Admissions & Transfers
Admission for High School Graduates
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions has the responsibility of offering admission to all freshmen desiring enrollment at Virginia Tech. This office bases an admission decision on several factors, such as SAT scores and GPA. Specific freshman review criteria can be obtained from the Admission's website.
Many high school students come with Advanced Placement credit. The complete list of AP exam scores required for credit is available from the University Registrar.
If students are interested in majoring in Chemistry, we encourage them to accept the non-science credits that they have earned but strongly recommend declining credit for Chemistry, Math, and Physics.
For example, earning a score a 4 or better on the chemistry AP test gives students the opportunity to skip the freshman general chemistry lecture and lab sequences. If the incoming freshman is comfortable with his/her mastery of general chemistry foundations, s/he may accept the credit and enroll in sophomore-level organic chemistry courses. Historically, most students who declined the AP credit and enrolled in freshman-level general chemistry performed better their first semester (and beyond) than those who accepted the high school general chemistry credit and enrolled in college sophomore-level organic chemistry. However, the decision to accept or decline any AP credit is ultimately up to each individual student.
Visits: If you are visiting Virginia Tech and desire a tour of the chemistry labs, please email Anna Hawthorne (chemadv@vt.edu) two weeks before your visit to arrange a tour.
Transfer Students
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions is responsible for admission offers to external transfer students. We typically have 10 transfer students entering our program about half from the Community College System and half from four-year colleges and universities. We work closely with the Virginia community colleges to ensure that students can make the transition to Virginia Tech with minimum disruptions. Dr. Gordon Yee, the Chemistry Department's Undergraduate Program Director, and Dr. Patricia Amateis, the Director of General Chemistry and Orientation Coordinator, welcome inquiries from students considering transferring to our program.
Students Already at Virginia Tech
College of Science (COS) majors who wish to change their major to Chemistry should use the Change of Major within COS form. Virginia Tech students whose majors are not in COS should use the Change of Major from outside COS form. These forms may also be used to add a Chemistry minor as well as to drop the major or minor.
The Change of Major form should be submitted to Anna Hawthorne in 3110 Hahn Hall South. Students who wish to major in chemistry should contact Ms. Hawthorne or Dr. Gordon Yee for more information.
Double Majors
The Chemistry Department strongly recommends a second major in chemistry for students majoring in biology, biochemistry, chemical engineering, or a related discipline. For most students, the B.A. is the degree of choice. Students interested in exploring these options should contact Anna Hawthorne.
Chemistry Minors
The requirements to earn a minor in Chemistry are approved by the Registrar's office and are based on the calendar year in which a student graduates. Checksheets are approved two years in advance.
Chemistry checksheets are available here. If you have any questions regarding the Chemistry minor, please contact Anna Hawthorne in 3110 Hahn Hall South (231-4239).
