Students may declare the chemistry major after they have completed General Chemistry (CHEM 104, CHEM 109, or CHEM 116). Transfer students may declare in their first semester at UW-Madison, if they have transfer credit for one of these courses. Students who are ready to declare should schedule an appointment with the undergraduate chemistry advisor to develop a course plan towards graduation. To better inform their decision, undecided students who are exploring chemistry along with other majors are encouraged to take an additional chemistry course or two beyond General Chemistry before declaring. Any student interested in chemistry is welcome to schedule an appointment with the advisor to further explore the major.
Interested students are advised to declare the major no later than the end of their sophomore year. There are many advantages to declaring early, including access to chemistry advising, access to scholarships only available to chemistry majors, and access to announcements for chemistry majors. Students who have declared the chemistry major become a part of our chemistry community, enabling them to better connect with faculty, staff, and other chemistry majors.