The first-year chemistry program serves about 2600 undergraduate student per year in three courses that are required for numerous degree programs on campus.  They also can fill the Core D (Natural Science, Math, and Technology) requirements for some majors, or they may be required for admission to graduate and professional school programs.  

All of our courses are taught in a "coordinated" fashion such that students in different sections have access to the same lecture and recitation materials, take the same exams, are subject to the same policies, and have course letter grades assigned using the same grading scales at the end of the term. 

The first-year chemistry program philosophy is built on the notion that students need to be taught more than just introductory chemistry. Our goal is for students to leave the program with a strong set of study skills on which they can build exemplary metacognitive skills and excellent understanding of chemical concepts.

CHEM 1211K is the first of a two-semester sequence of courses taken by students who must take at least one semester of organic chemistry. Students majoring in chemistry, biochemistry, biology, chemical and biomolecular engineering, and biomedical engineering are the primary customers along with students in other majors who also have a pre-health interest. The largest enrollment of this course is in the fall semester, and a much smaller section is taught each spring. The course is not offered in the summer.  There are no prerequisites for this course.

CHEM 1211K topics include: molecules, moles and chemical equations, atomic structure, molecular shape and bonding (including MO theory), enthalpy, physical equilibria, and nuclear chemistry to name a few.  These topics are covered both mathematically and conceptually.  The example syllabus contains more detail on learning objectives and course content.

CHEM 1212K is the second-semester course in the sequence, and it is taken by he same cohort of students that take CHEM 1211K. The largest enrollment of this course is in the spring semester.  Prerequisites:  CHEM 1211K or CHEM 1310.  Please note that we encourage CHEM 1310 to be used as the prerequisite only in cases of change of major, and we suggest that students spend time exploring molecular orbital theory on their own prior to the coverage of transition elements and coordination compounds in CHEM 1212K if CHEM 1310 is used.

CHEM 1212K topics include: chemical equilibrium, acids and bases, electrochemistry, kinetics, entropy and free energy, main group chemistry, descriptive inorganic chemistry, and transition metal chemistry (including Crystal field theory). These topics are covered in great conceptual detail. The example syllabus contains more detail on learning objectives and course content.

CHEM 1310 is a one-semester survey of general chemistry that is taken by students who require no further chemistry courses. Students majoring in mechanical engineering, civil engineering, aerospace engineering, etc. dominate the enrollment; however, some students from the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts take it to fulfill their lab science requirements. Physics and mathematics majors also frequently take the course. This is the largest of our three courses, and it is offered every fall, spring, and summer. There are no prerequisites for this course.

CHEM 1310 covers a variety of chemistry topics including: molecules, moles and chemical equations, atomic structure, chemical bonding, enthalpy, entropy and spontaneity, kinetics, equilibrium and electrochemistry to name a few.  These topics are covered both mathematically and conceptually.  The example syllabus contains more detail on learning objectives and course content.

All of our courses are lab/lecture combined, and this means that the grade students earn in lab is incorporated into an overall, four-credit course grade.