Undergraduate Program: Frequently Asked Questions

• Why can’t I enroll in CHE 129, CHE 131 or CHE 132? The recitation I want is still open, but when I try to enroll, I receive an error message.

  Check your error message carefully. Do you meet all of the course pre- and co-requisites?
  If so, try registering for your co-requisite MAT course first. Next, make sure that your chosen section, (both lecture and workshop times) does not conflict with anything on your existing schedule.

  CHE 129

  If you are trying to enroll in CHE 129 and you are enrolled in MAT 123, submit your enrollment request for CHE 129 and CHE 130 at the same time.
  *Please note, if you take CHE 129, you must also take CHE 130, an 0-credit course designed to help you to develop problem-solving skills.

  CHE 131

  If you are trying to enroll in CHE 131 and you are enrolled in MAT 125 or a higher-level MAT course, submit your enrollment request.

  CHE 132

  If you are trying to enroll in CHE 132 and you are enrolled in MAT 125 (those who took CHE 129 and CHE 130), submit your enrollment request.

  If you are trying to enroll in CHE 132, and you are enrolled in MAT 126 or a higher-level MAT course, submit your enrollment request.

  You must have received a letter grade of C or Higher in CHE 129 OR 131 in order to take CHE 132.
  If you have PNC a course, a P is not a letter grade & does not allow you to get into the course.

• Why was I deregistered from a course for which I was enrolled?

  We deregister students during the summer for fall & during the winter for spring courses. We also deregister students who fail to attend the first labs. We often have many students on waitlist and our courses are almost always full. We deregister students who have not? obtained the minimum required grade of C in any of our prerequisite courses. If you are taking the course at another institution during winter or summer, we cannot hold a spot for you. You must follow the, “What do I do if I took my pre- and/or co-requisite course(s) at another school?” procedure. If you are taking the course at SBU, you should obviously not have been deregistered & please contact the main office 2-7880.

  NOTE: We offer our CHE 131, 133, 132, 134, 312, 321, 322 AND 327 every summer. Please view this website for summer info: http://www.stonybrook.edu/summer/

  NOTE: The Registrar’s website has all schedules and other useful information. Please be proactive if you want to plan your fall and spring schedules. Most Chemistry sequences offer the first part of the sequence in the fall semester and the second part in the spring semester. If you are ‘off sequence,’ you will need to wait until the following fall in order to take the first part of the sequence. Please view: http://www.stonybrook.edu/registrar/

  For forms: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/registrar/forms/forms.php

• What do I do if I took my pre- and/or co-requisite course(s) at another school and the course does not have an equivalent listed on https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/advising/_transferinfo/course_eqiv?

  If you completed a Chemistry course at another institution, first check to see if the course is already evaluated for a Stony Brook course equivalency on the transfer equivalency database website, https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/advising/_transferinfo/course_eqiv.
  
  If the course you completed is not listed in the above website, or does not show as an equivalent and you feel it should be deemed equivalent, please bring a syllabus for the course you have taken, as well as a Transfer Course Evaluation Form filled out with your information and the course information to the Chemistry Main office (room 104 of the Chemistry Building).  Blank Transfer Course Evaluation Forms can be picked up from Academic and Transfer Advising Services or from the metal container on the counter in the Main office. Once we have received those materials and evaluated your course we will contact you. After the courses are evaluated by the Chemistry department, Stony Brook equivalents for your pre- and/or co-requisite courses will be entered into the SOLAR system, allowing you to register for higher level courses. Courses for which the department has deemed equivalent to prerequisites will be entered as ‘CHE XXX PQ,’ visible on the top of the unofficial transcript. This enables you to enroll in courses that require the entered courses as pre- and co-requisites. Note that transfer courses entered as ‘PQ’ do not indicate the transfer of credits, only the validity of the course as a prerequisite
  
  This process may take two or more weeks, and you will be notified by email when the form is ready to be picked up. The completed forms should then be brought to Academic and Transfer Advising Services to be posted on your record. 
  

• What do I do if I want to repeat a course?

