Undergraduate Research in the Chemistry Department

Enrollment procedure for CHEM 197, CHEM 199, and CHEM 199H:

CHEM 197 - Sophomore or Junior standing (45-134.9 units completed); you may enroll in 1-4 units per quarter; repeatable to 6 units

CHEM 199 - Senior standing (135 or more units completed); you may enroll in 1-4 units per quarter; repeatable to 9 units

CHEM 199H - Senior standing (135 or more units completed); minimum GPA of 3.00 in chemistry courses and in all university course work; you may enroll in 1-5 units per quarter; repeatable to 9 units

Each unit of enrollment is equivalent to 3 hours of work per week.

Enrollment into research courses requires the completion of one year of general chemistry (CHEM 001A, CHEM 001B, CHEM 001C), and usually one year of organic chemistry (CHEM 112A, CHEM 112B, CHEM 112C) with a good gpa (>2.0).

Getting started: Read about Undergraduate Research opportunities at

Undergraduate Research - Campus-Wide

Undergraduate Research in the College of Natural and Agricultural Science

Undergraduate Research - Through the Honors Program

Finding a Faculty Mentor 

Once you've decided to participate in Undergrad Research

• Check out the Chemistry Department website Faculty link for potential faculty mentors.

• Read faculty bio-sketches outlining various research projects. Make a list of the names, email addresses, phone numbers and room numbers of their laboratory or office. 

• Identify a few faculty and set up interviews with them - read about their general area of research and, if possible, a couple of their published papers before your meeting, contact them by phone or e-mail. Be sure the faculty member knows how to get in touch with you.

• Arrive at your faculty interview prepared to ask questions about the research of the laboratory, talk with other undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral students working in the lab you are trying to get in, if any are available.

• Bring an Enrollment Adjustment form with you to your meeting. Make sure you fill it out with your name, student identification number, major, quarter, year, college, number of units to be added. If you need to have this enrollment approved by your major academic advisor, please do so before your meeting. Enrollment Adjustment forms are available in the Chemistry Undergraduate Student Academic Affairs office (Physical Sciences I Building, Room 224); Office of the Registrar (1125 Hinderaker Hall), CNAS Undergraduate Student Academic Affairs office (1140 Batchelor Hall) and all other majors' Undergraduate Student Academic Affairs offices.

• When you and your mentor agree on a project and the number of units to be enrolled, have your mentor sign the Enrollment Adjustment form.

• Bring the signed Enrollment Adjustment form to Colleen Fleming in the Physical Sciences I Building, Room 224 and she will enroll you.

You cannot enroll yourself into an Undergraduate research course without written faculty permission. Students who enroll themselves without permission will be dropped.

• If you are turned down for a research project, don't take it personally as there are many reasons why a faculty member may deny your request; the current research projects may be different than the projects listed on the website, he/she may already have the maximum number of students, the hours you are available may not be convenient for the faculty mentor, etc.  

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