Department of Chemistry

Admissions & Placement

Placement Guidelines

Below is a chart that provides placement recommendations based on high school background, math SAT score, and your score on the chemistry AP examination or its equivalent (if taken). Once you have determined your recommended course, click on that course link for details concerning that course such as catalog description, registration information for both lectures and labs, option to drop to a lower level if you encounter difficulty, and requirements that the course fulfills such as general education, major, minor, and medical school admissions.

High School Chem	Math SAT	Chem AP Score	Entrance Credit	Placement Recommendation
<1 year and/or ≤630M		None	None	Chem 20D
1 year	>630	None or <4	None	Chem 31L and its lab, Chem 31L9 (available fall, spring and summer).
> 1 year	>630	4	Chem 18	Chem 43L and its lab, Chem 43L9 (available fall only); OR Chem 31L and its lab, Chem 31L9 (available fall, spring and summer). Students considering Health Professions see cautionary note about starting at Chem 31L below.*
> 1 year	>630	5	Chem 19	If starting chemistry fall semester: Chem 151L.002 (special section of organic chemistry for first-year students only, available fall only) and its lab, Chem 151L9; OR Chem 43L and its lab, Chem 43L9 (available fall only).
				If starting chemistry spring semester: Chem 151L and its lab, Chem 151L9 (available fall, spring and summer), OR Chem 31L and its lab, Chem 31L9 (available fall, spring and summer). Students considering Health Professions see cautionary note about starting at Chem 31L below.*

*The Office of Health Professions Advising strongly recommends that students who begin at Chemistry 31L also take Chemistry 32L, which results in the loss of entrance AP credit for either Chem 18 or 19.

Students needing assistance in selecting a chemistry course should contact DUS.

Course Information

Course
Chem 18	Chemistry 18. General Chemistry Credit. Pre-matriculation credit awarded for a score of 4 on the College Board AP chemistry examination (or the equivalent). Recommended placement is Chemistry 43L, but a student may choose to take Chemistry 31L without loss of credit. Students considering Health Professions see cautionary note about starting at Chem 31L below.*
Chem 19	Chemistry 19. General Chemistry Credit. Pre-matriculation credit awarded for a score of 5 on the College Board AP chemistry examination (or the equivalent). Recommended placement is Chemistry 151L, but a student may choose to take Chemistry 43L (or, in some cases, Chem 31L) without loss of credit. However, students considering Health Professions see cautionary note about starting at Chem 31L below.*

*The Office of Health Professions Advising strongly recommends that students who begin at Chemistry 31L also take Chemistry 32L, which results in the loss of entrance AP credit for either Chem 18 or 19.

Chem 20D	Catalog description: Chemistry 20D. NS. Introduction to Chemistry and Chemical Problem Solving. Introductory course for students with limited background in chemistry emphasizing chemical problem solving. Topics include atoms, molecules, ions, compounds, and the periodic table, stoichiometry and chemical reactions, reactions in solution, and an introduction to chemical bonding, thermochemistry, and gas laws. To be followed by Chemistry 31L. Not open to students who have credit for Chemistry 18, 19 or 31L. (1 cc)
	Semesters taught: Fall only
	Registration: register for a recitation section found in ACES under Chem 20D and numbered either 11D or 21D. ACES then automatically enrolls you in that recitation section AND the corresponding lecture section, Chem 20D.001.
	General Information: Chem 20 D counts as one course toward NS area of knowledge, but does NOT fulfill any requirements for a chemistry major, a chemistry minor, medical school admissions, or the general chemistry requirement for engineers.
	Next course: Chem 31L
	Placement: Guidelines

Chem 31L	Catalog description: Core Concepts in Chemistry. NS. Emphasizes core concepts required for organic chemistry, including atomic and molecular structure, chemical equilibrium with applications to acids and bases, thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, and reaction mechanisms. Relevance and integrated nature of these concepts illustrated through applications to a modern theme in chemistry, e.g. in biological, materials, or environmental chemistry. Laboratory illustrates experimental applications of these core concepts. 1 cc
	Semesters taught: Fall, spring, summer term 1
	Registration: First register for a recitation section found in ACES under Chem 31L and numbered between 11R and 83R. ACES then automatically enrolls you in that recitation section AND the corresponding lecture section: Chem 31L.001 or 31L.002. Second, you now need to register SEPARATELY for any lab section found under Chem 31L9 in ACES.
	Change in course level: A first-year student experiencing difficulty in Chem 31L may drop back to Chem 20D for an additional 2-3 weeks following the end of regular Drop/Add provided his/her schedule can accommodate the change without impacting the scheduling of the rest of his/her courses. This change in course level results in the loss of entrance credit for Chem 18 or 19.
	General information: This course counts as one course toward NS area of knowledge, one course toward a chemistry major or a chemistry minor, and as one (of two) "general chemistry courses with laboratory" required for medical school admissions.
	Next course: Chem 151L or Chem 32L.
	Placement: Guidelines

