Department of Chemistry

Academic Advising in Chemistry

When you select Chemistry as your primary major, you are assigned an academic advisor in the Chemistry Department. Use your advisor to assist you in planning your course selections so that your time at Virginia Tech will serve your interests and career aspirations. See your advisor early, before any problems arise!

Useful Information:

• Undergraduate Advising at Virginia Tech maintains the advising A-to-Z Index, FAQs, and useful links.
• College of Science Advising Info (COS website)
• University Curriculum for Liberal Education Guide(formerly University Core Curriculum)

Chemistry Department advisors (special duties if any):

Co-op Programs

The Chemistry Department participates in the University Cooperative Education Program. This is a five-year program in which the student alternates a term of study with a term of professional work for a maximum of five work terms prior to the senior year. The program provides valuable work related experience and financial support. The structure of both the B.S. and B.A. programs allows for this kind of work schedule with little disruption in class scheduling. At present there are more participating companies than there are chemistry Co-op students.

Education Certification

Students interested in pursuing a career in elementary or secondary education after graduation should consult the information on the Science Education website. Either a B.A. or B.S. chemistry degree is suitable for teacher preparation, but the B.A. provides more flexibility for students to take the additional courses in Biology and Earth Science that are required for licensure.

Honors Program

The Chemistry Department is an active participant in the University Honors Program. We offer honors sections of both General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry to all students of the University, and we encourage our majors who are eligible to join the Honors Program and participate fully. To be eligible, entering freshmen must have at least 1300 SATs, with no less than 620 on the verbal, 600 on the math sections, and be in the top 10% of their graduating class. Continued participation requires a 3.4 grade point average. Students not qualifying on entry may join upon achieving a 3.4.

Pre-Professional Advising

Students who desire to go to medical, dental, or veterinary school often major in chemistry. Minimum admission requirements for most of these programs are met by adding freshman biology to the chemistry B.A. or B.S. programs. However, most students take additional biology and biochemistry courses. Specific entrance requirements can be obtained by writing to the schools; for Medicine, they are all listed in the book "Medical School Admission Requirements: United States and Canada." This is available in Hillcrest Hall.

Although the majority of Pre-medical and Pre-dental students major in a science, any major is acceptable as long as the specific admission requirements are satisfied. Thus, Pre-medicine is an interest, not a degree program. There is no Pre-med major at Virginia Tech. Since only about 5% of the students who are considering medical school actually apply and are accepted, the best advice is to major in something you wouldn't mind having for a career. Do not major in chemistry (or biology) just because you think it is your ticket of admission to medical, etc., school. The campus office for Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Advising is in Hillcrest Hall.

Students who desire to go to law school usually do not major in chemistry. This means that there are few lawyers who know anything about chemistry (or any other science). Therefore it could be argued that chemistry is a reasonable field of study for someone interested in a career in law. Both the B.S. and B.A. programs will allow the inclusion of appropriate electives, determined by consultation with the Pre-law advisor in the Department of Political Science, Professor Karen Hult.