Honors Chemistry Courses

A headshot of Evans
For questions about the chemistry honors courses, contact departmental honors advisor Dr. Evans.
A headshot of Evans

For questions about the chemistry honors courses, contact departmental honors advisor Dr. Evans.

In 1973, the Chemistry Department started EMU's first honors program. Our goal has always been to provide our best students with the highest quality educational experience that is possible, and that can only be accomplished in the context of small groups of motivated students with dedicated instructors. We regularly teach Honors sections of the following courses:

  • CHEM 121H, 122H General Chemistry I (lecture and lab): offered each Fall
  • CHEM 125, 126 Honors General Chemistry II (lecture and lab): offered each Winter
  • CHEM 371H Honors Organic Chemistry I (lecture): offered each Fall
  • CHEM 372H Honors Organic Chemistry II (lecture): offered each Winter
  • CHEM 376 Organic Chemistry Laboratory: offered each Winter

These sections permit greater student-teacher interaction, more sophisticated coverage of lecture topics, use of more advanced instrumentation, and the option for earlier participation in advanced courses and research projects, which often results in the students names appearing as co-authors of publications in scientific journals and presentations at professional meetings.

Admission to the honors section of CHEM 121 General Chemistry I is through acceptance into the University Honors College or by department permission. Students who show special abilities and interest in any of our lower-level courses are routinely invited to apply for admission to the appropriate follow-on honors courses. It is not necessary to be a chemistry major; in fact, most of the students in our honors courses are not.

Graduation with Departmental Honors

A student can graduate with departmental honors in chemistry upon the completion of at least 15 credit hours of coursework and the completion of an Honors Thesis. This thesis is ordinarily based upon undergraduate research. Therefore, of the required 15 hours, six hours must be chosen from CHEM 497, 498 and 499 Undergraduate Research in Chemistry. The remaining nine hours must be selected from the honors courses listed above or by contracting honors in one or more courses. In order to contract honors in a course, you need to make individual arrangements with the instructor of the course and obtain the approval of the departmental honors advisor.

Further, there are minimum GPA requirements (3.0 in Chemistry Honors coursework and a minimum cumulative GPA established by the Honors College). Additionally, the Honors College requires attendance at two workshops and the development of a thesis proposal. Details can be found at the University Honors College website.

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