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Frequently asked questions for chemistry minor

Frequently asked questions for chemistry minor

Once you have officially declared the chemistry minor on your academic program, there will be a section in MyDegrees showing which specific course requirements you have met and which are unfilled. If you believe some transfer chemistry courses have not be applied correctly to your chemistry minor, e-mail your student id number to Dr. Christine Pastorek (christine.pastorek@oregonstate.edu) with a description of the specific issues. Identify the specific courses including course numbers and the original institution you took the chemistry courses.

Absolutely if the grades are C or better. The coursework may appear on the transcript as various combinations of CH 331, CH 332, CH 337 (sometimes CH 337 does not show up specifically), and unspecified LDT credit. The number of upper credits granted can be no more than the number of credits transferred but for the minor will not exceed 12 which is the number of credits earned at OSU for the CH 331, 332, & 337 sequence. Only for the purposes of the chemistry minor, the complete organic sequence at an Oregon community college will be considered to be "upper division" and equivalent to taking CH 331, 332, and CH 337. The ACS exam is not required. Also, see Organic Chemistry Transfer Policy.

No. In the College of Science, all courses for a minor must be taken with the normal grading system.

Yes, this is an exception to the rule because the student has no choice about taking the course for a grade and the AP credit is a clear indication of a high level of performance. The rule applies when a student has the option of taking the credit for a grade or S/U.

No. All courses must be ones taught by the chemistry department (CH designation).

All courses must be taken for a grade (not S/U) and passed (grade of D- or higher). The minimum acceptable GPA for all chemistry courses is a 2.0. For example, a student might have C's in most CH courses, a D in CH 332, and a B in CH 331. The 4 credits of D and B cancel out to a C so the overall GPA is 2.0, the minimum necessary to meet the minor requirements. The "official" grade point is the OSU grade point in chemistry courses (all CH courses taken). For transfer students where some of the CH courses used to fulfill the minor are transferred, both the OSU CH GPA and the overall CH GPA (GPA for transfer and OSU chemistry courses) must be 2.0 or greater.

No. These two lab courses are considered organic chemistry courses just as CH 337.

I'm asking because I got a C- in CHEM 440 and I want to know if I can still get the minor. See question 5 above. The course with the C- will count toward the minor if the combined grade point for all chemistry courses is 2.0 or greater.

No, this course is specifically excluded in the minor policy. If you took this course Fall of 1997 or before, you will be allowed to count this course for the minor.

Usually no. If the course includes three lectures a week and two 3-hr labs a week then it will be evaluated on a case by case basis. In general the "upper division lab course" must be a course where the primary component is a chemistry laboratory and time in the lab is equivalent to a minimum of 6 hours a week for 10 weeks.

These are considered organic chemistry courses and also count as a laboratory course. Taking the CH 334-336 sequence plus CH 361 does not satisfy the upper division requirement because all the courses are primarily concerned with the area of organic chemistry. Another upper division chemistry course outside of organic chemistry is desired.

Yes, Bioanalytical Chemistry does count as an upper division analytical chemistry course, but it is not considered as a "lab course". If the other three upper-division courses include one lab course such as CH 337 or CH 324, then CH 424 works for the minor. Currently, there are no plans to teach this course during the 2003-2004 academic year and possibly after that.

No, you need one more course because all your upper division chemistry courses are in organic chemistry and one of your courses must be in another area of chemistry such as analytical, inorganic, or physical chemistry.

From the point of view of chemistry, the minor is based only on the CH courses you take and is independent of whether the courses are required by another department or the University. However, there is also a University rule that the same courses cannot be used for an option in one department and a minor in another department. Hence, the student must decide if they want the option or the minor. The home department may allow the chemistry minor to substitute for the option. This decision can only be made the student's adviser in his/her major department.

Yes in general as long the courses are legitimate college-level general chemistry courses with laboratory and the grades are C or better. Sometimes the courses are transferred to OSU not as specific OSU courses but as CH lower division (LD) credits which is okay. You can check how your courses are transferred from Oregon schools in terms of OSU credits and course numbers at http://admissions.oregonstate.edu/oregon-college-articulation-tables

The rules for the minor state that courses such as research (CH 401) and internships (CH 410) are not allowed for the minor. Courses in minors are meant to provide a basic broad background in an area of study. Research in a laboratory is a great experience and looks good on your resume, but it is generally more specialized and usually associated with the major of the student.

Yes, the CH 121-123 and CH 221-223 sequences provide similar coverage of topics so that CH 221, CH 122, & CH 123 or CH 121, CH 222, & CH 223 count toward the chemistry minor as a complete year of general chemistry. Also, see minor general chemistry requirements.