CHE 393/493 is expected to learn the basics of research, develop work independence with minimum supervision, develop expertise and ownership of their project, and take initiative. Research time includes a wide range of activities, such as literature search and review, experimental work, workplace organization and clean up, notebook and other scientific writing, data collection and analysis, individual and group meetings, and other research-appropriate activities as per the oversight of the research advisor. It is expected that students who start CHE 393 will have limited knowledge of these research skills but that over time, will show steady growth and competency. By the time students enroll in CHE 493, they must have demonstrated the potential to conduct research with independence, ideally working with the research advisor as a collaborator rather than a technical assistant.
A student enrolled in CHE 393 will:
Attend and actively participate in research hours. The student is expected to work at least 6 hours/week for 0.5 unit or 12 hours/week for 1 unit.
Demonstrate evidence of experimental skills, planning and execution.
Demonstrate evidence of experimental documentation.
Write the introduction/background and one or more technical sections (methods, results, discussion, and/or future directions) relevant to their project.
Create and present a poster upon completion of each 1 unit of CHE 393.
Attend and actively participate in chemistry department seminars and related school-wide events.
Communicate about their research and research experiences at departmental and school-wide venues.
A student enrolled in CHE 493 will:
Attend and actively participate in research hours. The student is expected to work at least 6 hours/week for 0.5 unit or 12 hours/week for 1 unit.
Demonstrate leadership qualities. Some examples of how this can be accomplished include: completing a group project, mentoring new students, preparing a professional portfolio (resume, personal statement, documentation of accomplishments, technical/career workshop completion), sharing research findings at group meetings, etc.
Demonstrate independence in planning, executing, and analyzing experiments.
Demonstrate independence in documenting experiments.
Write a full thesis report that follows guidelines outlined by ACS or a specific research journal.
Deliver an oral presentation related to the student’s independent research work.
Attend and actively participate in chemistry department seminars, related school-wide events when recommended or required by a student's research advisor, and opportunities to network and meet with outside speakers.
Communicate about their research and research experiences at departmental and school-wide events.