Chemistry (BS)

Program Description

Chemistry is the study of the world of molecules: how they are created from atoms, how their structures affect their chemical and physical properties, and how they unite or assemble to form the matter that makes up the physical world. Knowledge of chemistry is fundamental to an in-depth understanding of the structural properties and biochemical reactions that define all living systems. Chemistry is therefore the central science that bridges physics and the life sciences, and is a foundation to many other fields, such as materials science, earth science, and forensic science. The challenges that society faces in the twenty-first century, such as managing climate change, sourcing clean energy, and ensuring food security, are at their root chemical problems. With a global perspective and a broad science curriculum at its core, our chemistry major program gives students a comprehensive outlook necessary to tackle these challenges.

A key characteristic of the chemistry major at NYU Shanghai is a good balance between depth and breadth of study: following the foundational science courses in chemistry and physics, students take the essential “canon” of organic chemistry and physical chemistry lectures and labs. Students then have flexibility in choosing three or more chemistry electives in areas of specialization that interest them, including Analytical Chemistry, Computational Chemistry, and Biochemistry courses. A distinguishing feature of chemistry is the importance of creativity, whether it be in synthesizing new molecules, discovering novel reactions and materials, or developing new theories of matter. All chemistry students undertake a research or literature review project during their senior year in an Integrated Science Capstone course. Students who are pursuing careers in academic or industrial research are encouraged to undertake two or more semesters of research with faculty, potentially culminating in an undergraduate thesis and chemistry honors.

Majoring in chemistry provides good preparation for graduate study in chemistry and related fields, such as biochemistry, biomedicine, and materials science. Chemistry major students are also well prepared for professional school, including medical, pharmacy, dental, optometry, veterinary, forensic, and law school. Students who, instead, decide to enter industry after graduation are well-served by the combination of creative and quantitative skills developed in the chemistry major that transfer to diverse sectors from data science to biotechnology to finance.

Chemistry Honors

Students who meet GPA eligibility requirements laid out elsewhere in the bulletin may pursue Chemistry Honors. Honors-track students conduct two semesters of research with a faculty member for a total of 6 credits of Independent Study and culminating in a 2-credit Undergraduate Thesis course in the year of graduation. Honors-track students are not required to take the Integrated Science Capstone course, although they are strongly encouraged to audit it. Students who switch to the Honors track after taking the Integrated Science Capstone may have 4 credits of Independent Study waived with prior approval, but will need to complete an additional 2 credits of Independent Study and the 2-credit Undergraduate Thesis course.

Admissions

New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU.  For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply. 

Program Requirements

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Students who did not attend a Chinese-medium high school fulfill the Core language requirement by demonstrating proficiency of the Chinese language through the Intermediate level.  Chinese speakers who did not attend an English-medium high school fulfill the Core language requirement through completion of EAP-SHU 100 English for Academic Purposes I and EAP-SHU 101 English for Academic Purposes II .  Additional information can be found on the NYU Shanghai Core Curriculum page.

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Chemistry majors are strongly encouraged to complete the Foundational Courses in their first two years.

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Relationship between General Physics and Foundations of Physics Honors: General Physics I & II are calculus-based courses for science majors, pre-meds, engineers and others who want a broad introduction and survey of basic physics including classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, optics and waves, and thermal and statistical physics. Foundations of Physics I-IV Honors cover a similar set of topics in considerably greater depth, plus special relativity and an introduction to quantum mechanics, over four semesters, and these courses are recommended for students with a strong high-school background in physics and mathematics. While Foundations of Physics I & II Honors meet the requirements for a Chemistry major, taken alone, these courses do not include some important topics, such as optics, thermal and statistical physics, mechanics, and condensed matter physics. Therefore, students electing to take the Honors Physics track are recommended to also take Foundations of Physics III & IV Honors.

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CHEM-SHU 998 Integrated Science Capstone must be taken in the year of graduation.

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Additional advanced chemistry courses in NYU’s global network can also meet the Chemistry Electives requirement. Students should consult with their Academic Advisor for further details.

General Electives

Recommended General Electives

Students may take any courses in NYU’s global network to satisfy the general elective requirements, but are strongly encouraged to take the following mathematics and computer science courses.

Research Opportunities

NYU Shanghai boasts a world-class research environment across multiple fields of Chemistry. Students are strongly encouraged to begin research with faculty members as early as freshman or sophomore year, and research opportunities are available during the semesters and over the winter and summer breaks. Students particularly interested in conducting research in Shanghai over the summer are encouraged to apply for DURF grants awarded by the university.

Sample Plan of Study - Starting Major in First Year

Sample Plan of Study - Starting Major in Second Year

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of core knowledge in chemistry, particularly the concepts and theories underlying molecular structure and interactions, organic reactivity, chemical equilibria and kinetics, and spectroscopy.
2. Use and apply these concepts and knowledge to new situations or datasets to solve problems.
3. Demonstrate facility at experimental design and analysis using the scientific method by generating ways of testing predictions from hypotheses and critically determining what would remain untested.
4. Synthesize data (e.g. from experiments or observations) to construct models that describe how chemical and physical transformations occur.
5. Demonstrate literacy in statistics and an ability to conduct relevant statistical tests and error analysis.
6. Display routine practice of laboratory safety, including performing risk assessments, following established safety protocols, using appropriate personal protective equipment, and maintaining detailed laboratory notebooks.
7. Effectively communicate their problem-solving rationale or research work in spoken, visual, and written form.
8. Critically evaluate their own works, as well as those of their peers and works from the current literature in chemical sciences, and effectively communicate these evaluations in spoken and written form.
9. Demonstrate a basic spectrum of technical skills commonly used in modern chemistry, such as titrating, performing organic reactions, purification, determining redox potentials, and using analytical and spectroscopic methods for chemical identification.

Policies

Prerequisite Course for Declaring a Major

Final grade of C/ current semester midterm grade of B or higher in Foundations of Chemistry I.

Major Policies

Graduate courses in chemistry may be taken for undergraduate credit and can satisfy a Chemistry Elective requirement, with prior approval. Graduate courses offered in Shanghai include CHEM-GA 9627 Computational Chemistry and CHEM-GA 9666 Quantum Chemistry and Advanced Statistical Mechanics: Advanced Statistical Mechanics and Quantum Chemistry. 

NYU Policies

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.

NYU Shanghai Policies

Additional academic policies can be found on the NYU Shanghai Academic Policies page.