Undergraduate FAQs

If you are a BD (Basic-Division) student with less than 60 hours of college credit (First year and/or sophomore) then your Advisor is Lauren Dimmer. You can call her office at: 850-644-8434 (Direct) or 850-644-6004 (Main) or email her at ldimmer@my.fsu.edu to arrange for an appointment. If she is your Advisor you will receive weekly emails that tell you when she is available for appointments and walk-ins. She is located in 344 DLC (Dittmer).

If you have more than 60 hours of college credit (Junior or Senior) and are AS (certified into your major in the College of Arts and Sciences), your Advisor is Joshua Cummings. He is located in 346 DLC and will see students on a “first come, first served” basis during his advising hours, which are emailed to upper level chemistry majors at the beginning of each week.

There are a few options for changing your major, depending upon the number of credits you have:

Lower Division (less than 60 credit hours) – you must first meet with an advisor in the desired major to obtain a major change form signed by an authorized departmental representative (i.e., advisor, academic coordinator). Once you have obtained the appropriate signature, the advisor will direct you to where you should take the signed form.

Please use the advisor search tool here: http://advisor.undergrad.fsu.edu/advisors/advisor-display.php by typing in the “Department/Program” – i.e., the major you want to change into.

Upper Division (more than 60 credit hours) – you must take a major change form to the College of your choice of major to obtain a Dean’s signature. The major change form must then be submitted to UCA3900 (Registrar’s Office) for processing. No Dean’s signature is required to release the student from their current major. PLEASE NOTE: If you want to switch into another chemistry major, contact Joshua Cummings.

Special Programs – athletes, student veterans, and international students are required to obtain special approval from their program advisor before their major can be changed.

The requirements for a minor in chemistry include the two-semester sequence in general chemistry, CHM 1045/1045L, 1046/1046L or CHM 1050/1050L, 1051/1051L, and at least one of the following courses or course sequences: CHM 2210 & 2211, CHM 3120/3120L, CHM 4410 & 4411.

A minimum of twelve (12) semester hours is required. Grades below “C-” will not be accepted for minor credit.

Also, a Chemistry minor will not show up on your official transcripts unless it is required by your major. If you need something from the department stating that you have acquired a minor in Chemistry stop by 344 DLC and we review your course record and, if appropriate, will write a memo stating that you have fulfilled the requirements for a minor in Chemistry.

Curious about requirements for other minors? Look at minors here: http://www.academic-guide.fsu.edu/minors.html

Contact your lab manager (please note that this isn’t your TA). The lab manager keeps a record of breakage fees and should be able to tell you what you are being charged for.

Effective Fall 2012, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has the following dress code policy and lab coat requirement:

All students are required to wear long pants (from hip to foot, no capris or shorts), closed-toe shoes, and shirts which completely cover the torso area including sleeves to the elbows. Long hair should be pulled back and jewelry such as rings and bracelets should be removed during the lab period. Students who do not comply with the policies regarding lab attire will be asked to leave and the missed lab will be counted as an unexcused absence. For safety we cannot allow students to participate in labs when dressed inappropriately.

As of Fall 2012 we also adopted a mandatory lab coat policy for all chemistry laboratories except CHM1020L. All of the rules above will still be enforced in addition to the lab coat to further ensure safety.

The lab coat should be the standard size: thigh-length with long-sleeves. Standard lab coats are available at the FSU bookstore for around $30.00.

All students are expected to meet certain University and College of Arts & Sciences requirements (for details, consult the Undergraduate General Bulletin for the academic year you entered FSU). Once a student reaches 90 hours they should request a graduation check from both the University Registrar’s Office and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Visit the College of Arts and Sciences website for instructions on how to get a grad check.

A registration hold will be placed on a student’s record if they have not requested these checks by the term in which they have reached 110 hours.

Instructions on how to apply to graduate can be found on the myFSU Student Central website.

The application deadline is generally the end of the second week in the term in which you plan to graduate. Final graduation clearance for Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Chemical Science majors is made by the Chemistry Department.

Graduating students must also complete a Chemistry and Biochemistry department graduation survey which will be sent via email from the department’s advising office.

The FSU Teaching and Advising Awards Committee regularly seeks nominations for outstanding teachers and advisors. These awards recognize excellence in teaching and undergraduate advising and each carries a monetary honorarium. Information on how to nominate a teacher or advisor can be found at http://cfa.fsu.edu/fsu-award-for-excellence-in-teaching-or-undergrad-advising/.

1. Log into Secure Apps through Blackboard.

2. Click on Course Drop Tool.

3. Follow the directions.

Note:

• If unsure whether it is appropriate to drop a course or lab, please talk with your current advisor ahead of time.
• Remember that if you drop a chemistry lecture course AND you are enrolled in the corresponding lab, you must also drop the corresponding lab (e.g., if you drop CHM1046, you must also drop CHM1046L).
• Basic Division students who will be dropping below 12 hours, whose dean is still the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, must also print out the drop slip and take it to UCA3400 for approval.