Enquiries

Information relating to becoming an undergraduate student in chemistry at Memorial University is given below. If you cannot find the information you are looking for, or have any other questions please contact an undergraduate advisor.

Newfoundland and Labrador High School Chemistry, Math and Physics

Students attending high school in Newfoundland and Labrador who are interested in exploring a chemistry degree option at Memorial University can prepare themselves by ensuring that they take Chemistry 3202, Advanced Math 3205 and Physics 3204 if these courses are offered at their high school. If any of these courses are not offered, students should ensure that they have taken the highest level chemistry, physics and math courses that are available.

Choosing Your First Chemistry Course at Memorial, St. John's Campus: CHEM 1050 or CHEM 1010?

If you achieved a 65% or greater average in level III (or grade 12) chemistry (Chemistry 3202 in NL) you should take CHEM 1050 at Memorial.  If you were not able to take level III (or grade 12) chemistry, or achieved lower than 65%, or it has been a long time since you did level III (or grade 12) chemistry, CHEM 1010 will prepare you for CHEM 1050.

You should have a good working knowledge of all the material you covered in your chemistry and science courses and those skills you learned in your math classes. To succeed in CHEM 1050 you will need to have a good grasp of the mole concept and stoichiometry. A good example of the type of problem you should be able to find a solution to do is provided below:

Rocket candy is a mixture of potassium nitrate (KNO₃) and sucrose, and is used to propel model rockets. The reaction occurs as follows: 

48 KNO₃ (s) + 5 C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁ (s) → 24 K₂CO₃ (s) + 24 N₂ (g) + 55 H₂O (g) + 36 CO₂ (g)

A typical mixture of rocket candy contains 65.0 g of KNO₃ (molar mass = 101.103 g/mol) and 35.0 g of sucrose (molar mass = 342.30 g/mol). Determine the limiting reagent and the total number of moles of gases that would be produced for this reaction mixture. (Answer: KNO₃ is the limiting reagent and 1.54 mols of gases will be produced) 

You should also be able to rearrange mathematical equations. For example, can you solve 

y =	3x+9	for x to get
	2

x =	2y-9	?
	3

It will be assumed that you are fluent with the SI units of measure and are able to convert between, for example, L and mL and cm³ (three common units of volume). You should know and understand the metric prefixes, and be able to do calculations with logarithms and exponents.

If you do not have the prerequisite 65% in level III (grade 12) chemistry, then you can take CHEM 1010 which will cover topics such as units, atoms and elements, molecules and compounds, chemical reactions and stoichiometry, gases, thermochemistry, kinetics, equilibrium and acids and bases. These are topics that would have been covered in high school courses.

What if I want to be a chemist, I like chemistry, or my program requires more advanced chemistry?

Students who do not qualify for CHEM 1050 can first do CHEM 1010, then take CHEM 1050 and CHEM 1051.

Materials for Chemistry Courses, CHEM 1010/1050/1051

For labs, you will require a lab coat and lab glasses that are available at the MUN bookstore. The textbook used for our first year courses is "Chemistry: A Molecular Approach" 2^nd  CE with Mastering Chemistry by Tro, Fridgen, and Shaw. If you are planning to purchase a used textbook, it is not recommended that you do so before hearing from your instructor. If you purchase a used book, it may actually be more expensive than purchasing a textbook package from the bookstore because the package includes other materials such as Mastering Chemistry (online assignments) which is required for 1^st year courses and Learning Catalytics, which allows you to use a cell phone, tablet, laptop or a personal response clicker to participate in lectures or tutorials.

Instructions for setting up your wireless device and connecting to MUN's wireless network are available here.

Other Requirements and First Year Guides

More information about admissions can be found at the Memorial University Admissions webpage. The Advising Centre page also has a useful Guide to First Year. Another guide to first year with information catered towards Science students is also available through the Faculty of Science webpage.

Undergraduate Handbook

We have created an Undergraduate Handbook that provides more specific details on undergraduate studies in Chemistry at Memorial University.