Undergraduate Program
The Department of Chemistry has a strong and active undergraduate program leading to
the B.A., B.S., and minor in chemistry. The B.A. program is designed for students
interested in pursuing chemistry related careers such as medicine, teaching,
environmental science, and marine science. The B.S. program is designed for students
planning to go on to graduate school or to pursue careers in the chemical industry. The
minor in chemistry is designed to strengthen the chemistry background of students
seeking degrees in other disciplines. The B.S. degree is certified by the Committee on
Professional Training (CPT) of the American Chemical Society (ACS). The B.S.
program undergoes a minor review each year by the CPT and a major on-site review
every five years. Enrollment figures for both programs over the past five years are shown
in the following table.
Year
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
Total
Chemistry Enrollments, Majors, and Graduates: 1996-2000
Head Count
Majors Graduates Graduates Minority
Enrollments
(BA/BS)
(M/F)
Graduates
5194
124
19 (10/9)
12/7
0
5243
152
27 (14/13)
17/10
2
4893
136
33 (15/18)
13/20
0
4099
124
31 (13/18)
18/13
2
3293*
121
30 (13/17)
12/18
3
22,722
657
140 (65/75)
72/68
7
*Note: this decrease is primarily the result of combining lecture and lab for CHM-101
and CHM-102. Lecture and lab were previously counted as separate enrollments.
Both the B.A. and B.S. degree programs offered by the department require a core set of
courses that includes: General Chemistry (lecture and lab), Organic Chemistry (lecture
and lab), Computer Applications and Chemical Literature, Quantitative Analysis (lecture
and lab), Advanced Techniques of Organic Chemistry (lecture and lab), Physical
Chemistry (lecture and lab), Inorganic Chemistry, Senior Seminar, Calculus, Physics, and
Biology. The core of the B.S. program also requires the following: a second semester of
Physical Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry (lecture and lab), Inorganic Synthesis (lab),
Multivariate Calculus, and Differential Equations. The B.A. program requires seven
hours of additional coursework at the 300/400-level beyond the core. The B.S. program
requires two 400-level courses beyond the core. The total number of credit ours required
by the department for the B.A. degree is 63. The B.S. degree requires 78 credit hours.
The minor in chemistry requires a minimum of 22 credit hours in chemistry. There are
two core options for students seeking a minor. They are: a) General Chemistry 101/102
(lecture and lab) and Organic Chemistry 211/212 (lecture and lab) and b) General
Chemistry 101/102 (lecture and lab), Organic Chemistry 211 (lecture and lab) and
Quantitative Analysis 235 (lecture and lab). Both core options require an additional six
credit hours in chemistry at the 300/400-level to complete the minor. Over the past five
years, the department has had 259 students receive a minor in chemistry. Of those
receiving a minor in chemistry, 96 were male and 163 were female. Currently, the
department has 70 students seeking a minor in chemistry.
An analysis of chemistry majors by class standing is shown in the following table. These
data make it clear that the vast majority of students decide to become chemistry majors
after their freshman year. These figures also reflect the relatively large number of
students who transfer to UNCW from North Carolina community colleges, with junior
class standing, with plans to major in chemistry.
Chemistry Majors by Class, Race, and Residency: 1996-2000
Year Majors Fr. So. Jr. Sr. Minority
Out of
%
State %
1996
124
9
23 41 51
4.0
8.9
1997
152
10 28 48 66
5.9
10.5
1998
136
2
35 38 61
7.4
12.5
1999
124
0
27 38 59
8.9
11.3
2000
121
1
29 35 56
8.3
9.1
Total
657
22 142 200 293
6.9
10.5
Minority enrollments and out-of-state enrollments in chemistry are representative of
enrollment figures for these groups throughout the rest of the university. The Department
of Chemistry ranks seventh out of 18 departments in the UNCW College of Arts and
Sciences with respect to number of majors.
General Chemistry 101/102 and Chemistry in Everyday Life 103 are included in the
university’s Basic Studies curriculum as physical science laboratory courses. General
Chemistry 101/102 is a required course for all students majoring in biology, geology,
marine biology, and physics. General Chemistry 101 is a required course for pre-Nursing
students. Majors in marine biology are required to take Organic Chemistry 211/212.
These service courses account for nearly 72% of all students enrolled each year in
courses offered by the department.
Once students declare chemistry as a major, they are assigned an advisor in the
Department of Chemistry. Only full-time permanent faculty members serve as advisors
and each advisor has approximately 6 advisees. Whenever possible, student interests are
matched with faculty interests for advising purposes. For example, students interested in
attending pharmacy school are assigned to an advisor who has special knowledge of
pharmacy school admissions requirements and procedures.
Approximately 21% of all chemistry graduates go on to attend graduate school during
their first semester following graduation. Based on reports from graduate school
admissions personnel and graduate faculty at other institutions, UNCW chemistry
students do very well in graduate school. Their success has led many graduate programs
to specifically target UNCW seniors for recruiting. Alumni surveys and personal
interviews indicate that UNCW chemistry graduates are especially well prepared for
graduate school as well as the workforce.