  Students that want to register for a course for the second time no longer need advisor retake permission.  However, priority registration is given to first-time takers through August 15 for fall classes and January 15 for spring classes.  If the course is high demand controlled access, there is a likelihood that seats will not be available during the academic year for retakes.  In this case, students are encouraged to retake these classes during the summer.
  
  If you are taking CHE 129 for a second time:

  1. a) You must be registered in MAT 123 & CHE 130 again. 
     
     b) If you got a c or higher in MAT 123 then you MUST take CHE 131, not CHE 129.

  If you would like to take a course for the third time, you will need to submit a petition to the Committee on Academic Standing and Appeals.

  To petition to take a course a third time,
  — Submit a detailed plan to the Department of Chemistry, describing specifically what you will do differently in order to obtain a satisfactory grade. It is not adequate to say, “I will study more, longer or harder.” Describe how your plan will be effective. For example, provide us with a schedule of regular study periods and identify exactly what you plan to do during those study periods;
  — If your plan is approved by the Department of Chemistry, you will be provided with a letter in support of your petition;
  — Attach the letter of support from the Department of Chemistry to your petition and submit it to the Committee on Academic Standing and Appeals in the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs. You will be notified of their decision by mail.

• What do I do if I want to get into a lab course?

  PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ENROLLED IN A LAB COURSE, YOU MUST ATTEND THE FIRST LECTURE AND LAB OR YOU MAY BE DEREGISTERED.
  If the lab course you desire has a Solar waiting list, put your name on the list and pay attention to your progress up the list. If classes have begun, attend the first meetings of the lab and lab lecture and follow directions/instructions. Places vacated by deregistered students will be given to those present and waiting in order to proximity to graduation. (seniors first, then juniors, etc.)

  CHE 133 and CHE 134
  If the course is full, you must go to the first lab lecture, which is mandatory, for a general introduction to the course. You must also report to Dr. Mohammad Akhtar in room 213/215 of the Chemistry Building on the first day of the lab section in which you would like to enroll. If you have U2-U4 student status, please bring documentation that shows that status (an unofficial transcript). It will raise your priority for admission to the course.

  NOTE: Students who are enrolled but do not attend the check-in on the first day of lab will be deregistered. The vacated seats will then be made available to other students who would like be added into that section, based on seniority.

• Since the off-semester sequence is not offered, why can’t I take CHE 134 before CHE 133?

  (1) Familiarity with the following concepts and techniques from CHE 133 is assumed
  in CHE 134:
  — Titration: use of buret, transfer pipet, end points, indicators, etc;
  — Visible-UV spectroscopy: use of spectronic 20, Beer’s Law, absorbance, percent transmittance, quantitative dilutions;
  — Synthesis: percent yields, crystallization, gravity filtration, vacuum filtration;
  — Analytical balance: weighing by difference;
  — pH Meter: use of pH meter, calibration, maintenance of glass electrode;
  — IR spectroscopy: use of IR for determining presence of organic groups;
  — Melting points: use of melting points for purity verification, mixed melting points;
  — Accuracy and Precision: averages, average deviations, percent deviation.

  (2) Inexperienced students in a laboratory constitute a hazard to all those present and a potential legal liability to the faculty. We cannot accept this extra risk so students must take labs in sequence.
  NOTE: We offer both CHE 133 DURING THE SUMMER & WINTER INTERSESSIONS AND CHE 134 DURING THE SUMMER INTERSESSION.

  CHE 322
  You must have completed CHE 321 with a grade of C or higher in order to register.
  Most of the recitations are full. If you can register for CHE 322 lecture wait list, we will try to get you into the course. Please see Dr. Rong Chen.

  We recommend that you see if you can adjust other courses in your schedule to be able to register for the afternoon lecture. You may attend a lecture section for which you are not registered, but your quizzes (clickers) will not be recorded or accepted. If you can register for the afternoon lecture, but the workshops don't fit your schedule, we will try to get you into the course. Please completely fill out the workshop change form available in the main office.

  You must have received a letter grade of C or Higher in CHE 321 in order to take CHE 322.
  If you have PNC a course, a P is not a letter grade & does not allow you to get into the course.

