Advising information for undergraduate students
For questions about course registrations and submission of request forms (departmental, FAS and lab exemptions), please contact Lisa Montesano, the undergraduate program assistant, at chemistry.reception@concordia.ca
For questions about course selection, program progress and other advising issues, please contact Dr. Gregor Kos, the undergraduate student advisor, at chembiochem.advising@concordia.ca.
To book an appointment with the Undergraduate Advisor, please use the online booking form.
For any Co-op and C.Edge inquiries, please contact Dr. Xavier Ottenwaelder at dr.x@concordia.ca or you can go to the following pages:
Welcome to all new students! For your interest, please see departmental student orientation presentation which contains helpful information as you start your studies here at Concordia. For the presentation by Student Academic Services, please go to the FAS Touchstone page.
The following are links to summary documents describing, for each program:
- The required courses with an indication of when they are offered
- Typical sequences followed by program students
- To help you plan your schedule, we have created a fill-in form
- A flowchart showing the prerequisite sequences
Scheduling your courses is your responsibility. You are encouraged to meet with an advisor to discuss your program and course selections, please prepare for the meeting using the appropriate checklist.
Biochemistry checklist
Chemistry checklist
Graduation requirements
Departmental
Student requests handled by the Department:
- Add or remove a Minor
- Change program (Major, Specialization or Honours)
- Change to Chemistry or Biochemistry from another Science department (student remains in BSc)
IMPORTANT
Honours: Acceptable standing, GPA of 3.3 or higher in program courses and overall; 24 Concordia credits completed.
Specialization: Acceptable standing, GPA of 2.0 or higher in program courses; 24 Concordia credits completed.
(To change to a program given by another department, students must see an advisor in that department.)
Fill in a departmental student request form
- Request a lab exemption if you are repeating a course taken no more than 2 years ago for which you passed the lab component (policy).
Please note. There are strict deadlines for applications from registered students because labs start in the second week of term:
- Summer term courses: May
- Fall term courses: September
- Winter term courses: January
- *Note the deadline for Fall 2024 is Friday, September 6th at 4pm. Once completed, please send form to chemistry.reception@concordia.ca.
- Summer term courses: May
Fill in a departmental lab exemption request form.
Please make sure you do not e-mail a blank form!
Faculty
All other student requests are handled by the Faculty of Arts and Science, but require a departmental advisor's signature for processing. See the faculty web site.
Please make sure to include all required information as per the checklist on the form, including a detailed letter of explanation. Send all your requests (departmental, lab exemption and faculty) to the departmental office at chemistry.reception@concordia.ca.
If you think you have done one or more program courses elswhere, which have not been added during admission, visit the transfer page. You must also include lab information and a list of lab experiments, for a Concordia course with a lab.
Return the form and supporting materials to the departmental office at chemistry.reception@concordia.ca.
CHEM 419 (Independent Study) or CHEM 450 (Honours Thesis)
If you are Chemistry student, choose one of these two options:
CHEM 419 (CHEMISTRY SPECIALIZATION)
If you are a Biochemistry student, choose one of these two options:
CHEM 419 (BIOCHEMISTRY SPECIALIZATION)
Most professors in the Department require students taking their courses to attend a seminar and take a Moodle quiz about plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty: we call this “CHEM 101”.
Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty
The academic code of conduct can be found in of the University Calendar. Any form of unauthorized collaboration, cheating, copying or plagiarism which are suspected will be reported, and the appropriate sanctions applied.
The seminar the Department offers is a clear and fair opportunity to learn what our faculty regards as academic misconduct. Failure to take part in this learning opportunity and thus ignorance of these regulations is no excuse and will not result in a reduced sanction in any case where academic misconduct is observed.
The Academic Code for students taking chemistry or biochemistry courses
As part of most courses given by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, you are required to:
- Attend a Chemistry and Biochemistry seminar on the academic conduct code and the appropriate use of information sources. One or several are given around the second or third week of each term.
- Pass the Moodle CHEM 101 22xx quiz associated with this seminar (note: the passing grade for the quiz is 100%).
Note: This is NOT the University's quiz you may have done on your Student Hub. This is also NOT the quiz in the “Academic Integrity” link offered in the top menu on every Moodle site. The correct quiz is at the bottom of the specialized Moodle site created by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (CHEM 101 22xx), and you cannot take it until after you have attended a CHEM 101 seminar.
