Advising

Please contact the advisor listed above for the major you wish to pursue.

You will want to ensure that you meet the major specific requirements and that the change of major does not affect your timely graduation.

Please see Change of Major (Undergraduates) - Student Records for more information.

As stated on Enrollment Services, to be considered for admission to a major in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, applicants must (a) complete the minimum lower division preparation courses listed below (with a grade of C or better in each) while (b) maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50.

• MATH 122 and 123
• CHEM 111A and 111B
• general education courses in the areas of Written Communication (A1), Oral Communication (A2), and Critical Thinking (A3)

Students will be shifted from the pre-major to the major automatically upon completion of these requirements.

The B.S. degrees are aimed at those desiring a laboratory intensive degree program.

The B.A. degrees have less of an emphasis on upper division lab courses. The B.A. programs allow students planning for professional schools to complete their major while offering flexibility for classes in preparation for the professional school program and/or minors.

Please see Undergraduate Degree Programs - Chemistry & Biochemistry for more information.

The Minor in Chemistry is available to any non-Chemistry or non-Biochemistry major. Students must earn a "C" or better in every course counted towards the minor.

To add a minor in chemistry, complete the "Change of major/minor application" (linked above) and submit it via email to one of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department undergraduate advisors.

Please consult the CSULB Catalog or contact a Chemistry and Biochemistry Department undergraduate advisor for more information.

Most of the department's courses are designated as "Letter Grade A-F Only" in the university catalog. There is no option for "Credit/No Credit" grading in this case. All courses that count toward your degree must have an A-F grade.

As noted in the university catalog, you must achieve a grade of "C" or better in each course required for the major.

While there is not a specific time to start taking CHEM 496, sooner rather than later is advising for seeking research opportunities. Participating in a research lab for multiple semesters is encouraged. Many students start taking CHEM 496 with ~4 semesters remaining (participating in a research lab for four semesters).

Information about research directions for each group can be found on the Department website. You can use the information to identify the topics and see what aligns with your interests. The websites for the different research labs have information about recent publications that can provide further information about the research in the labs.

You should apply the semester before graduation. Note that the deadline to apply for the Fall and Winter term is the preceding March 1, and the deadline for graduating in the Spring and Summer term is the preceding October 15. Applying to graduate after the deadline will incur a late fee (in addition to the fee to apply for graduation).

You must have applied to graduate prior to enrolling in CHEM 461. Enrollment is by permit only, and all students who have applied to graduate for the upcoming semester will automatically be issued a permit to enroll.

If you have not yet applied for graduation and plan to graduate in the upcoming semester, please apply to graduate asap and contact your major advisor regarding enrolling in CHEM 461.

There may be a couple of reasons why the system will not let you register for a class.

• Make sure you have met the pre-requisites.
• Check your student account for any holds. If you do have a hold and it is an academic hold,  contact your advisor.
• Contact the instructor of the lecture to request a permit. Once the permit is approved, please try to register for your class.

There are multiple sources to discuss and learn more about career options. Please contact your major advisor and/or the Career Development Center.

Students interested in health professions and find information at the Health Professions Advising Office.

Information regarding internships can be found at Internships - Career Development Center.

The is a wide range of student organizations on campus.

Information for the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society (SAACS) at CSULB is available at CSULB SAACS.

The entire offering of clubs can be searched on BeachSync.

Applications for post baccalaureate study are often due in the fall before graduation (e.g., if planning on starting graduate school in Fall 2024, applications are submitted in Fall 2023). Preparing strong statements and application materials takes time, so starting as soon as possible is recommended. Having your statements in near final form before starting your final academic year is recommended.

Information for scholarships and fellowships can be found on Scholarships and Funded Support - Chemistry & Biochemistry.

Tutoring for math and science courses is available at the Jensen SAS Center.

Tutoring is also available through The Learning Center.

The Basic Needs at CSULB provides housing support, food support, and health related assistance.

Beach CalFresh Outreach also provides nutrition assistance.

Please see Chemistry Placement - Chemistry & Biochemistry.

Please contact enrollment services at Transfer Credit for Incoming Students.

If waiting for transfer equivalency that should fulfill a prerequisite, please email your advisor to evaluate the transfer class or classes and request permits to enroll. To ensure the transfer classes can be evaluated as equivalent, please send your course syllabi for the completed courses with the request.

Fall 2021

• CHEM 521, Physical Organic Chemistry
• CHEM 533, Physical Techniques in Inorganic Chemistry (Li)
• CHEM 541, Biochemistry Core (TBD)
• CHEM 546, Protein Structure and Function (Weers)

Spring 2022

• CHEM 532, Inorganic Materials Chemistry (Derakhshan)
• CHEM 549, Biochemistry of lipids and lipoproteins in health and disease (Narayanaswami)
• CHEM 572, Computational Chemistry (Tapavicza)

Fall 2022

• CHEM 480/580, Biomolecular Modeling and Simulation (Sorin)
• CHEM 523, Synthetic Methods (Nakayama)
• CHEM 541, Biochemistry Core (TBD)
• CHEM 542, Biochemistry of Cellular Stress Responses (Bhandari)

Spring 2023

• CHEM 522, Special Topics (Schwans)
• CHEM 534, Crystal Structure Analysis (Bu)

Fall 2023

• CHEM 521, Physical Organic Chemistry (Schramm)
• CHEM 533, Physical Techniques in Inorganic Chemistry (Li)
• CHEM 541, Biochemistry Core (TBD)

For M.S. chemistry, please contact the chemistry graduate advisor (listed above).

For M.S. Biochemistry, please contact the biochemistry graduate advisor (listed above).

Yes, graduate advisors have access to your transcripts. No need to submit to the department again.