JUNE, 1947
COLLEGE CHEMISTRY PROGRAMS RICHARD B. CONKLIN Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New York
AT A time
when institutions of higher education are re-examining their curicular offerings, it is of interest to see what courses are now being offered in chemistry departments in the United States. For chemists the institutions of special interest are those accredited by the American Chemical Society Committee on the Professional Training of Chemists. For this survey the information was obtained from the bulletins of the institutions listed in Progress Report No. 11.' Technical institutions are omitted. Not all the bulletins of the liberal arts and science institutions , could he obtained. Paper shortages, printing difficulties, and the great demand f i r bulletins caused by record enrollments have all cut down on the availability of some bulletins for individuals and even for libraries. However, since 98 bulletins were available, the results from these should give a characteristic crosssection of current practices. The general chemistry and qualitative analysis courses offer, perhaps, the greatest opportunity for variety in treatment, and affect the greatest number of students in a department. Since the A. C. S. does not require qualitative analysis this work may he included in the general chemistry or quantitative analysis courses, or in both. This situation offers one possibility of condensing the rather extensive requirements for a chemistry major. The merits of either of these procedures or of a separate course in qualitative analysis will not be discussed here; rather the picture of current practices will be given. A number of auestions immediatelv come to mind: How are colleges treating the general chetnistry-qualitaChem. Eng. News, 23, 370-2 (1945).
I
tive analysis situation? Are they combining qualitative analysis with general chemistry, or with quantitative analysis, or both; or are they conducting separate courses in qualitative analysis? Are they requiring one term of qualitative work or are they requiring more? Are separate courses being given for the beginning students and those who took cliemistry in high school, or are the two groups being joined in the case of chemistry majors? Is an allowance being made for work done in high school by allowing qualified students to omit any of the work required for beginners? It was found that the general, chemistry-qualitative courses prescribed for chemistry majors fall into seven patterns, with variations, of which only three occur in any appreciable proportion. Institutions operating on a quarterly basis do not fit readily into these patterns and so have been grouped together under an eighth section. The number following each pattern indicate5 the number of iustitutions,employing that major plan of work. PA~ERNS I. 11. 111. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII.
1Year general + 1 Yeas qualitative.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . , 1Ygeneral + Year qualitative.. . . . . . . . . . . . . Year general + "/ Year qualitative.. . . . . . . . . . . 1 Year (general qud.) + I/, Year qualitative. . . . 1Year (gonerd qual.) -a ( Q d . qusnt.) . . . . . . 1Year (general qual.) -+ Quantitative.. . . .. . . . . . 1Year general i (qual. quant.). .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Three-quarter Datterns.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
+ + +
.
+
+ .
Total
11 44
2
2 3 20 2
14
98
for majors cutacross an different patterns the institution has been listed under
270
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
one main pattern, usually based upon the beginner, and the variation indicated. To condense the descriptions, "beg." has been used to indicate students with no previous chemical training; "good H.S." to indicate students with high chemistry grades from high school; "poor H.S." to indicate students whose chemical background is not superior; and "H.S." to indicate all students with high-school chemistry regardless of grade. The others are obvious. I.
I
111.
Year General + '/z Year Qual. A. Separate First-Year Courses for H.S. and Beginners None B. All First-Year Students Take Same Course 1. No essential variation 2 IV. 1 Year (General Qual.) -r I/, Year Qual. A . Separate Erst-Year Courses for H.S. and Beginners 1. Additional hours for beginners' course, 1 number depending upon ability B. All First-Year Students Take Same Course 1. No essential variation 1 1 year General -t 1 Year Qualitative V. 1 Year (General Qual.) + (Qual. Quant.) A . Separate First-Year Courses far'H.S. and Beginners 1 1. No essential variation A. Separate First-Year Courses for H.S. and Beginners 2. Qual. lab contains same physical chemistry 1 None 3. Good H.S. start with qual. if they pass an B All First-Year Students Take Same Course 1 examination 1. No essentitll variation 3 4. Poor H.S. take heginnerd course , 1 VI. 1 Year (General Qud.) Quantitative Total 4 A . Separate First-Year Courses for H.S. and Beginners B. All First-Year Students Take Same Course 1. No essential variation 1 1. No essential wristion 5 2. Poor H.S. take beginners' course 1 2. Special sections for beginners in first year 1 3. Poor H.S. take beginners' course. Less 3. Separate psrdlel course in chemical orienlah time for H.S. course 1 tation and lab work; first term qnal. Total = 3 contains some quant.; second term 1 q u d has no lectures R. All First-Year Students Take Same Course Total = 7 1. No essential variation 11 2. Normally offeroption of one term qual. for 1 Year General year Qualitative 1 second term containing qual. A . Seperhte First-Year Courses for H.S. and Beginners 3. Specid lab work for H.S. 1 1. No essential variation 3 4. Separate sections for H.S. 1 2. H.S. follow pattern VI 2 5. Qud. lab work bath t e r m for H.S. 1 3. H.S. follow pattern VI; two (generd m d 6. Beg. tske one extra class hour fist term 1 qual.) courses depending upon record 7. Beg. without high-school physics and 1 of students three years high-school math. take one 4. H.S. have alternate of separate third 1 extra. term general course in general v
