Undergraduate Programs

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Send us your questions, and we will use them to assemble a list of things you want to know.  We hope to make this page useful for all our students.  Here is one place where there really are no dumb questions!  Send your questions to chemoff@uidaho.edu and you might see them here!

1.  Where is the Chemistry office?

The main chemistry office can be found in Renfrew Hall, Room 116.  Walk in and you will see the staff through a window.  They are happy to help!
 

2.  I'd like to visit the UI and check out the chemistry department. Who should I contact?

We encourage prospective undergraduate students to come for a visit, talk with an advisor, and perhaps sit in on a typical first year course. When calling to schedule an appointment (208-885-6552), please be sure to mention whether you would like to visit a lecture so that we can coordinate your appointment time with an appropriate class time.  You can also contact us by email: chemoff@uidaho.edu

3.   How do I declare a chemistry major?

See the section on “Declaring a Major” on the website.

4.  I'm having trouble registering for the courses I want. What do I do now?

There can be a hundred reasons why you can’t register for a course or courses.  You might owe the school some money, you might not meet prerequisites for the course, you might not have an address on file, or you might be transferring into UI and all your courses from other schools are not yet in the database.  Sometimes it's as simple as you've just pushed the wrong button!  In most cases, the online registration system works very well and we all love it, but that isn’t always the situation.

So what to do if you can’t do what you want or you are confused about what is going on?  Go to your advisor and ask for help.  At least call or send email.  We can override many things that can cause your registration to fail, but we can’t do it if we don’t know about your problems.  If you bring us proof (text, syllabus, etc.) that a course you took at another school matches a course listed as a prereq here, we can often override the prerequisite block.  Believe it or not, we are here to help so give us a try. 

5.   What about Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry? 

Chemists typically deal with the invention, investigation, and synthesis of chemical transformations on small scales, whereas chemical engineers deal with the scale-up of chemical processes to large-scale production levels. Chemical engineers are also concerned with the economics of the scale-up process.  Degrees in Chemical Engineering at UI are offered through the College of Engineering.

Students will find that biochemistry and biology have a great deal in common, whereas chemistry requires more math and chemistry, no biology or genetics, and very little biochemistry.  There can be a lot of chemistry in biochemistry, but hardly any biology in chemistry.  As a result, chemists are exposed to more chemistry than biochemists, but biochemists see more biology.  At UI, degrees in biochemistry are found in the MMBB program offered through the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.