Enrollment Information

Chemistry Lab Policies

General Department Policies 

Bachelor of Science in Chemistry

Resources

Additional Questions?


Enrollment Information

Add/Drop/Change(Lab Courses):  

The deadline to add/drop/change Chemistry lab courses is Week 1 by 5:00PM. Please note this is earlier than the School of Physical Sciences deadline. See additional Chemistry lab policies below. 

Add/Drop(Non-Lab Courses):  

The deadline to add/drop non-lab Chemistry courses is the end of Week 2 by 5:00PM. 

Major restrictions:

Many Chemistry courses are initially restricted to the following majors: Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Nursing Science, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Physical Science, Public Health Sciences, and Undecided/Undeclared.

The following Fall 2022 Chemistry classes are initially restricted to Chemistry majors: 1A, 1X, 1LD, M2A, M2LA, 51A, M52LA, 132A ,152

  • Fall 2023: Major restrictions will be lifted on Wednesday, September 20 by 12:00pm
  • Winter 2024: Major restrictions will be lifted on Wednesday, December 20 by 12:00pm
  • Spring 2024: Major restrictions will be lifted on Wednesday, March 20 by 12:00pm

New Only Reserved (NOR):

The number of class seats reserved for new students only. (Incoming Freshman & Incoming Transfers) 

  • Fall 2023: New only status will be lifted on Tuesday, September 5 by 12:00pm. 

Prerequisites:

If you don't meet the prerequisites for a chemistry course, you will be dropped from the course by the Chemistry Department.

Prerequisite Clearance:

If you satisfied your prerequisites at another institution, please email chemistry@uci.edu with your UCI NetID and any necessary transcipt.  

Repeat Students:

Students interested in repeating a Chemistry class will be restricted from enrolling. Repeat restrictions will be lifted on the following dates: 

  • Fall 2023 quarter: Tuesday, September 26 by 12:00pm
  • Winter 2024 quarter: The Repeat Restriction will not be lifted for Chem 1B on 1/8/24 at noon, the department plans to keep the repeat restriction on until further notice. All other courses will not be affected by this change. 
  • Spring 2024 quarter: Monday, April 1 by 12:00pm

No authorization is required if you need to retake one component of a course. Webreg recognizes when you have satisfied the co-requisite if the passing grade is on your UCI transcript. 

  • For example, if you took Chem 1C/1LC in spring at UCI and did not pass Chem 1C and passed Chem 1LC. Once the repeat restriction is lifted you are able to enroll in Chem 1C (without Chem 1LC) in Fall. 

Please note repeat policies are different for Summer Session, please see Summer Session Policies for details.

Courses with Multiple Components:

Many Chemistry classes require concurrent enrollment in a Lecture, Discussion and/or Laboratory. Please check the schedule of classes and your class schedule to ensure you are enrolled in all parts of a course. If you are not enrolled in all parts of a course you will be dropped from the class or receive a NR for the portion of the course you are enrolled in.

Chemistry Lab Policies:

  • Attendance for week 1 is mandatory.
  • Students will not be able to add or drop a Chemistry laboratory after week 1. Please note this deadline is earlier than the School of Physical Sciences week 2 deadline.
  • Chemistry laboratory fees are non-ref29dable. If you are enrolled in a Chemistry Laboratory after week 1 you will be charged a lab fee and are responsible for paying the fee. 
  • Directions on how to purchase lab supplies can be found on the Required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Undergraduate Chemistry Labs flyer. Please refer to the course syllabus for specific PPE requirements.

The following classes have a laboratory fee:

  • Chem 1LC-LD-LE: $50 per student
  • Chem H2LA-LB-LC: $50 per student
  • Chem M2LA-LB-LC: $50 per student
  • Chem M3LC: $100 per student
  • Chem 51LB-LC-LD: $75 per student
  • Chem H52LA-LB-LC: $75 per student
  • Chem M52LA-LB-LC: $75 per student
  • Chem 107L: $75 per student
  • Chem 128L: $75 per student
  • Chem 133L (formerly Chem 170): $50 per student
  • Chem 137: $50 per student
  • Chem 138: $50 per student
  • Chem 152: $100 per student
  • Chem 153: $100 per student
  • Chem 156: $75 per student
  • Chem 160: $100 per student
  • Chem 177L: $75 per student (collected by Pharmaceutical Sciences)

