Undergraduate Program: Frequently Asked Questions
Check your error message carefully. Do you meet all of the course pre- and co-requisites?
If so, try registering for your co-requisite MAT course first. Next, make sure that
your chosen section, (both lecture and workshop times) does not conflict with anything
on your existing schedule.
CHE 129
If you are trying to enroll in CHE 129 and you are enrolled in MAT 123, submit your
enrollment request for CHE 129 and CHE 130 at the same time.
*Please note, if you take CHE 129, you must also take CHE 130, an 0-credit course
designed to help you to develop problem-solving skills.
CHE 131
If you are trying to enroll in CHE 131 and you are enrolled in MAT 125 or a higher-level MAT course, submit your enrollment request.
CHE 132
If you are trying to enroll in CHE 132 and you are enrolled in MAT 125 (those who took CHE 129 and CHE 130), submit your enrollment request.
If you are trying to enroll in CHE 132, and you are enrolled in MAT 126 or a higher-level MAT course, submit your enrollment request.
You must have received a letter grade of C or Higher in CHE 129 OR 131 in order to take CHE 132.
If you have PNC a course, a P is not a letter grade & does not allow you to get into the course.
We deregister students during the summer for fall & during the winter for spring courses. We also deregister students who fail to attend the first labs. We often have many students on waitlist and our courses are almost always full. We deregister students who have not? obtained the minimum required grade of C in any of our prerequisite courses. If you are taking the course at another institution during winter or summer, we cannot hold a spot for you. You must follow the, “What do I do if I took my pre- and/or co-requisite course(s) at another school?” procedure. If you are taking the course at SBU, you should obviously not have been deregistered & please contact the main office 2-7880.
NOTE: We offer our CHE 131, 133, 132, 134, 312, 321, 322 AND 327 every summer. Please view this website for summer info: http://www.stonybrook.edu/summer/
NOTE: The Registrar’s website has all schedules and other useful information. Please be proactive if you want to plan your fall and spring schedules. Most Chemistry sequences offer the first part of the sequence in the fall semester and the second part in the spring semester. If you are ‘off sequence,’ you will need to wait until the following fall in order to take the first part of the sequence. Please view: http://www.stonybrook.edu/registrar/
For forms: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/registrar/forms/forms.php
If you completed a Chemistry course at another institution, first check to see if
the course is already evaluated for a Stony Brook course equivalency on the transfer
equivalency database website, https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/advising-transfer/_transferinfo/equivalencies/.
If the course you completed is not listed in the above website, or does not show as
an equivalent and you feel it should be deemed equivalent, please bring a syllabus
for the course you have taken, as well as a Transfer Course Evaluation Form filled
out with your information and the course information to the Chemistry Main office
(room 104 of the Chemistry Building). Blank Transfer Course Evaluation Forms can be picked up from Academic and Transfer Advising Services or from the metal container on the counter in the Main office. Once we have received those materials and evaluated your course we will contact
you. After the courses are evaluated by the Chemistry department, Stony Brook equivalents
for your pre- and/or co-requisite courses will be entered into the SOLAR system, allowing
you to register for higher level courses. Courses for which the department has deemed
equivalent to prerequisites will be entered as ‘CHE XXX PQ,’ visible on the top of
the unofficial transcript. This enables you to enroll in courses that require the
entered courses as pre- and co-requisites. Note that transfer courses entered as ‘PQ’
do not indicate the transfer of credits, only the validity of the course as a prerequisite
This process may take two or more weeks, and you will be notified by email when the
form is ready to be picked up. The completed forms should then be brought to Academic
and Transfer Advising Services to be posted on your record.
Students that want to register for a course for the second time no longer need advisor
retake permission. However, priority registration is given to first-time takers through
August 15 for fall classes and January 15 for spring classes. If the course is high
demand controlled access, there is a likelihood that seats will not be available during
the academic year for retakes. In this case, students are encouraged to retake these
classes during the summer.
If you are taking CHE 129 for a second time:
- a) You must be registered in MAT 123 & CHE 130 again.
b) If you got a c or higher in MAT 123 then you MUST take CHE 131, not CHE 129.
