Chemistry Handbook

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)

We do not allow any substitutions in the CHM minor.  This is a long-standing policy and there are no exceptions.  For example:  

• A Physics major requested to substitute Physical Chemistry for Organic Chemistry.  This was denied because organic chemistry is considered to be part of the broad survey of topics needed for the minor.  This was treated similarly when a BMS major asked to use CHM 463 as a substitute for CHM 221.
• BMS majors often ask to substitute something for CHM 221, usually because of the difficulty of fitting it in their schedule.  The problem is that anything that would appropriately substitute for CHM 221 usually requires that course as a pre-requisite.
• Students seeking a Chemistry Teachable Minor must use SCI440 as their 6th class.  If they wish to change to a regular CHM minor, they should not use SCI440 as a substitute, and it is suggested they take another class.  Debbie Herrington noted that there is no point to SCI440 unless they are going into education, so they should take something else to make themselves more marketable. (DAL 6/2024)

We do not allow any substitutions in the CHM minor.  This is a long-standing policy and there are no exceptions.  For example:  

• A Physics major requested to substitute Physical Chemistry for Organic Chemistry.  This was denied because organic chemistry is considered to be part of the broad survey of topics needed for the minor.  This was treated similarly when a BMS major asked to use CHM 463 as a substitute for CHM 221.
• BMS majors often ask to substitute something for CHM 221, usually because of the difficulty of fitting it in their schedule.  The problem is that anything that would appropriately substitute for CHM 221 usually requires that course as a pre-requisite.
• Students seeking a Chemistry Teachable Minor must use SCI440 as their 6th class.  If they wish to change to a regular CHM minor, they should not use SCI440 as a substitute, and it is suggested they take another class.  Debbie Herrington noted that there is no point to SCI440 unless they are going into education, so they should take something else to make themselves more marketable. (DAL 6/2024)

When a student repeats a course, the grade they receive for the second attempt will replace the older grade.  The older grade is still visible on the transcript, but it is no longer used to in the GPA calculation.  There are several important considerations:

• If a student gets a lower grade the second time they take the class, the lower grade will replace the higher grade.  This is a fairly common experience, and I know of no exceptions granted by the Registrar to this rule.
• Current policy is that if a student takes a different course with a different course number, the new grade will not replace the old grade, no matter how similar the course.  This is most relevant for students who fail CHM 245 and take CHM 241 instead.  There are exceptions made to this in very rare circumstances--most notably, when a student does not meet the 2.0 GPA in the major and can't graduate.  This is a Dean-level decision and should never be advertised to students. (Note: this policy was updated by the Curriculum Committee in August, 2025--search for "245")
• It is important to note that some graduate programs (notably medical schools) do not exclude grades from repeated classes, but instead average all attempts. (DAL 6/2024)