First-year Chemistry Courses

Chemistry courses taken at other institutions may transfer to Georgia Tech in the event that the course material and modality correspond sufficiently with our courses. The transfer equivalency table lists courses that have been evaluated previously and deemed by policy to be equivalent to Georgia Tech courses. Consult this table before taking a course at another institution with the intention of transferring the credit to Georgia Tech. You should also familiarize yourself with the policies of the Institute regarding transfer credit.

Courses that are missing from the table and those that have the "Approp. Dept. Must Evaluate" status are evaluated by faculty in the School. To submit a course for evaluation, upload syllabi for lecture and laboratory for the most recent semester possible to transfercredit.gatech.edu. Online and kit-based laboratory courses are not considered equivalent to any First-year Chemistry course at Georgia Tech—labs must be taken in person. Courses with substantial coverage of introductory chemistry topics that are inequivalent to courses at Georgia Tech can transfer as an appropriate number of credit hours of CHEM 1XXX. However, CHEM 1XXX cannot be used to satisfy Lab Science requirements for the purposes of admission and degree progress.

We do not offer any credit-granting equivalency exams or advanced standing exams.

At a minimum, courses equivalent to CHEM 1211K must cover the following topics.

  • Representations of atoms and ions; chemical formulas
  • Fundamentals of chemical reactions and aqeuous solutions
  • Stoichiometry
  • Thermochemistry
  • Gases
  • Atomic structure; quantum model of the atom
  • Representations of molecular structure

At a minimum, courses equivalent to CHEM 1212K must cover the following topics.

  • Chemical kinetics
  • Chemical equilibrium
  • Chemical thermodynamics; entropy and free energy (this may be covered in the first-semester course)
  • Acids and bases; acid-base equilibria
  • Aqueous equilibria including buffers, titrations, and solubility equilibria
  • Electrochemistry
  • Coordination chemistry or nuclear chemistry

At a minimum, courses equivalent to CHEM 1310 must cover the following topics.

  • Representations of atoms and ions; chemical formulas
  • Fundamentals of chemical reactions and aqeuous solutions
  • Stoichiometry
  • Thermochemistry and chemical thermodynamics
  • Gases
  • Atomic structure; quantum model of the atom
  • Representations of molecular structure
  • Chemical kinetics
  • Chemical equilibrium
  • Electrochemistry

Syllabi for introductory chemistry courses are reviewed by the Director of First-year Chemistry, Dr. Michael Evans. Contact him with questions regarding transfer credit for 1000-level chemistry courses.

Upper-level Courses

Upper-level chemistry courses (CHEM 1315 – CHEM 4XXX) taken at other institutions may transfer to Georgia Tech if the course content and instructional modality are determined to be equivalent to the corresponding Georgia Tech CHEM course. The Transfer Equivalency Table lists courses that have already been approved for transfer credit. Courses that are not listed in the table, as well as courses with an “Approp. Dept. Must Evaluate” status, must be specifically evaluated by the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
To submit a course for evaluation, you will need to provide a syllabus and documents that include:
  • a specific list of topics covered
  • a detailed schedule of lectures or class meetings
  • the number of credit hours
  • the textbook or other primary course materials
  • a specific list of experiments for laboratory courses
Please note that lecture materials or exams do not substitute for a specific list of course topics and a detailed course schedule.