The aim of this seminar is to clarify the academic conduct code in terms of what practices will be considered unacceptable with regards to work submitted for grading in Chemistry and Biochemistry courses. You are only exempt from CHEM 101, if you have completed both the seminar and the quiz within the past five years. If this is the case, you will find your ID number on the compliance list. It is updated towards the end of each term. Open the file and make sure that you are looking at the file time period that ends with the term before the current term (for example, if you are wondering whether you must take CHEM 101 for a course in Summer 2024, the file should read “S2019 - W2024”). If your ID number is not on the list, you are required to repeat the seminar and/or quiz. If the file shows an older term period, you either are looking to soon, or you need to clear your browser data and try again. If your ID is there but you did not get 100% on the quiz, see items 8 and 9 in the FAQ below.
This short seminar (less than 1 hour) will be held at the following times and locations. Note that late-comers will not be admitted.
*THE SIGN-UP PROCEDURE FOR WINTER 2025 WILL BE COMMUNICATED BY E-MAIL TO ALL SUMMER STUDENTS*
| Date (WINTER 2025) | Time | Place |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, January 28th | 21:00 - 22:00 | zoom - online |
| Thursday, January 30th |
21:00 - 22:00 | zoom - online |
| SUMMER 2025 TBA in April |
If you do not complete this course requirement, at the discretion of your professor, your final grade for the course may be lowered by as much as one full letter grade with an incomplete notation until such time as this requirement is completed. Please refer to the undergraduate calendar and the FAQ below for details on removal of an incomplete notation.
**The WINTER 2025 quiz closes at 23:55 on Sunday, February 16, 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
- I keep trying the quiz but I can never get 11/11. Is there something I am doing wrong, or is there a bug in the quiz?
You have probably not read any of the warnings (and there are several) about questions with two acceptable answers. For such questions you must select both these answers to get full marks. It is possible to check more than one box.
- When I finished the quiz, I think it told me I got 11/11 but now I am no longer sure. Is there any way I can check my mark?
Yes, just go back to the quiz and you can view the record of your score(s) and even your answers, with the feedback, at each attempt.
- The grade I got in my CHEM course is much lower than I expected. Is it because I did not get 100% on the quiz?
Possibly, but you would also have received an INC notation if that was the issue. There may be many other reasons, so please check with your course instructor/professor.
- I got 10.7/11 on the quiz. Surely that is good enough?
No, it is not. If it is a CHEM course requirement, you have to get 100%. The consequences of a misunderstanding of what is, and what is not, permitted under the University's Academic Code of Conduct can be very serious. We want to make sure you know all the rules.
- I received an INC grade on my transcript last term because I had not attended the seminar. What must I do to get it removed?
You will have a chance to attend one of a number of seminars in the coming term. You must attend one, and inform your professor when you have done so. You will also have to apply for a "late completion grade" at Registrar's Services (Birks Student Service Centre, online form at this link: scroll down to the "late completion (INC)' entry on the site): your Professor(s) cannot put through a grade change unless you have completed this formality (which will cost $30 per course). Check the deadlines, which are reproduced below from the University calendar: it may already be too late. If so, see question 7 below.
- I received an INC grade on my transcript last term because I had not done the quiz. What must I do to get it removed?
You must get yourself registered to do the quiz: contact Prof. H.M. Muchall, but read first question 9 below. Then, do the quiz as soon as possible, and inform your Professor when you have achieved 100% (11/11). You will also have to apply for a "late completion grade" at Registrar's Services (Birks Student Service Centre, online form at this link: scroll down to the "late completion (INC)" entry on the site): your Professor(s) cannot put through a grade change unless you have completed this formality (which will cost $30 per course). Check the deadlines in question 5 above: it may already be too late. If so, see question 7 below.
- I only just noticed that I got an INC on my transcript, and the deadline for late completion has passed. What can I do now?
You will have to get permission from the Faculty of Arts and Science (Student Services) before Registrar's Services will allow you to apply late for a "late completion grade". Contact Prof. H.M. Muchall to request teh details to prepare an Arts and Science Student Request (you must not try to submit a student request yourself).
- I did the seminar and quiz a year ago. Must I do them again?
No, you have to have done both within the last five years. In that case, you can find your student ID on this regularly updated list, with a blank entry under "quiz". If your "quiz" entry is not blank, you attempted the quiz but did not pass it (you did not get 100%), and you will have to do the quiz again: see question 9 below. You will also have to retake the seminar, if your CHEM 101 attempt dates more than one term back. If you are not on this list, then you've lost track of time, and you did it more than five years ago. In that case, you will also have to do both seminar and quiz again. Remember to make sure you are working with the correct posted compliance list: open the file and check the time period. It must end with the term before the current term (for example, if you are wondering whether you must take CHEM 101 for a course in Summer 2024, the file should read “S2019 - W2024”).
