Off-Campus Studies can help Chemistry students…

  • Gain awareness of the major discipline from a different scholarly tradition

How does a semester or year of OCS help students in Chemistry prepare for various career opportunities?

  • It provides a global perspective and exposure to a different educational system.
  • Contact with chemists outside the United States
  • Field experience in another country is valuable even if a student’s studies are only tangentially related to chemistry.

As a general rule of thumb, the Chemistry Department recommends the following for students who wish to study off-campus.

  • First-year students should discuss their plans to major in chemistry and interest in studying off-campus with a chemistry faculty member as soon as possible (preferably before registering for sophomore courses). Early planning is essential!
  • First-year students should enroll in the regular General Chemistry sequence of CHEM 125, 126, 135, and 136 or CHEM 140 Advanced General Chemistry as well as Calculus (Math 125, 126, or 225) at the appropriate level.
  • Sophomore-year students should enroll in the Organic Chemistry sequence of CHEM 245, 246, 251, and 252.
  • Students planning to study off-campus in the Fall of their junior year must also take CHEM 345 Physical Chemistry I during the Fall of their sophomore year. (Note that CHEM 345 is a prerequisite to CHEM 360 Inorganic Chemistry, which must be taken in the Fall of senior year.  In most situations, CHEM 310 Quantitative Analysis would be postponed until Fall of senior year.)
  • Students planning to study off-campus in the Spring of their junior year can consider taking CHEM 346 Physical Chemistry II in the Spring of their sophomore year (the courses are designed so Physical Chemistry II can be taken prior to Physical Chemistry I for students who study off-campus), but CHEM 346 can also be taken in Spring of the senior year. (In most situations CHEM 310 Quantitative Analysis and CHEM 345 Physical Chemistry I would be taken in Fall of the junior year, and CHEM 320 Instrumental Methods of Analysis and CHEM 352 Physical Chemistry Laboratory would be taken in Spring of the senior year).
  • Based on these options, students are strongly encouraged to study off-campus in the Spring of their junior year.

Which requirements can Chemistry majors fulfill while off campus?

  • Elective major credit
  • General Studies distribution credit
  • General degree credit

Major Credit Limitations

  • The maximum number of credits that can be applied to the Chemistry major from off campus studies (including AP credit, IB credit and credits from other U.S. institutions) is 12 credits with the approval of your major adviser.

Minor Credit Limitations

  • A minimum of three-fifths of the specific course and credit requirements for the minor must be completed in the on-campus program of the college.

What are the types of OCS programs recommended by the Chemistry department?

  • Direct enrollment at a foreign university
  • Field-based programs that offer cultural immersion, foreign language study, and exposure to chemistry through primary research in the field, such as examining environmental issues abroad

Students interested in Off-Campus Studies should attend an OCS First Step meeting in the fall of their second year, discuss their interests with their major adviser, and schedule an appointment with an OCS adviser.