Registration

Information For Registration For Spring Semester 2012

First Majors. Please see the list of departmental majors and faculty advisors with the office (in French Family Science Center or LSRC) of each advisor in parentheses beside his or her name. If your name does not appear on the advising list, please email the DUS office, dus@chem.duke.edu immediately so that an advisor can be assigned prior to the registration period. If you need advising before an advisor is assigned, please come to "Walk-In" advising (details given below).

Second Majors. Second majors should make appointments with the advisor appointed to them in their first major and must get cleared to register by that advisor. Those needing advising concerning their second major, chemistry, should make an appointment with Dr. Roy (chris.roy@duke.edu) or should take advantage of the "Walk-In" Advising option described below.

Advising And Registration Schedule

October 24

Bookbags. Bookbags, ACES, course synopsis all become available today.

Advising appointments. If you have not already been contacted by your advisor concerning an advising appointment, make an appointment for advising by signing up on the sheet posted on your advisor's door. Signup sheets should be posted on the advisor's office door by 9 AM on October 24. Appointments will usually be available during the period October 26-November 8. Whenever possible, a major has been assigned to his/her previous advisor. Please check the list of advisors to be sure you know who your advisor is. New majors have been assigned to advisors who had openings in their groups. If, for good reason, there is a desire to change advisors for the next registration; majors should consult with Dr. Roy (chris.roy@duke.edu) in Suite 1219, room 1222 FFSC.

October 26-November 8.
Advising. Print a hard copy of your bookbag for your advisor and take it with you to your advising appointment. Your advisor will review your department Work Sheet and your Advisement Report with you to ascertain progress in your chemistry degree program. At the conclusion of your advising session, your advisor will need to clear you for registration by checking the appropriate box in your ACES record. Be sure your advisor does this or you will not be able to register.

Walk-in Advising. A member of the DUS-group (the Co-Directors and Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies) will be available for Walk-In advising from 1-3 PM daily. Majors who have any questions and/or who are having difficulty arranging an appointment with their regular advisor may seek assistance from a member of the DUS-group during Walk-In hours. For Walk-In advising, come to suite 1219 in the French Family Science Center, room 1217 where the DUS Assistant is located. He will arrange for you to meet with the first available member of the DUS-group.

November 3-16
Registration. Register using ACES when your registration window opens or any time thereafter until the end of registration, November 16.

Information for Course Planning.

    1. Degrees and Concentrations
      BS Degree. A BS degree is particularly recommended (but not absolutely required) for majors who plan to go to graduate school in chemistry or a related area and/or who plan to pursue immediate employment in the chemical industry.

      BS Degree certified by the American Chemical Society.  A BS degree certified by the American Chemical Society is recommended (but not absolutely required) for majors who plan to go directly into the chemical industry, or plan to go to graduate school in chemistry, or those who plan to pursue a MD/Ph.D degree. Certification offers little advantage for those going to graduate schools in other areas than chemistry or those who plan to pursue a MD degree, but not a Ph.D.

      AB Degree. An AB degree is recommended for all others including those who plan to attend medical school.

      Concentrations. A concentration in biochemistry, pharmacology or environment is not required and should be pursued out of interest or in preparation for a related graduate program.

    2. Physical Chemistry
      The laboratory course Chemistry 163L that is associated with Chemistry 161 is offered in the Spring semester only. Enrollment limits are set lower than capacities so that we can accommodate special circumstances. First preference for enrollment in Chemistry 163L will be given to graduating seniors, followed by junior Chemistry majors.

    3. Analytical Chemistry
      Chemistry 131 is usually taken fall of the senior year and Chemistry 133L, the laboratory course associated with Chem 131, may be taken either fall of the senior year or spring semester of the senior year. Enrollment limits at registration are set lower than capacities so that we can accommodate special circumstances such as early graduation or multiple labs in a semester. First preference for enrollment in Chemistry 133L will be given to graduating seniors, followed by junior Chemistry majors.