- I did the seminar in a previous term, but not the quiz, and now I cannot access it. What must I do?
The quiz always closes at the quiz deadline. You should e-mail Prof. H.M. Muchall who can confirm that you attended the seminar in the previous term and then register you for the quiz. If you attended the seminar earlier than the previous term, you first must repeat the seminar before you receive quiz access. Please be sure to include your student ID number in your e-mail.
- I have forgotten if I already did the seminar and/or quiz. How can I find out?
If you cannot remember whether you did these, you probably cannot remember what was covered either and should probably do them again! But see question 8 above on how to find out.
- I am an engineering student taking one pre-requisite CHEM course. Surely I do not have to do the seminar and quiz?
Oh yes, you do!
Deadlines for late-completion application (read the list entries: if your CHEM course was in the Fall, the deadline to apply for late-completion is the following Feb.1):
Fall term: February 1st
Winter term: May 15th
Summer term: September 1st
Advanced course assignments rotate between faculty and are not given every academic year.
For additional details on time and location, please consult the Class Schedules
FALL 2025
**CHEM 427/629 POLYMER CHEMISTRY AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
Prerequisites: The following courses must be completed previously: CHEM 222. If perquisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required.
This course introduces some basic aspects of polymer chemistry with an emphasis on polymer synthesis. Various methods are discussed, including classical step growth, free radical, and ring opening polymerization; and other more recent methods such as living anionic, living cationic, and living controlled/radical polymerization. Additionally, the design and development of functional polymers as building blocks to develop nanomaterials for bio‑related applications, particularly drug delivery applications, are presented. Other topics may include amphiphilic block copolymers, self‑assembly, micellar nanocarriers, cellular imaging, multifunctional drug delivery, cross‑linked nanogels/hydrogels, materials science, and biomedical engineering. Students who have received credit for this topic under a CHEM 498 number may not take this course for credit.
CHEM 498/650 Environmental Fate Modeling and Risk Assessment of Chemical Contaminants
Prerequisites: CHEM 234 and 235 (or CHEM 206 and permission of the instructor)
Quantitative approaches are needed to address the growing concern about contamination of the environment by “man-made” chemicals. Built upon equilibrium partitioning and kinetically controlled mass transfer processes of chemicals between gaseous, liquid, and solid phases, various mass balance models used to quantitatively describe processes and impact of chemical contaminants in the environment will be introduced. The underlying concepts and mechanisms of the model simulations are delivered in an intuitive fashion rather than by following rigorous mathematics involved (math beyond that in the introductory chemistry courses or computer programming is NOT required). The course aims to provide hands-on experience on building, evaluating, and using various modeling tools to assess environmental fate and risk of chemical contaminants. Knowledge and skills gained from this course are widely used in chemical industry and regulatory agencies to assure environmental safety of chemical products in the market as well as in cutting-edge environmental research. Such applications of environmental fate modeling and risk assessment will be demonstrated with concrete examples. The course is targeted not only for students who are trained to become environmental professionals but also for those who are interested in characterizing environmental fate and risk of chemicals they use or synthesize.
CHEM 498/630 ORGANIC SEMICONDUCTORS
Prerequisites: Open to all Science and Engineering Students with a minimum of 45 University credits (not including Science Profile courses) or permission of the Department
This course covers conjugated organic materials (small molecules and polymers), which are employed as semiconductors in organic and hybrid electronics. We will mainly deal with the structural, (opto-)electronic and electrical properties of organic semiconductors and their application as active materials in (flexible) organic electronics. This includes light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), solar cells, transistors, sensors, etc. Furthermore, the fundamentals of organic conductors as well as modern thin-film processing and characterization techniques (for structural, electronic, optical, and electrical properties) are covered. We will focus on the current literature and novel developments in this field.
##CHEM 498/670 BIOSYNTHESIS
Prerequisites: CHEM 324, 375
Focusing on compounds with historical and medicinal value, this course will examine the biosynthesis of complex organic molecules by bacteria, fungi, plants and animals.
Students may not take both this course and 498/670 - Secondary metabolism for credit.
## 400 - LEVEL BIOCHEMISTRY COURSES
**ORGANIC REPLACEMENT
WINTER 2026
CHEM 412/612 ANALYTICAL SEPARATIONS
Prerequisites: CHEM 218, 312
High performance liquid separations on an analytical (non-preparative) scale are surveyed. Fundamental separation mechanisms and application of the techniques are discussed. Emphasis is placed on capillary electrophoretic separations of biologically relevant analytes which include peptides, proteins and nucleic acids.
