Engineering student

The department of Chemistry provides a minor program for the student who is pursuing a degree in another subject but still wants to obtain understanding of Chemistry fundamentals and concepts. Minoring in Chemistry can be particularly useful for students interested in entering the fields of medicine, biology, business, environmental science, and chemical engineering. The UVM department of Chemistry offers two minor pathways, which you can choose from depending on your academic and career goals. 

Choosing a track

Pathway #1 (used by 95%+ of students seeking a minor in Chemistry):

Two semesters of general chemistry — CHEM 1400 (or CHEM 1405) & CHEM 1450 (or CHEM 1455)

Two semesters of organic chemistry — CHEM 2580 & CHEM 2585 

One speciality course in chemistry:

  • Analytical – CHEM 2310
  • Inorganic – CHEM 2400
  • Physical – CHEM 2600

Note: CHEM 205 Biochemistry 1 is not an allowed option for the minor

Pathway #2:

Two semesters of physical chemistry (CHEM 2600 & CHEM 3600)

Organic chemistry, either:

  • CHEM 1580 Intro Organic Chemistry
  • CHEM 2580 Organic Chemistry 1

There are several prerequisite courses for this track:


For CHEM 2600:

  • Two semesters of general chemistry: CHEM 1400 & CHEM 1450 (or CHEM 1405 & CHEM 1455, or CHEM 1410 & CHEM 1460)
  • One semester of physics: PHYS 1500 or PHYS 1600
  • Two semesters of calculus: MATH 1212 & (MATH 1224 or MATH 1242) OR MATH 1234 & MATH 1248


For CHEM 3600:

  • CHEM 2600 (prereq) plus (as a pre-/co-requisite) either CHEM 3602 or MATH 2248

 

Ineligible Majors:

You may not declare a chemistry minor IF your major is:

  • Any Chemistry major
  • A Biochemistry major
  • An Environmental Science major with a Chemistry focus track

Why do most students choose path #1?

Many UVM students routinely take our 4 semester introductory sequence of chemistry (CHEM 031, 032, 141, & 142) to satisfy a variety of degree requirements, either at the undergraduate level or as a requirement for a postgraduate degree program:

  • Undergraduate life science majors (e.g. Biology, Zoology, Microbiology or Molecular Genetics)
  • All professional postgraduate medical degree programs (e.g. M.D., D.D.S., D.V.M., O.D., ...)
  • Postgraduate biomedical degree programs where a Ph.D. is sought (e.g. Cell & Molecular Biology programs)

Once the 4 semester introductory sequence of chemistry courses have been completed, only one more course in chemistry is required for completion of a minor.