    4. Research Independent Study
      • First semester
        1. Courses in the chemistry department: Chemistry 191A or 191B. Available any semester. Majors who wish to begin independent study in the spring semester, should see http://www.chem.duke.edu/undergraduates/research/is_reg.php. Note that the first semester of Independent study in chemistry, Chem 191, is divided into Chem 191A for 0.5 cc or Chem 191B for 1 cc. Be sure to request the permission number for the course having the proper number of credits. Unless you and the research director have specifically agreed to 0.5 course credits, you should sign up for Chem 191B.
        2. Courses outside the chemistry department:  if the research is done outside the chemistry department, approval is required in order for it to count toward chemistry major requirements and requirements for Graduation with Distinction in Chemistry. To obtain such approval, please provide Dr. Roy with a brief synopsis of the reseach project that specifically describes its relationship to chemistry. This synopsis can by submitted by email to chris.roy@duke.edu.  If the project is with a faculty member outside the Chemistry Department, you must obtain from that faculty member the course number, section number, and a permission number for his/her independent study. You then add the independent study using ACES.
        3. Courses outside the chemistry department but research is sponsored by a member of the chemistry department:    if your research director does not have an ACES listing, your approved research will need to be sponsored by a member of the chemistry faculty - usually Dr. Roy. To enroll in ACES, you will need to get a course, section number and permission number from Dr. Roy. If your project has not already been approved by Dr. Roy as being sufficiently chemical/molecular oriented to count toward the chemistry major and graduation with distinction, please provide Dr. Roy with a brief synopsis of the reseach project that specifically describes its relationship to chemistry. This synopsis and your request for a permission number should be submitted by email to chris.roy@duke.edu.  As your sponsor, Dr. Roy will take care of the necessary paper work involved with registration, monitoring your progress during the semester, and turning in your grade at the end of the semester. Your research director (or designee) will supervise all of your day-to-day research activities. To fulfill the requirement that your sponsor monitor your progress, you will need to send to Dr. Roy a brief progress report every two weeks on dates that he will set. At the end of the semester, your research director will assign and transmit your grade to Dr. Roy, who will then report the grade to the registrar.

        4. Chemistry 197, Introduction to Independent Study, 0.5 cc, is open to all majors, but is required for majors who are enrolling in their first semester of independent study in chemistry (Chemistry 191B) or in a related area, and who intend to pursue graduation with distinction in chemistry, or who intend to pursue a BS degree that is certified by ACS.

          Majors may take Chem 197 for Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory or regular letter grades depending on their needs. Those taking it for letter grades will also earn 0.5 cc toward the writing requirement (W). The writing component will focus on writing a research proposal and on writing progress reports for the major's project. The course is recommended for all majors.

    • Continuing semesters: Chemistry 192, 193, or 194. Available any semester.
      Majors who wish to sign up for a continuing Independent Study course follow directions given at http://www.chem.duke.edu/undergraduates/research/is_reg.php. If the project is with a faculty member in the Chemistry Department, Dr. Roy will provide you with a permission number so that you can add the course to your ACES schedule. If the project is with a faculty member outside the Chemistry Department, you must obtain from that faculty member the course number, section number, and a permission number for his/her independent study. You then add the independent study using ACES. If your research director does not have an ACES listing, your approved research will need to be sponsored by a member of the chemistry faculty - usually Dr. Roy. See here for the procedure.

    • Final semester: Chemistry 198, Graduation with Distinction in Chemistry, 0.5 cc, graded S/U, is required for students pursuing graduation with distinction in chemistry. Includes preparation of the research thesis, preparation and presentation of a poster on the research topic, and oral defense of the research thesis. Although writing in the discipline credit is not given for this course, majors may request a full W credit for their independent study as follows.
    • Requesting Writing Credit (W) for Independent Study. Writing-in-the-Disipline credit, W, for the final report for research independent study, may be requested only once and that should be your final semester of independent study when you actually write your research thesis. The procedure for W-credit for Independent Study is available at http://trinity.duke.edu/academic-requirements?p=independent-study-research-w-coding. Fill out the form, have your research mentor and DUS sign it, and deliver the completed form to room 011 Allen Building PRIOR to the end of Drop/Add.

    • Advanced Courses


      • Chemistry 117,       inorganic chemistry, is usually taken the spring semester of the senior year.

      Chemistry 180L is the advanced laboratory techniques course which is usually taken concurrently with Chem 117 in the spring semester of the senior year. The lab is listed in ACES as meeting two afternoons per week. Most weeks, however, it will be possible to complete the laboratory work in just one afternoon.

      Chemistry 275 (1 course) and 276 (half-course) are Advanced Studies courses that are usually taken in the senior year. They provide a mechanism by which highly qualified undergraduates may take a graduate level course. Undergraduates interested in pursuing this option should see Dr. Bonk for information concerning the availability of graduate courses, contents and scheduling of these courses. Permission of the course instructor and of the Director of Undergraduate Studies is required in order to enroll in these courses.

      Biochemistry 227. Course is offered fall and summer session, Term I by the department of Biochemistry. Taking BCH 227 in the summer is an excellent way to lighten a fall course load for those who need to take both physical chemistry and biochemistry.

      Pharmacology. Historically PHR 150 has been offered fall semester, while PHR 160 has been offered in spring semester. Enrollments tend to be limited. Majors having difficulty in enrolling in either course can also consider PHR 233 as a replacement for PHR 150 and either PHR 254 or PHR 270S as a replacement for PHR 160.