Chem 43L	Catalog description: Chemistry 43L. Honors Chemistry: Core Concepts in Context. Emphasizes core concepts required for organic chemistry, including atomic and molecular structure, chemical equilibrium with applications to acids and bases, thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, and reaction mechanisms. Strong emphasis on applications of these concepts in context of large, interdisciplinary scientific challenge, e.g. in cancer biology or nanoscience. Laboratory illustrates experimental applications of these core concepts. Students may not receive credit for both Chemistry 31L and 43L.
	Semesters taught: Fall only
	Registration: First register for a recitation section found in ACES under Chem 43L and numbered between 11R and 44R. ACES then automatically enrolls you in that recitation section AND in the corresponding lecture section: Chem 43L.001. Second, you now need to register SEPARATELY for any lab section found under Chem 43L9 in ACES.
	Change in course level : A first-year student experiencing difficulty in Chem 43L may drop back to Chem 31L for an additional 2-3 weeks following the end of regular Drop/Add provided his/her schedule can accommodate the change without impacting the scheduling of the rest of his/her courses. This change in course level does NOT result in the loss of entrance credit for Chem 18 or 19. However, students considering Health Professions see cautionary note about Chem 31L below.*
	General information: This course counts as one course toward NS area of knowledge, one course toward a chemistry major or a chemistry minor, and as one (of two) "general chemistry courses with laboratory" required for medical school admissions.
	Next course: Chem 151L or Chem 32L.
	Placement: Guidelines

*The Office of Health Professions Advising strongly recommends that students who begin at Chemistry 31L also take Chemistry 32L, which results in the loss of entrance AP credit for either Chem 18 or 19.

Chem 151L	Catalog description: Organic Chemistry. NS, STS. The structures and reactions of the compounds of carbon and the impact of selected organic compounds on society. Laboratory: techniques of separation, organic reactions and preparations, and systematic identification of compounds by their spectral and chemical properties. Prerequisite: Chem 31L, 43L, or 19. 1 course.
	Semesters taught: Fall, spring, summer term 1
	Registration: First select a recitation section found in ACES under Chem 151L.002: 21R-24R. Following selection of a recitation section, ACES will automatically enrolls you in that recitation section AND the lecture section, Chem 151L.002. To complete your registration, you now need to register SEPARATELY for a lab section found under Chem 151L9 in ACES.
	Change in course level: A first-year student experiencing difficulty in Chem 151L may drop back to Chem 43L (fall) or Chem 31L (spring) for an additional 2-3 weeks following the end of regular Drop/Add provided his/her schedule can accommodate the change without impacting the scheduling of the rest of his/her courses. This change in course level does NOT result in the loss of entrance credit for Chem 18 or 19. Students considering Health Professions see cautionary note about Chem 31L below.*
	General information: This course counts as one course toward NS area of knowledge, one course toward STS mode of inquiry requirement, one course toward a chemistry major or a chemistry minor, and as one (of two) "organic chemistry courses with laboratory" required for medical school admissions.
	Next course: Chem 152L or Chem 32L.
	Placement: Guidelines

*The Office of Health Professions Advising strongly recommends that students who begin at Chemistry 31L also take Chemistry 32L, which results in the loss of entrance AP credit for either Chem 18 or 19.

Chem 32L	Modern Applications of Chemical Principles. NS. Modern applications of chemistry in context of larger scientific theme, e.g. in biology, materials science, or environmental chemistry. Revisits core concepts from CHEM 31L or 43L, incorporating additional topics including intermolecular interactions, phases of matter, solutions, quantitative treatment of aqueous equilibria, electron transfer reactions, and inorganic and coordination chemistry. Laboratory illustrates experimental approaches to modern problems in biological, materials, and environmental chemistry, as well as analytical and synthetic techniques. Prerequisite: Chemistry 19, 31, or 43L. 1 course.
	Semesters taught: Fall, spring and summer.
	Registration: This course is not open to first year students in fall semester.
	Change in course level: This course is not open to first year students in fall semester.
	General information: This course will count as one course toward NS area of knowledge, one course toward a chemistry major or a chemistry minor, and as one (of two) "general chemistry courses with laboratory" required for medical school admissions. Students completing both Chem 31L and 32L or both Chem 43L and 32L forfeit entrance credit for Chem 18 or 19.
	Next course: Chem 151L or Chem 152L or Chem 161 or Chem 165.