Pregnancy in Chemistry Labs:

UC Irvine does not discriminate against any student on the basis of pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions. Absences due to medical conditions relating to pregnancy will be excused for as long as deemed medically necessary by a student’s doctor and students will be given the opportunity to make up missed work. Students needing accommodations can seek assistance from the Disabilities Services Center at dsc@uci.edu or (949) 824-7494 or from the Title IX Office (the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity) at oeod@uci.edu or (949) 824-5594.  

The Department of Chemistry and the Department of Environmental Health & Safety Risk Services ensure that each student’s exposure to hazardous chemicals falls within acceptable limits as determined by OSHA and Cal/OSHA.   However, if you are pregnant, there may be additional risks to consider and so we strongly encourage you to consult with your physician and the Disabilities Services Center at dsc@uci.edu or (949) 824-7494 before undertaking work in the laboratory.

General Department Policies 

Use of Lecture Time for Outside Activities 

  • The scheduled classroom time may only be used for activities that have direct relevance to the learning objectives of the course. It is appropriate for the instructor, teaching assistants, learning assistants and tutors formally assigned to the class to make announcements about the course logistics during the scheduled classroom time. However, the Department of Chemistry does not approve announcements that are not directly related to the course learning objectives, for example, announcements of campus events, club activities, political rallies, etc. Instructors should not grant requests for use of their classroom time for such announcements, even if they appear to be for a good cause. Announcements given in class without consent of the instructor are handled by the UCI Guidance Concerning Disruption of University Activities. (link to http://www.policies.uci.edu/policies/procs/900-23.php).

General Chemistry Common Final Exam

Disrupted Exam Policy 
Responsibility of the Instructors/Proctors – Safety First, Academic Integrity Second

  • Instructors should learn the location of the Evacuation Assembly Point (EAP) for their classroom at the beginning of the quarter. In the event that an examination or quiz is disrupted by a fire alarm, electrical outage, earthquake or another unpredictable incident, instructors must make whatever immediate decision seems appropriate to ensure the safety of the students. Instructors may take steps to maintain exam security only if the safety of students is being assured.

Responsibility of the Students – Safety and Academic Integrity

  • The students must remain calm and fully cooperate with the instructions by the instructors aimed at protecting their safety and exam security.  


Default Procedure for Exams Disrupted by Fire Alarms in Large Courses 

Unless otherwise stated by the instructors, fire alarms during exams in large classes will be handled in the following manner. Students who do not follow these instructions will receive a failing grade.

  1. Immediately stop working on the exam when the fire-alarm sounds
  2. Do not talk so that you can hear instructions from the instructor
  3. Leave your exam (and/or Scantron form) face down on your desk
  4. Collect your belongings at your seat and leave the room in orderly fashion as directed by the instructor. Depending on the circumstances, the instructor may ask you to leave behind your backpacks piled in front of the room as collecting them will produce a delay.
  5. Go to the Evacuation Assembly Point (EAP) designated in the building's evacuation plan and on building emergency evacuation signs and wait there
  6. Do not leave the EAP area until the officially scheduled time for the examination ends
  7. Do not discuss the exam nor communicate remotely with any devices while waiting in the EAP area
  8. If the fire alarm stops before the officially scheduled time for the examination ends you may be able to return to the room but only after instructed to do so by the instructor
  9. If no return to the exam is possible, the exams will be collected by the instructors
  10. The instructor will determine whether to reschedule the exam or how to grade the partially-completed exam

DSC Procedure for Disrupted Exams

  • Students taking the exam through DSC may receive amended instructions midway through the exam in order to insure that their accommodation is fair and consistent with the exam administered in the regular classroom.

Bachelor of Science in Chemistry

Resources

Additional Questions?

Please see the Chemistry Student Affairs FAQ: https://www.chem.uci.edu/ugradfaq 

If your question is not answered on the above website please email chemistry@uci.edu and if your request cannot be handled through email please contact chemistry@uci.edu to set up an appointment.