Faculty advisors are available in the Department of Chemistry to advise chemistry majors and other students who may be considering a major in chemistry. Professor Larry Singer coordinates undergraduate academic advisement in the department, and is the person to contact for information on undergraduate programs in chemistry.
For a summary of the undergraduate degree programs in chemistry, click here.
Professor Singer may be reached by e-mail at lsinger@bcf.usc.edu or by phone at (213) 740-7022. His office is located in Stabler Hall (LJS) Room 269.
Entering freshmen or transfer students who intend to pursue a degree in chemistry should meet with Professor Singer during the Summer Orientation Program prior to their first registration at USC. Early advisement is very important because the program of study for a chemistry degree is four years long. In addition to General Chemistry, students must begin mathematics in the first semester because some calculus is a prerequisite for physics classes, that are, in turn, prerequisites for advanced chemistry classes.Introductory chemistry classes are prerequisites for advanced chemistry classes. In brief, the chemistry curriculum is a lock-step four year program.Students must work closely with their faculty advisor in order to stay on track to complete their degree in four years.
Chemistry majors must see their faculty advisor each semester. Because of mandatory advisement during the first three semesters at USC, students must receive advisement before a "hold" on their registration for the upcoming term is removed on the computer. Students should see their advisors before the assigned date for their touchtone registration. After an advisement session, the faculty advisor will arrange to have the advisement hold removed, so that when the touchtone registration date arrives, the student may complete his or her registration. Beyond the first three semesters, chemistry majors must still see their department advisor in order to receive D-clearances for the upper division chemistry D-classes.
Finally, faculty advisors are resources for information about research opportunities available to undergraduates within the department, summer jobs and research opportunities available at other universities, and the chemistry profession. Ideally, the topics discussed during these advisement sessions evolve over four years from strictly academic matters (what courses you need to take to graduate) to post-graduation planning (what you can do with a chemistry degree).
The College Advisement Office located in the College Academic Services Building (CAS--across from Taper Hall) is another advisement service of particular importance to prehealth professional students. Staff in this office work with students interested in applying to a variety of health profession programs (medical, dental, pharmacy). Chemistry majors with such interests should meet with a prehealth advisor in CAS before the end of their first year at USC. Thereafter, these students will receive their academic advisement from their faculty advisor in chemistry and pre-professional counseling from an advisor in the College Advisement Office.
Students in the Trojan Admission Prepharmacy Program (TAPP) are an exception to the above advisement guideline. Chemistry majors who are in TAPP do not need to see a faculty advisor in chemistry. TAPP students receive advisement from an advisor in the USC School of Pharmacy (TAPP students receive a letter with the date and time of an advisement session each semester), and registration holds are lifted by the College Advisement Office. Chemistry majors who are not in TAPP, but who are interested in applying for admission to pharmacy school, must still meet with their faculty advisor in chemistry each semester.