This recommendation is targeted at students with outstanding high-school chemistry preparation. Depending on the Chemistry placement exam results, students with scores of 4 or 5 on the Chemistry AP exam (or comparable IB scores), and others with advanced backgrounds in chemistry, may bypass CHEM 1109 for an appropriate 2000-level chemistry course. These course options are CHEM 2250 (Organic Chemistry I) and CHEM 2100 (Chemical Analysis) in the fall semester, CHEM 2400 (Inorganic Chemistry; offered every spring) and Environmental Chemistry (CHEM 2050; offered in alternate even years in the spring – next offering in 2024). While CHEM 2510 (spring) and 2520 (fall) are also entry points, student must also meet prerequisites in Math and Physics to enroll in these courses. Students are encouraged to contact Profs. Broene, Danahy, or Gorske about CHEM 2250. Students interested in CHEM 2100 are strongly encouraged to contact Prof. Stemmler before enrolling. Students can contact Prof. Ortoll-Bloch to discuss CHEM 2400, Prof. Takematsu to discuss CHEM 2510 or CHEM 2520.
Students who start and complete a 2000-level chemistry course are not permitted to register concurrently or in a future semester in an introductory (1091/1092 or 1101/1102) or general chemistry (1109) chemistry course.
Students should consult with a chemistry faculty member at the Academic Fair or at some other time during Orientation regarding enrollment in an appropriate advanced level course. In the past, students who enrolled in CHEM 1109—as opposed to starting with the recommended 2000 level course—found this course to be a repetition of their previous course work and not challenging. Conversely, students who were recommended for, and chose to enroll in, 2000-level Chemistry courses during their first year were typically very successful in those courses. The most common 2000-level course for first year students is CHEM 2250.