If you would like to take a course for the third time, you will need to submit a petition to the Committee on Academic Standing and Appeals.
To petition to take a course a third time,
— Submit a detailed plan to the Department of Chemistry, describing specifically what
you will do differently in order to obtain a satisfactory grade. It is not adequate
to say, “I will study more, longer or harder.” Describe how your plan will be effective.
For example, provide us with a schedule of regular study periods and identify exactly
what you plan to do during those study periods;
— If your plan is approved by the Department of Chemistry, you will be provided with
a letter in support of your petition;
— Attach the letter of support from the Department of Chemistry to your petition and
submit it to the Committee on Academic Standing and Appeals in the Office of Undergraduate
Academic Affairs. You will be notified of their decision by mail.
PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ENROLLED IN A LAB COURSE, YOU MUST ATTEND THE
FIRST LECTURE AND LAB OR YOU MAY BE DEREGISTERED.
If the lab course you desire has a Solar waiting list, put your name on the list and
pay attention to your progress up the list. If classes have begun, attend the first
meetings of the lab and lab lecture and follow directions/instructions. Places vacated
by deregistered students will be given to those present and waiting in order to proximity
to graduation. (seniors first, then juniors, etc.)
CHE 133 and CHE 134
If the course is full, you must go to the first lab lecture, which is mandatory, for
a general introduction to the course. You must also report to Dr. Mohammad Akhtar
in room 213/215 of the Chemistry Building on the first day of the lab section in which
you would like to enroll. If you have U2-U4 student status, please bring documentation
that shows that status (an unofficial transcript). It will raise your priority for
admission to the course.
NOTE: Students who are enrolled but do not attend the check-in on the first day of lab will be deregistered. The vacated seats will then be made available to other students who would like be added into that section, based on seniority.
(1) Familiarity with the following concepts and techniques from CHE 133 is assumed
in CHE 134:
— Titration: use of buret, transfer pipet, end points, indicators, etc;
— Visible-UV spectroscopy: use of spectronic 20, Beer’s Law, absorbance, percent transmittance,
quantitative dilutions;
— Synthesis: percent yields, crystallization, gravity filtration, vacuum filtration;
— Analytical balance: weighing by difference;
— pH Meter: use of pH meter, calibration, maintenance of glass electrode;
— IR spectroscopy: use of IR for determining presence of organic groups;
— Melting points: use of melting points for purity verification, mixed melting points;
— Accuracy and Precision: averages, average deviations, percent deviation.
(2) Inexperienced students in a laboratory constitute a hazard to all those present
and a potential legal liability to the faculty. We cannot accept this extra risk so
students must take labs in sequence.
NOTE: We offer both CHE 133 DURING THE SUMMER & WINTER INTERSESSIONS AND CHE 134 DURING
THE SUMMER INTERSESSION.
CHE 322
You must have completed CHE 321 with a grade of C or higher in order to register.
Most of the recitations are full. If you can register for CHE 322 lecture wait list,
we will try to get you into the course. Please see Dr. Rong Chen.
We recommend that you see if you can adjust other courses in your schedule to be able to register for the afternoon lecture. You may attend a lecture section for which you are not registered, but your quizzes (clickers) will not be recorded or accepted. If you can register for the afternoon lecture, but the workshops don't fit your schedule, we will try to get you into the course. Please completely fill out the workshop change form available in the main office.
You must have received a letter grade of C or Higher in CHE 321 in order to take CHE 322.
If you have PNC a course, a P is not a letter grade & does not allow you to get into the course.
CHE 326
You must have completed CHE 321 with a grade of C or higher in order to register.
The morning section of this course is full. If you can register for CHE 326 lecture
wait list, we will try to get you into the course. Please go see Dr. Rong Chen.
We recommend that you see if you can adjust other courses in your schedule to be able to register for the afternoon lecture. You may attend a lecture section for which you are not registered, but your quizzes (clickers) will not be recorded or accepted. If you can register for the afternoon lecture, but the workshops don't fit your schedule, we will try to get you into the course. Please completely fill out the workshop change form available in the main office.
You must have received a letter grade of C or Higher in CHE 321 in order to take CHE 326.
If you have PNC a course, a P is not a letter grade & does not allow you to get into the course.
