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Our programs are approved by the American Chemical Society (ACS), and provide exceptional scientific preparation not only for those seeking chemistry careers or graduate study, but also for pre-health students who will take professional entrance exams, including medicine (MD), dentistry (DDM), optometry (OD), or pharmacy (PharmD). You are welcome to keep any or all of these career options open until at least the end of your second year in the chemistry major, and perhaps beyond that, since many of the requirements overlap.

Chemistry Tracks

  • General Chemistry

    Do you want to become a professional chemist? Are you interested in getting an advanced degree in chemistry? Then the general chemistry track is for you.

    Are you interested in medicine, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, or other health-related fields? Combining the general chemistry track major with a minor in biology could give you an advantage when it comes to applying for medical or other professional schools. This track is designed to:

    • provide you with the course requirements for admission to health professional schools
    • focus on courses that are highly relevant to basic science courses encountered in health professional schools
    • provide excellent preparation for MCAT, DAT, OAT, and PCAT entrance exams
  • Biochemistry

    Are you interested in becoming a doctor, dentist, or optometrist? Perhaps you'd rather be a cell biologist, biochemist, or microbiologist? If any of this describes you, then you want to follow the biochemistry track. It is designed to:

    • provide you with the course requirements for admission to health professional schools
    • focus on courses that are highly relevant to basic science courses encountered in health professional schools
    • provide excellent preparation for MCAT, DAT, OAT, and PCAT entrance exams
    • prepares you to enter a biochemistry graduate program or for a career in the biochemical or biotechnology industries
  • Chemical Education

    Do you want to teach chemistry at the high school level? The chemical education track is the place for you. You may also want to check out UABTeach, which will help you turn your chemistry degree into a teaching career.

  • Forensic Chemistry

    Interested in a career as biochemical or analytical chemists in local, state, and federal crime laboratories? Consider joining the forensic chemistry track. You'll take classes here with us and in the J. Frank Barefield, Jr. Department of Criminal Justice.

  • Polymer Chemistry

    Interested in becoming a professional chemist or seeking advanced degrees in polymer chemistry or materials science? Does the thought of manipulating molecules to produce a specific outcome sound interesting? Then the polymer chemistry track could be just what you want.

Planning a Career in a Health-Related Profession?

Student working in the lab.

With a world-renowned medical center on campus, UAB attracts many students interested in health care careers. But since you can't go directly from high school to med school, what are you supposed to major in?

Consider Chemistry! If medicine, dentistry, or optometry is what you want to do, our pre-health program to help you meet your goal. Working together with CAS Advising, majoring in chemistry will help you become a competitive applicant for health-related professional programs. You will take courses in chemistry, biology, physics, and mathematics in addition to classes in humanities and social sciences. You will also take a comprehensive entrance exam in your junior year for the health profession in which you are most interested.

For more information on required courses, please visit our Pre-Health Advising page, and be sure to make an appointment with your advisor for a detailed plan.

Course Catalog

A complete list of major requirements, courses, and a proposed four-year program of study are available in the UAB Undergraduate Catalog.

Questions?

The chemistry advisor will be happy to give you answers. You can reach out to Jamie R. Grimes, Chemistry Advisor, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..