Chemistry, Associate of Science Degree in Science and Mathematics

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Chemistry, an option of the Associate of Science degree program in Science and Mathematics, prepares students for transfer into traditional bachelor’s degree programs in chemistry, as well as a variety of specialized programs at four-year colleges and universities. Chemistry graduates are employed in academic, industrial and clinical laboratories and in such fields as environmental science, chemical engineering and chemical sales.

The chemistry laboratories are fully equipped with modern equipment, including such instrumentation as pH meters, electronic balances, spectrophotometers and gas chromatographs. Computers are used in data acquisition and analysis.

Graduates are able to:

describe and apply current scientific principles and methodologies inherent to chemical research
describe the evolution of the models and theories pertaining to atomic structure and molecular bonding
use the theories and concepts of modern chemistry to analyze and solve problems in the field of chemistry
collect, analyze, and interpret quantitative data, using appropriate method and instrumentation
communicate the results of analyses, laboratory investigations and literature searches in an appropriate professional writing style

Raritan Valley Community College Associate of Arts (AA) and Associate of Science (AS) degree programs are designed to comply with the New Jersey Community Colleges General Education Foundation which supports transfer of courses to NJ Public four-year colleges and universities. Students who intend to transfer to a NJ college or university can further improve the transfer of courses by using the Recommended Transfer Program (RTP) feature in NJTransfer.org.

Curriculum – A.S. Degree

First Semester

ENGL 111 - English Composition I 3 Credits
CHEM 103 - General Chemistry I 4 Credits
MATH 112 - Precalculus I 3 Credits ¹
Social Science 3 Credits ²
Free Elective 1 Credit ³

Second Semester

ENGL 112 - English Composition II 3 Credits
MATH 113 - Precalculus II 3 Credits ¹
CHEM 104 - General Chemistry II 4 Credits
Humanities 3 Credits ²

Third Semester

MATH 151 - Calculus I 4 Credits
CHEM 211 - Organic Chemistry I 5 Credits
PHYS 101 - General Physics I 4 Credits or
PHYS 150 - Analytical Physics I 4 Credits ⁴
Humanities or Social Science 3 Credits ²

Fourth Semester

MATH 152 - Calculus II 4 Credits
CHEM 212 - Organic Chemistry II 5 Credits
PHYS 102 - General Physics II 4 Credits or
PHYS 151 - Analytical Physics II 4 Credits ⁴
Science (lab) 4 Credits ³,^5,6

Total Credits 60

¹ Mathematics by official placement. Students who place directly into MATH 151 Calculus I should take two Mathematics courses in place of MATH 112 Precalculus I and MATH 113 Precalculus II . Choose from the following: MATH 110 Statistics I , MATH 152 Calculus II , MATH 254 Differential Equations , or MATH 256 Linear Algebra . Students who take at least 7 credits of Mathematics to replace MATH 112 Precalculus I and MATH 113 Precalculus II do not need to take a Free Elective.

² Select a course from the appropriate category of the General Education list.

³ Any college-level course except CHEM 102 Introduction to Chemistry or PHYS 112 Concepts of Physics .

⁴ Students are strongly encouraged to take the calculus-based Physics sequence (PHYS 150 Analytical Physics I and PHYS 151 Analytical Physics II ). MATH 151 Calculus I is a prerequisite for PHYS 150 Analytical Physics I .

⁵ Some transfer institutions require three semesters of Physics, in which case PHYS 250 Analytical Physics III should be taken.

⁶ Some transfer institutions require that both semesters of a two-semester lab science sequence be taken at the same school.