**CHEM 424/624 ORGANIC SYNTHESIS
Prerequisites: CHEM 222, 235, 324
This course is concerned with synthetic strategy and design. Applications of modern synthetic methods and reagents are exemplified by synthesis of natural products, peptides, nucleic acids, and novel chemotherapeutic agents.
CHEM 498/650 NANOMATERIALS CHARACTERIZATION
Prerequisites: 30 credits in CHEM, including CHEM 293 or 335
This course covers state-of-the-art nanomaterials physical characterization techniques including but not limited to: dynamic light scattering, transmission and scanning electronic microscopies (size and morphology), X-ray powder and electron diffraction (crystallinity and phase identification), Fourier transform/attenuated total reflectance infrared, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies (surface chemical state and chemical composition), differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis (polymorphism, moisture content and weight loss), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis (surface area), nuclear magnetic resonance (chemical bonding and nuclei interactions). Lectures only and laboratory demonstrations.
##CHEM 498/670 – PROTEIN STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND DYNAMICS
Prerequisite: CHEM 271, 375
Our knowledge of protein structural principles has exploded over the past 30 years. We have now solved over 100,000 protein structures using techniques such as X-ray crystallography and NMR. More recently, we have gained a deeper understanding of dynamic aspects of proteins in aqueous environments: how proteins adopt multiple conformations in solution through inherent flexibilities in the polypeptide backbone and amino acid side chains. This course will focus on advanced aspects of the interplay between protein structure, function and dynamics. Topics will include (among others): protein secondary and tertiary structure; characteristic protein fold motifs; energetics of protein folding and unfolding; dynamics of the folded state; domain motions involved in protein function; experimental approaches to determining protein structure and dynamics (e.g., X-ray crystallography, NMR, spectroscopic approaches, etc.); intrinsically disordered proteins. As an advanced course, there will also be a major focus on recent literature related to lecture topics covered.
## 400-LEVEL BIOCHEMISTRY COURSES
**ORGANIC REPLACEMENT
Request latest outlines from all faculty for all courses listed in the Academic Calendar and CHEM 498 courses (past and current)
Course No: Course Title:
CHEM 203 Forensic Analysis
CHEM 205 General Chemistry I
CHEM 206 General Chemistry II
CHEM 208 Chemistry in our Lives
CHEM 209 Discovering Biotechnology
CHEM 212 Analytical Chemistry for Biologists
CHEM 217 Introductory Analytical Chemistry I - GK
CHEM 217 Introductory Analytical Chemistry I - YG
CHEM 218 Introductory Analytical Chemistry II
CHEM 221 Introductory Organic Chemistry I
CHEM 222 Introductory Organic Chemistry II
CHEM 234 Thermodynamics
CHEM 235 Physical Chemistry II: Kinetics of Chemical Reactions
CHEM 241 Inorganic Chemistry I: Intro to Periodicity and Valence Theory
CHEM 242 Inorganic Chemistry II: The Chemistry of the Main Group Elements
CHEM 271 Biochemistry I
CHEM 293 Spectroscopy and Structure of Organic Compounds
CHEM 298 (203) Forensic Analysis
CHEM 312 Intermediate Analytical Chemistry
CHEM 324 Organic Chemistry III: Organic Reactions
CHEM 325 Organic Chemistry IV: Organic Structure and Stereochemistry
CHEM 333 Introduction to Quantum Theory
CHEM 341 Inorganic Chemistry III: The Transition Metals
CHEM 375 Biochemistry II
CHEM 424 Organic Synthesis
CHEM 425 Nucleic Acid Chemistry
CHEM 426 Reactive Intermediates
CHEM 427 Advanced Topic in Chemistry - Polymer Chemistry and Nanotechnology
CHEM 431 Computational Chemistry for Chemists and Biochemists
CHEM 443 Organometallic Chemistry
CHEM 451 Nanochemistry
CHEM 470 Environmental Biochemistry
CHEM 477 Advanced Laboratory in Biochemistry
CHEM 495 Advanced Molecular Characterization
CHEM 498 Noncovalent Interactions
CHEM 498 Green Chemistry
CHEM 498 Chemical Biology of Natural Products
CHEM 498U Advanced Bioanalytical Chemistry
For further information and accessing services and academic resources for students, please see the following list:
· Concordia Undergraduate Biochemistry, Chemistry and Physics Society (Cubcaps)
· Student Academic Services
· Departmental Advisors
· Student Success Centre
· Access Centre for Students with Disabilities
· Counselling
· Academic Dates
· Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Calendar
· Birks Student Center
· Financial Aid and Awards
· International Students Office