Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry Roadmap

120 Total Units Required
Minimum Number of Units in the Major: 56

This roadmap is a suggested plan of study and does not replace meeting with an advisor. Please note that students may need to adjust the actual sequence of courses based on course availability. Please consult an advisor in your major program for further guidance.

Plan of Study Grid
First SemesterUnits
CHEM 115 General Chemistry I (Major Lower-Division) 5
ENG 114 Writing the First Year: Finding Your Voice (A2) 1 3
MATH 226 Calculus I (Major Lower-Division, B4) 2 4
GE Area A 3 3
 Units15
Second Semester
CHEM 215
CHEM 216
General Chemistry II: Quantitative Applications of Chemistry Concepts
and General Chemistry II Laboratory: Quantitative Applications of Chemistry Concepts (Major Lower-Division)
5
MATH 227 Calculus II (Major Lower-Division) 4
GE Area A 3
GE Area E 3
 Units15
Third Semester
CHEM 233
CHEM 234
Organic Chemistry I
and Organic Chemistry I Laboratory (Major Lower-Division)
5
CHEM 321
CHEM 322
Quantitative Chemical Analysis
and Quantitative Chemical Analysis Laboratory (Major Upper-Division)
5
GE Area C 3
GE Area D 3
 Units16
Fourth Semester
CHEM 335
CHEM 336
Organic Chemistry II
and Organic Chemistry II Laboratory (Major Upper-Division)
5
Select One Set of Courses (Major Lower-Division, B1, B3): 4 4
General Physics I
and General Physics I Laboratory
General Physics with Calculus I
and General Physics with Calculus I Laboratory
GE Area B: Life Science (B2) 3
GE Area D 3
 Units15
Fifth Semester
CHEM 390GW Contemporary Chemistry and Biochemistry Research - GWAR (Major Upper-Division) 3
Select One Set of Courses (Major Lower-Division): 4 4
General Physics II
and General Physics II Laboratory
General Physics with Calculus II
and General Physics with Calculus II Laboratory
General Physics with Calculus III
and General Physics with Calculus III Laboratory
GE Area C - Take Two 6
GE Area F ± 3
 Units16
Sixth Semester
Select One (Major Upper-Division): 3
Physical Chemistry for Life Sciences I
Physical Chemistry I: Thermodynamics and Kinetics
Select One (Major Upper-Division): 3
Biochemistry I
General Biochemistry
GE Area UD-C: Upper-Division Arts and/or Humanities 3
U.S. and California Government 3
SF State Studies or University Elective 5 3
 Units15
Seventh Semester
CHEM 325 Inorganic Chemistry (Major Upper-Division) 3
GE Area UD-B: Upper-Division Physical and/or Life Sciences 3
GE Area UD-D: Upper-Division Social Sciences 3
SF State Studies or University Elective - Take Two 5 6
 Units15
Eighth Semester
Upper-Division Electives 6 3
SF State Studies or University Elective - Take Three 5 10
 Units13
 Total Units120
1

ENG 114 can only be taken if you complete Directed Self-Placement (DSP) and select ENG 114; if you choose ENG 104/ENG 105 through DSP you will satisfy A2 upon successful completion of ENG 105 in the second semester; multilingual students may be advised into alternative English courses.

2

To determine the best B4 course option, students should complete the online advising activity at mathadvising.sfsu.edu. Questions? Contact Gator Smart Start.

3

To avoid taking additional units, it is recommended that you meet the SF State Studies (AERM, GP, ES, SJ) requirements within your GE or major.

4

PHYS 111 and PHYS 112 are prerequisites for PHYS 121 and PHYS 122. PHYS 220 and PHYS 222 are prerequisites for PHYS 240 and PHYS 242.

5

Complementary Studies
Students in the BA Chemistry program will satisfy the Complementary Studies requirement with the completion of courses in physics and mathematics that are required in the major.

6

Upper-Division Electives

Students must complete at least 3 units of upper-division electives selected from the list below. Courses from community colleges cannot be substituted for the courses on the list below. Consult with an advisor regarding selection of elective courses and check course co- and prerequisites before enrolling. Graduate-level courses in chemistry or appropriate courses in biology, physics, geosciences, and computer science may be substituted upon prior approval of an advisor. Students should keep in mind that non-Chemistry courses may require additional prerequisites that are not met in the Chemistry degree or permission of the instructor.
CHEM 343 Biochemistry I Laboratory (3 units)7
CHEM 370 Computer Applications in Chemistry and Biochemistry (3 units)
CHEM 420 Environmental Analysis (3 units)
CHEM 422 Instrumental Analysis (4 units)
CHEM 426 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory (2 units)
CHEM 451 Experimental Physical Chemistry Laboratory (2 units)
CHEM 667/BIOL 667 Optical Engineering for the Biological Sciences (3 units)
CHEM 685 Projects in the Teaching of Chemistry and Biochemistry (1 unit)8
CHEM 686 Experiences in Teaching Chemistry and Biochemistry (1 unit)8
CHEM 699 Independent Study (1-6 units)9
Select One:
CSC 306 An Interdisciplinary Approach to Computer Programming (3 units)
CSC 508 Machine Learning and Data Science for Personalized Medicine (3 units)
CSC 509 Data Science and Machine Learning for Medical Image Analysis (3 units)

7

For students who pursue a double major in the BA Chemistry and BS Biochemistry programs, CHEM 343 cannot be used to meet the elective requirement for the BA Chemistry. Students must take a different approved elective list to meet this requirement.

8

May be counted only once as an elective.

9

By petition only. To be used as an upper division elective in Chemistry, a minimum of 3-units must be taken in a single semester.

±

Given catalog rights, fall 2023 transfer students do not need to complete an Area F course.