McCausland College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Bulletin Year: 2026-2027

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Semester One (17 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 or better in Math 112/115/116 or through placement exam
	CHEM 141	Principles of Chemistry I4 (PR)	3			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 I Laboratory4 (PR)	1			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 Core6 (CC-GFL)	3
	UNIV 101	The Student in the University or Carolina Core Requirement6 (PR/CC)	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 or better in MATH 141
!	CHEM 142	Principles of Chemistry II (PR)4	3			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 Laboratory (PR)4	1			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
	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 or Coreq: C or better in PHYS 211
		Foreign Language5 or other Carolina Core6 (CC-GFL)	3

Semester Three (15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	MATH 241	Vector Calculus7 (PR)	3			C or better in MATH 142
	CHEM 333	Organic Chemistry I (MR)	3	C		C or higher in CHEM 112 or 142
	CHEM 333L	Comprehensive Org. Chem. Lab I (MR)	2	C		C or better in CHEM 112L or CHEM 142L; Pre/Coreq: C or higher in CHEM 333
	PHYS 212	Essentials of Physics II7 (CC-SCI)	3	C		C or better in PHYS 211 & MATH 142; Coreq: PHYS 212L
	PHYS 212L	Essentials of Physics II Lab7 (CC-SCI)	1	C		Prereq/Coreq: C or better in PHYS 212
		Foreign Language5 or Carolina Core Req.6 (CR/CC)	3

Semester Four (18 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	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
	CHEM 334	Organic Chemistry II (MR)	3	C		C or better in CHEM 333
	CHEM 334L	Comprehensive Org. Chem. Lab II (MR)	2	C		C or higher in CHEM 333L; Coreq: CHEM 334
		MATH course above MATH 241 (242 recomm.) (PR)7	3			See bulletin listing
		History8 (CR)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement (CC)	3

Semester Five (14-17 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	CHEM 550	Biochemistry (cross-listed: BIOL 541) or CHEM 555 Bioch/Mol. Bio. I (cross-listed: BIOL 545) (MR)	3	C		C or higher in CHEM 334
	CHEM 541 or CHEM 542	Physical Chemistry (MR)	3	C		See Bulletin listing
	CHEM 541Lor CHEM 542L	Physical Chemistry Lab (MR, CC-INT)	2	C		See Bulletin listing
	STAT 509 or STAT 515	Statistics for Engineers or Statistical Methods I7&9 (CR)	0-3			MATH 142 (STAT 509); C or better in MATH 112/115/122 or 141; or both C or better in STAT 110 or higher and in MATH 111; or through placement exam  (STAT 515)
		Cognate or Minor Course7 or Elective (PR)10	3	C (minor)
		Humanities or Fine Arts (CR)	3

Semester Six (15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	CHEM 621	Instrumental Analysis (MR)	3	C		C or higher in CHEM 321 or 322
	CHEM 621L	Instrumental Analysis Lab (MR)	1	C		Coreq: CHEM 621
	CHEM 541 or CHEM 542	Physical Chemistry (MR)	3	C		See Bulletin listing
	CHEM 541L or CHEM 542L	Physical Chem. Lab (MR, CC-INT)	2	C		See Bulletin listing
		Cognate or Minor Course7 or Elective (PR)10	3	C (minor)
		Carolina Core Requirement6 (CC)	3

Semester Seven (12-15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	CHEM 511	Inorganic Chemistry (MR)	3	C		C or higher in CHEM 334, PHYS 212, & MATH 241
		Cognate or Minor Course7 or Elective (PR)10	3	C (minor)
		Cognate or Minor Course7 or Elective (PR)10	3	C (minor)
		Social Science (CR)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement6 (only if needed) (CC)	0-3

Semester Eight (12-16 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	CHEM 496-499	Undergraduate Research11 (MR)	3	C		Independent Study Contract Required
		Minor Course7 or Elective10 (PR)	3	C (minor)
		Minor Course7 or Elective10 (PR)	3	C (minor)
	CSCE 106 or CSCE 145	Scientific Applications Programming or Algorithmic Design I (CR)	3-4			C or better in MATH 111 or higher (or by placement exam into MATH 115 or higher) (CSCE 106); Prereq or Coreq: MATH 111 or 115 (CSCE 145)
		Carolina Core Requirement (only if needed) (CC)6	0-3

Graduation Requirements Summary

Minimum Total Hours	Minimum Major Requirements Hours	College and Program Requirements Hours	Carolina Core Hours	Minimum Institutional GPA
120	37	44-50	34-40	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 112, 115, or 116 before taking MATH 141.
4. CHEM 111 and CHEM 111L may be taken in place of CHEM 141 and 141L, and CHEM 112 and CHEM 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. The cognate is intended to support the course work in the major. The cognate must consist of twelve hours of courses at the advanced level, outside of, but related to the major. In place of a cognate, a student may choose a minor consisting of at least 18 credit hours of courses concentrated in one area that follow a structured sequence. All minor courses must be passed with a grade of C or higher. For B.S. degrees, grades of D are acceptable for completion of the cognate requirement, except where restricted by the major program. A second major eliminates the minor/cognate requirement. Students may use MATH 241 & higher math, STAT 509/515, and PHYS 212 and 212L to fulfill the cognate requirement, but would need to complete additional electives to meet hours to graduate.
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 141, 142, 322, and 322L are all completed at USC, STAT 509 or 515 is not required. Also, if CHEM 621 and 621L are completed, STAT 509 or 515 is not required. Students who exempt STAT 509 or 515 through this process will be required to take an approved elective to reach minimum hours for graduation.
10. 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.
11. Students are encouraged to start undergraduate research as early as possible to allow participation in long-term projects. Three credits of undergraduate research are required, but additional research experience is recommended. Extramural Research opportunities, such as REU's may qualify for CHEM 496-499 credit; however, a request form must be submitted and preapproved by the Department of Chemistry. If the undergraduate research is not in an approved area of biochemistry or inorganic chemistry, CHEM 550L - Biochemistry Laboratory must also be taken.

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. CHEM 142 is a prerequisite for subsequent required courses and may delay progression if not taken in a timely manner.
• 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.
• The course requirements for the B.S.C. in Chemistry degree automatically meet qualifications for ACS certification.
• CHEM 401 Industrial Chemistry Capstone Experience is a recommended elective that prepares students for future roles in chemistry.
• Chemistry majors may enroll in a chemistry course a maximum of twice to earn the required grade of C or higher.
• A Chemistry major must receive a grade of C or higher in any chemistry course in order for it to be used to satisfy a major requirement.
• 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