  CHE 326
  You must have completed CHE 321 with a grade of C or higher in order to register.
  The morning section of this course is full. If you can register for CHE 326 lecture wait list, we will try to get you into the course. Please go see Dr. Rong Chen.

  We recommend that you see if you can adjust other courses in your schedule to be able to register for the afternoon lecture. You may attend a lecture section for which you are not registered, but your quizzes (clickers) will not be recorded or accepted. If you can register for the afternoon lecture, but the workshops don't fit your schedule, we will try to get you into the course. Please completely fill out the workshop change form available in the main office.

  You must have received a letter grade of C or Higher in CHE 321 in order to take CHE 326.
  If you have PNC a course, a P is not a letter grade & does not allow you to get into the course.

  There is no waiting list on SOLAR for CHE 327, CHE 383 or CHE 384.
  However, there is usually much activity on SOLAR during the open enrollment period. The enrollment often changes. If you monitor it closely, you may be able to find a seat if just after another student drops the course. If you still cannot register by the time classes begin, you must go to the first lab lecture, which is mandatory, for a general introduction to the course. You must also attend the first day meeting of the lab section you would like to join, with a registration request form, which can be downloaded from the course website FAQ page.
  http://moya.ic.sunysb.edu/Class/orgolab/faqpage.htm.

  NOTE: Students who are enrolled but do not attend the check-in on the first day of lab will be deregistered. The vacated seats will then be made available to other students who would like be added into that section, based on seniority (note that we consider post-graduate students at the same academic level as seniors). Check the Undergraduate Organic Laboratories website (http://moya.ic.sunysb.edu/Class/orgolab) for more course information. 

• What do I do if I have a time conflict?
  You must fill out a time conflict form. This form will only be signed if it is up to a 15 minute time conflict, if the conflict if over 15 minutes, we recommend you take either the chem course or the other You can take a copy from the counter, or get one at the Office of the Registrar. Please read the form carefully and follow the instructions. When the form is complete and you have obtained all necessary signatures, submit it to the Registrar. If the form needs Katherine Hughes signature, leave the form with your email address on it and we will email you after she has signed it. You must then walk it over to the registrars office. Note: This could take up to 2 days to be signed.
  https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/registrar/forms/forms.php
• How do I declare and/or change my Chemistry major or minor?
  Fill out a “Major/Minor Declaration Form.” There are copies in the plastic container on the counter in the chem. main office, or you can get one at the Office of the Registrar. Have your form signed by the appropriate departmental advisor. Submit the form to the Office of the Registrar.
  https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/registrar/forms/forms.php
• How can I register for a research course (CHE 487 or CHE 495-496)?
  You need to fill out an “Advanced Course Permission Request Form” and have it signed by the
  instructor with whom you intend to work. Form is available in the chem. main office. After the instructor has signed the form, submit it to someone in the Department of Chemistry’s Main Office. You will be notified that you have received permission to register through SOLAR. Note: Copies of the form are available in the metal shelf container on the counter. Copies of a list of instructors and their areas of research are also available in the same container. (Pink Paper487pdf.pdf) (487Form487Form.pdf) The pink paper is for you to pick an advisor, the form is for you to print, obtain their signature & bring down to the main office to be given permission. 
• How can I register to be an undergraduate TA?

  You need to fill out an “Undergraduate Teaching Practicum Permission Request Form” and have it signed by the appropriate instructor. Form is available in the chem. main office. After the instructor has signed the form, submit it to someone in the Department of Chemistry Main Office. You will be notified that you have received permission to register in CHE 475, CHE 476, or CHE 477, as appropriate, through SOLAR.

  ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS:
  ALL forms & registration issues must be completed before 4pm on the last day of the add & drop period. If you have any issues getting into the courses before the last day of the add & drop period, then you must speak with a general advisor in the Melville library.

