The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry will accept undergraduate transfer course work carrying grades of A, B, C or Pass (if Pass does not include D work) from other accredited institutions. This coursework may be applied towards the requirements for a major or a minor in chemistry or biochemistry.
For the major, a minimum of 16 credit hours in upper division chemistry courses required must be completed at the University of Oregon.
For the minor, a minimum of 12 credit hours in chemistry and biochemistry must be completed at the University of Oregon.
Transfer students are encouraged to meet with a faculty advisor or schedule a visit before enrolling.
Departmental Advising & Support
Transfer Credit Articulation for Chemistry and Biochemistry Courses
Course-specific and general information regarding transferring credits to the University of Oregon is available on the Registrar’s Website – see the Transfer Course Equivalencies Lookup.
For study abroad courses, use the Global Education Oregon Course Equivalencies tool.
Organic Chemistry Transfer Credit from 200- to 300-Level
Community college credits for Organic Chemistry courses are articulated as 200-level Science credit at the UO. Additionally, some universities teach organic chemistry as lower-division courses. These will also be transferred as 200-level Science courses.
To receive 300-level credit, a student must have:
- taken the American Chemical Society (ACS) Organic Chemistry exam at their community college and received a placement score above the 50th percentile.
- received grades of C or better in all terms of their Organic Chemistry courses.
The ACS score must be verified in writing from the instructor. The instructor can directly email the information to Mike Koscho, koscho@uoregon.edu. Alternatively, a signed letter from the instructor (on official letterhead) can be dropped off in the Chemistry and Biochemistry office, 91 Klamath Hall (Attn: Leah O’Brien).
If the ACS exam was not offered at the student’s previous institution, CH and BIC majors/minors should contact Mike Koscho and he can provide exceptions so that the course fulfills the organic chemistry degree requirement (these will be added as exceptions on your degree guide, not as direct transfer equivalents). Students that are not CH or BIC majors should speak to their major advisor regarding adding exceptions to the degree guide.
BI 281H/282H and BI 211-214
Current or transfer students that are declaring the Biochemistry major, and already have Biology coursework, can ask for an exception for BI 211-214 to count toward their BI 281H and BI 282H Biochemistry degree requirements. This may also be an option for Biochemistry majors that do not meet the prereqs for BI 281H. Students should contact our Faculty Advisor, Mike Koscho, to request an exception to their degree guide.
Requesting Transfer Credit Evaluation
If your Chemistry or Biochemistry transfer courses need to be evaluated, fill out the Chemistry Transfer Credit Evaluation Request Form to request an evaluation by the department. You will need to include a course description or course syllabus with your form submission. Many institutions have these documents available on their websites.