There is no waiting list on SOLAR for CHE 327, CHE 383 or CHE 384.
However, there is usually much activity on SOLAR during the open enrollment period.
The enrollment often changes. If you monitor it closely, you may be able to find a
seat if just after another student drops the course. If you still cannot register
by the time classes begin, you must go to the first lab lecture, which is mandatory,
for a general introduction to the course. You must also attend the first day meeting
of the lab section you would like to join, with a registration request form, which
can be downloaded from the course website FAQ page.
http://moya.ic.sunysb.edu/Class/orgolab/faqpage.htm.
NOTE: Students who are enrolled but do not attend the check-in on the first day of lab will be deregistered. The vacated seats will then be made available to other students who would like be added into that section, based on seniority (note that we consider post-graduate students at the same academic level as seniors). Check the Undergraduate Organic Laboratories website (http://moya.ic.sunysb.edu/Class/orgolab) for more course information.
https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/registrar/forms/forms.php
https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/registrar/forms/forms.php
instructor with whom you intend to work. Form is available in the chem. main office. After the instructor has signed the form, submit it to someone in the Department of Chemistry’s Main Office. You will be notified that you have received permission to register through SOLAR. Note: Copies of the form are available in the metal shelf container on the counter. Copies of a list of instructors and their areas of research are also available in the same container. (Pink Paper487pdf.pdf) (487Form487Form.pdf) The pink paper is for you to pick an advisor, the form is for you to print, obtain their signature & bring down to the main office to be given permission.
You need to fill out an “Undergraduate Teaching Practicum Permission Request Form” and have it signed by the appropriate instructor. Form is available in the chem. main office. After the instructor has signed the form, submit it to someone in the Department of Chemistry Main Office. You will be notified that you have received permission to register in CHE 475, CHE 476, or CHE 477, as appropriate, through SOLAR.
ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS:
ALL forms & registration issues must be completed before 4pm on the last day of the
add & drop period. If you have any issues getting into the courses before the last
day of the add & drop period, then you must speak with a general advisor in the Melville
library.
You need to check off the following waitlist box. If it looks like the figure1, it is incorrect, it should look like the figure2, but instead of a blue box, it will have a black checkmark. Being on a waitlist DOES NOT guarantee a spot in the class. We deregister students however that doesn’t allow for all on the waitlist to enter the course.
For any further information on chemistry courses (syllabus, course descriptions, etc.),
please visit the undergraduate course website section, keep in mind that a lot of
classes fill up quickly therefore go on the waitlist.
You can use our Course Equivalency Guide to find transferable courses at other schools
that can be applicable to major and general degree requirements at Stony Brook. The
direct Stony Brook equivalents will be posted on this page, if available. Call Academic
and Transfer Advising services at 631-632-7082 (Opt. 2) if you need assistance navigating
this page. Always confirm with the Chemistry department that the course you are taking
will be accepted toward the major BEFORE enrolling in the class.
To then transfer your credits to Stony Brook, please send final official transcripts to:
Academic and Transfer Advising Services
E-2360 Melville Library
Stony Brook, NY 11794-3353
Most of your general admissions questions can be answered on Stony Brook's Undergraduate Admissions main page . Specific information on cost and aid can be found here . You can also call Undergraduate Admissions at 631-632-6868.
We do not have admissions requirements specific to the Chemistry Major that differ from the general transfer admissions requirements. You can use our Course Equivalency Guide to find transferable courses at your school that may be applicable to major and degree requirements. The direct Stony Brook equivalents will be posted on this page. You can use this tool to see how your credits will transfer to Stony Brook. Call Academic and Transfer Advising services at 631-632-7082 (opt. 2) if you need assistance navigating this page.
This means that a course transferred from a community college has been evaluated as equivalent to an upper division Chemistry course (ex. CHE 321). This course will be treated as equivalent to the upper division course for the major, but the credits will not be included in the count for the 39 general upper division credits needed for your Stony Brook University degree.
Faculty are always available during office hours to give extra help with information covered during class time, and the Academic Success and Tutoring Center offers tutoring and academic success services free of charge to all Stony Brook undergraduates.
(Revised: November 2019)