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Chemistry Handbook

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Chemistry Department FAQ






Question Answer
Use of CHM electives in the Environmental and Sustainability Studies (ENS) major or minor

Can students use of CHM electives in the Environmental and Sustainability Studies (ENS) minor?  This question was posed to Prof. Amy McFarland, director of the ENS program.  She replied "...happy to sub this course in for your Chem Major/ENS minor if needed". (DAL 7/2024)
What happens if transfer courses have good content match, but the number of credits doesn't match

In the case of a course from another university that is a good match content-wise for a GVSU course, but has more credits than the GVSU course:  the student gets credit for the GVSU class, and additional CHM General credits.

In the case of a course from another university that is a good match content-wise for a GVSU course, but has fewer credits than the GVSU course:  the student gets credit for the GVSU class on their transcript, but the class is listed with the lower number of credits.  Example.  A general chemistry class from Purdue (3 credits) was determined to be a good fit for CHM 116 (5 credits).  The students transcript would list CHM 116 (3 credits).
What is the American Chemical Society policy regarding virtual/remote lab experiences?

Virtual/at-home/simulated labs can supplement but not replace in person experiences for the foundational and in-depth courses. 

Chemistry is an empirical science that requires the safe and effective physical manipulation of materials, equipment, and instrumentation.  This first-person experiential expertise cannot be developed solely through simulations.

Remote Lab Experiences

  • One introductory laboratory course (prior to the foundational courses) may be conducted remotely or outside of the University laboratory environments.
  • Kitchen chemistry experiments can supplement the in person experience in non-major and introductory chemistry sequences.
  • Kitchen chemistry remote labs involve using everyday items that you can find in your kitchen or local discount store to explore basic chemistry.   Appropriate safety precautions must be considered in designing these remote lab experiences.   (American Chemical Society)
Why do some students who wish to take CHM 127 and CHM 128 need a pre-requisite waiver even though they completed CHM 115?

Before our lecture/lab split (CHM 115 to CHM 125/CHM 126 and CHM 116 to CHM 127/CHM128), the old combined course (CHM 116) had a prerequisite of CHM 115 (instead of CHM 125 and CHM 126).  There are still a large number of students who took CHM 115 (before the split) and now wish to take CHM 127/128.  This is particularly prevalent for students who wish to wish to take CHM 127/128 as a repeat of CHM 116 (sometimes years later).  Because they took CHM 115, they need a pre-requisite waiver.  The professional advisors have asked is we could have CHM 115 added to the pre-requisite for CHM 127 and CHM 128, something like this: 

CHM 127:  Prerequisites: (CHM 125, CHM 126) or CHM 115, (MTH 122 or MTH 124 or MTH 125 or equivalent by placement or exam), and CHM 128 (may be taken concurrently).

CHM 128:  Prerequisites: (CHM 125, CHM 126) or CHM 115, and CHM 127 (CHM 127 may be taken concurrently).

I looked into this and discovered that any change in pre-reqs requires a curriculum change proposal.  This is not worth the effort, as the number of legacy students who took CHM 115 over the coming years will drop rapidly.

(DAL 7/2026)
Page last modified June 5, 2026