• How can I swap a course?
  If you are trying to swap sections: Please be aware for example: that if you’re in CHE 131 r 10 & are trying to switch to rec 18, you will be switching lectures & recitations. You will swap from 1 spot to 1 spot if there is an open spot. If fec 18 is full, then you will be going from 1 spot to a waitlist option. You will be letting go of a secure seat to be placed on a waitlist. Our courses fill up quickly, we cannot place you into a seat that doesn’t exist. We ask that you accommodate your other courses around the Biology/Chemistry/Mathematics/Physics courses. We do not over-enroll our courses. 
• How can I get on a Waitlist?

  You need to check off the following waitlist box. If it looks like the figure1, it is incorrect, it should look like the figure2, but instead of a blue box, it will have a black checkmark. Being on a waitlist DOES NOT guarantee a spot in the class. We deregister students however that doesn’t allow for all on the waitlist to enter the course.

  For any further information on chemistry courses (syllabus, course descriptions, etc.), please visit the undergraduate course website section, keep in mind that a lot of classes fill up quickly therefore go on the waitlist.

   
• How do I find courses from other schools that are equivalent to SBU courses?

  You can use our Course Equivalency Guide to find transferable courses at other schools that can be applicable to major and general degree requirements at Stony Brook.  The direct Stony Brook equivalents will be posted on this page, if available. Call Academic and Transfer Advising services at 631-632-7082 (Opt. 2) if you need assistance navigating this page.  Always confirm with the Chemistry department that the course you are taking will be accepted toward the major BEFORE enrolling in the class. 
  
  

  To then transfer your credits to Stony Brook, please send final official transcripts to:

  Academic and Transfer Advising Services
  E-2360 Melville Library
  Stony Brook, NY 11794-3353
  

• I took AP Chemistry and scored 4 (or 5) on the exam. Will that count towards my CHE Major/Minor?

  Yes, a score of 4 or 5 on the Chemistry Advanced Placement exam is equivalent to CHE 131 and a waiver of CHE 133. Once your Advanced Placement scores are received and entered into the system, you will be able to enroll in CHE 132/134 if you have also completed the CHE 132 prerequisite of MAT 126.

• I am a Transfer student that has not yet started at Stony Brook. What information do I need to know?

  Most of your general admissions questions can be answered on Stony Brook's Undergraduate Admissions main page . Specific information on cost and aid can be found here . You can also call Undergraduate Admissions at 631-632-6868.

  We do not have admissions requirements specific to the Chemistry Major that differ from the general transfer admissions requirements. You can use our Course Equivalency Guide to find transferable courses at your school that may be applicable to major and degree requirements. The direct Stony Brook equivalents will be posted on this page. You can use this tool to see how your credits will transfer to Stony Brook. Call Academic and Transfer Advising services at 631-632-7082 (opt. 2) if you need assistance navigating this page.
  

• I am a transfer student completing a Chemistry degree. Who should evaluate my science courses or math courses from my previous school(s)?

  First check with the Academic and Transfer Advising Services, Room 2360 Melville Library to see if there are standing agreements for assigning transfer credit. This will be true if you went to a school from which large numbers of students transfer to Stony Brook (such as Suffolk Community College). If there are no standing agreements, your science courses must be evaluated by each appropriate department (i.e. Biology, Physics, etc.), and math courses must be evaluated by the math department.

• My Degree Progress Report does not look correct for the CHE major (not showing all my CHE elective courses, etc.) Do I need to contact someone?

  The degree progress report does not always accurately reflect courses in your major or minor. Please follow the degree requirements and plan you have discussed with the Chemistry advisor rather than what you see on your major/minor portion of the degree progress report. This will not affect your graduation approval.

• My course history lists a course as 200EQXXX (ex. 200EQ321). Why is that?

  This means that a course transferred from a community college has been evaluated as equivalent to an upper division Chemistry course (ex. CHE 321).  This course will be treated as equivalent to the upper division course for the major, but the credits will not be included in the count for the 39 general upper division credits needed for your Stony Brook University degree.   

• I'm having trouble in a course. Where can I get help?

  Faculty are always available during office hours to give extra help with information covered during class time, and the  Academic Success and Tutoring Center offers tutoring and academic success services free of charge to all Stony Brook undergraduates.

(Revised: November 2019)