American Chemical Society Certification Concentration
McCausland College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Bulletin Year: 2026-2027

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Semester One (18 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
!	ENGL 101	Critical Reading and Composition (CC-CMW)	3	C
	MATH 141	Calculus 13 (CC-ARP)	4	C		C or better in MATH 112/115/116 or through placement exam
	BIOL 101	Biological Principles I (MR)	3	C
	BIOL 101L	Biological Principles I Lab (MR)	1	C
	CHEM 141	Principles of Chemistry I4 (MR)	3	C		C or higher in MATH 111 or placement into MATH 115 or higher MATH; Prereq or Coreq: C or higher in CHEM 141L
	CHEM 141L	Principles of Chemistry I4 Laboratory (MR)	1	C		C or higher in MATH 111 or placement into MATH 115 or higher MATH; Prereq or Coreq: C or higher in CHEM 141
		Foreign language5 or other Carolina Core Req.6 (CC-GFL)	3

Semester Two (18 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
!	ENGL 102	Rhetoric and Composition (CC-CMW, CC-INF)	3	C		C or better in ENGL 101
	MATH 142	Calculus II (CC-ARP)	4	C		C or better in MATH 141
	BIOL 102	Biological Principles II (MR)	3	C		Coreq: BIOL 102L
	BIOL 102L	Biological Principles II Lab (MR)	1	C		Coreq: BIOL 102
	CHEM 142	Principles of Chemistry II4 (MR)	3	C		C or higher in MATH 115 (or by placement score into MATH 141 or higher); C or higher in CHEM 141 or CHEM 112; Prereq or Coreq: C or higher in CHEM 142L
	CHEM 142L	Principles of Chemistry II Laboratory4 (MR)	1	C		C or higher in MATH 115 (or by placement score into MATH 141 or higher); C or higher in CHEM 141 or CHEM 112; Prereq or Coreq: C or higher in CHEM 142
		Foreign language5 or other Carolina Core Req.6 (CC-GFL)	3

Semester Three (15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	CHEM 333	Organic Chemistry I (MR)	3	C		C or higher in CHEM 112 or 142
	CHEM 331L	Essentials of Org. Chem. Lab I7 (MR)	1	C		C or better in CHEM 112L or CHEM 142L; Prereq or Coreq: C or higher in CHEM 333
	CHEM 322	Analytical Chemistry (MR)	3	C		C or higher in CHEM 112 or CHEM 142; C or higher in MATH 111 or higher (or placement in MATH 115 or higher); Coreq: C or higher in CHEM 332L
	CHEM 322L	Analytical Chemistry Lab (MR)	1	C		C or higher in CHEM 112L or CHEM 142L; Pre/Coreq: C or higher in CHEM 322
	PHYS 211	Essentials of Physics I (CC-SCI)	3	C		C or better in MATH 141; Coreq: PHYS 211L
	PHYS 211L	Essentials of Physics I Lab (CC-SCI)	1	C		Prereq/Coreq: C or better in PHYS 211
		Foreign language5 or Carolina Core Req.6 (CR/CC)	3

Semester Four (15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	BIOL 302	Cell & Molecular Bio. (MR)	3	C		C or better in BIOL 101 & in 102 or MSCI 311 & in CHEM 112 or 142
	BIOL 302L	Cell & Molecular Bio. Lab (MR)	1	C		Prereq/Coreq: BIOL 302
	CHEM 334	Organic Chemistry II (MR)	3	C		C or higher in CHEM 333
	CHEM 332L	Essentials of Org. Chem. Lab II7 (MR)	1	C		C or higher in CHEM 331L; Coreq: CHEM 334
	PHYS 212	Essentials of Physics II (CC-SCI)	3	C		C or better in PHYS 211 & MATH 142; Coreq: PHYS 212L
	PHYS 212L	Essentials of Physics II Lab (CC-SCI)	1	C		Prereq/Coreq: C or better in PHYS 212
	MATH 241	Vector Calculus (PR)	3	C		C or better in MATH 142

Semester Five (15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	CHEM 555	Biochem./Molecular Biol. I (cross-listed BIOL 545) (MR)	3	C		C or higher in CHEM 334
	CHEM 550L	Biochem. Lab (cross-listed: BIOL 541L) (MR)	1	C		Prereq/Coreq: C or higher in CHEM 550 or BIOL 541 or CHEM 555 or BIOL 545
	CHEM 541	Physical Chemistry I: Thermodynamics & Kinetics (MR)	3	C		C or higher in CHEM 112 or CHEM 142; C or higher in MATH 241 or department permission; Prereq or Coreq: C or higher in PHYS 212
	CHEM 541L	Physical Chemistry Laboratory I: Thermodynamics & Kinetics (MR, CC-INT)	2	C		C or higher in CHEM 321L or 322L, or departmental permission; Prereq or Coreq: CHEM 541
	BIOL 303	Fundamental Genetics (MR)	3	C		C or better in BIOL 101 & 102 or in MSCI 311
		History8(CR)	3

