Chemistry Draft
ScienceA high school course guide for families
See it for your school: its prerequisites, what it counts toward at your school, and whether it's in your plan.
Why this course?
Chemistry explains what everything is made of and how substances change. It's a lab science colleges expect and a must for nursing, medicine and engineering.
Nursing programs, pre-medicine and most engineering majors expect high school Chemistry.
Most four-year colleges expect at least three lab sciences, and Chemistry is usually one.
What you'll learn
- Understand atoms, bonds and the periodic table
- Balance chemical equations and predict what a reaction makes
- Measure and calculate amounts of substances
- Explain acids, bases and energy in reactions
- Work safely in a lab
You'll do: Regular labs, a lot of math with measurements, lab reports and tests.
- Honors
- Honors uses more algebra and goes faster.
- AP (Advanced Placement)
- AP Chemistry is a first-year college chemistry course. College-level work with a national AP exam in May. A high enough score can earn college credit or placement, depending on the college.
What comes next
Which courses come before and after it, and what it counts toward, depend on each school. Your plan shows your school's.
College majors that build on it
- Chemistry
- Chemical engineering
- Nursing
Careers it informs most
People in these jobs use what this course teaches the most. It's a starting point, not a track.
- ChemistsChemists use chemistry in their work. O*NET rates it very important for the job.
- Materials ScientistsMaterials Scientists use chemistry in their work. O*NET rates it very important for the job.
- Chemical EngineersChemical Engineers use chemistry in their work. O*NET rates it very important for the job.
- Chemical Plant and System OperatorsChemical Plant and System Operators use chemistry in their work. O*NET rates it very important for the job.
- AnesthesiologistsAnesthesiologists use chemistry in their work. O*NET rates it very important for the job.