Semester Six (18 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	CHEM 545	Physical Biochemistry (MR)	3	C		C or higher in CHEM 541 & in 550 or 555
	CHEM 556	Biochem./Molecular Biol. II (cross-listed: BIOL 546) (MR)	3	C		C or higher in BIOL 302
	STAT 201	Elementary Statistics9 (CR)	3			C or better in MATH 111 or higher or in STAT 110 or 112; or through placement exam
	CHEM 496, 497, 498, or 499	Ugrad. Research10 (MR)	3	C
		Social Science (CR)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement6 (CC)	3

Semester Seven (16 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	BIOL 550	Bacteriology (MR)	3	C		BIOL 302 or MSCI 311; Coreq: BIOL 550L
	BIOL 550L	Bacteriology Lab (MR)	1	C		Coreq: BIOL 550
	CHEM 496, 497, 498, or 499	Ugrad. Research10 (MR)	3	C
	CHEM 511	Inorganic Chemistry (MR)	3	C		C or higher in CHEM 334, PHYS 212, & MATH 241
		Humanities or Fine Arts (CR)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement6 (CC)	3

Semester Eight (13 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	CHEM 621	Instrumental Analysis (MR)	3	C	MR	C or higher in CHEM 321 or 322
	CHEM 621L	Instrumental Analysis Lab (MR)	1	C	MR	Coreq: CHEM 621
	CSCE 102	Web Design & Development using AI Tools (CR)	3
		Carolina Core Req.6 or Elective11 (CC/PR)	3
		Carolina Core Req.6 or Elective11 (CC/PR)	3

Graduation Requirements Summary

Minimum Total Hours	Minimum Major Requirements Hours	College and Program Requirements Hours	Carolina Core Hours	Minimum Institutional GPA
128	67	18-27	34-43	2.000

1. Regardless of individual course grades, students must maintain a minimum 2.000 cumulative GPA.
2. Some colleges require a minimum GPA for major courses. Courses indicated in this column are included in the major GPA for this program of study.
3. Students who do not place into MATH 141 will be required to successfully complete MATH 115 before taking MATH 141.
4. CHEM 111 and 111L may be taken in place of CHEM 141 and 141L, and CHEM 112 and 112L may be taken in place of CHEM 142 and 142L.
5. Students in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences are required to demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the 122 course through course credit or the corresponding foreign language placement score.
6. The Carolina Core provides the common core of knowledge, skill and academic experience for all Carolina undergraduate students.
7. CHEM 333L and CHEM 334L are also accepted in place of CHEM 331L and CHEM 332L, respectively.
8. The McCausland College of Arts and Sciences requires one U.S. History and one non-U.S. History course, both of which must be chosen from the approved Carolina Core GHS courses. Whichever is not fulfilled through the Carolina Core GHS requirement must be fulfilled through this college requirement.
9. If CHEM 111, 112, 322, and 322L are all completed at USC, STAT 201 is not required. Also, if CHEM 621 and 621L are completed, STAT 201 is not required. Students who exempt STAT 201 through this process will be required to take an approved elective to reach minimum hours for graduation.
10. Students are encouraged to start undergraduate research as early as possible to allow for participation in long-term projects. No more than 3 hours of research (BIOL 399 or CHEM 496) can be used to satisfy the elective requirement. Extramural Research opportunities, such as REU's may qualify for CHEM 496 credit; however, a request form must be submitted and preapproved by the Department of Chemistry.
11. The Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Major requires electives only if needed to meet 128 credit hours. No courses of a remedial, developmental, skill-acquiring, or vocational nature may apply as credit toward degrees in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences. The McCausland College of Arts and Sciences allows the use of the Pass-Fail option on elective courses. Further clarification on inapplicable courses can be obtained from the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences.

Program Notes

• ENGL 101 and ENGL 102 must be completed in the student's first 60 semester hours of work in order for these courses to be credited toward graduation.
• All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade that covers the founding documents. This course may fulfill any requirement in the program of study. Courses that meet this requirement are listed in the academic bulletin.
• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology majors may enroll in a biology or chemistry course a maximum of twice to earn the required grade of C or higher.
• A Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major must receive a grade of C or higher in any major, college, or program requirement course in order for it to serve as the required prerequisite for any higher-level course.
• The last 30 credit hours toward your degree must be earned in residence at the University of South Carolina-Columbia.

Code Definitions

University Requirements: Bachelor’s degree-seeking students must meet Carolina Core (general education) requirements.

Code	Definition
CC	Carolina Core
CC-AIU	Carolina Core – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding
CC-ARP	Carolina Core – Analytical Reasoning and Problem-Solving
CC-CMS	Carolina Core – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component
CC-CMW	Carolina Core – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written Component
CC-GFL	Carolina Core – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language
CC-GHS	Carolina Core – Historical Thinking
CC-GSS	Carolina Core – Social Sciences
CC-INF	Carolina Core – Information Literacy
CC-INT	Carolina Core – Integrative Course
CC-SCI	Carolina Core – Scientific Literacy
CC-VSR	Carolina Core – Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility
CR	College Requirement
MR	Major Requirement
PR	Program Requirement