Undergraduate Advising

The CredTran tool is helpful to get an idea of which courses will transfer from a variety of universities nationwide. We understand that there are exceptions and a course audit will need to be requested for those courses or schools not on the list. Contact your advisor. If you have taken a course at another institution while enrolled at KU (i.e. summer semester or online course), once you’ve completed the course have your official transcript (with grade of C or better) sent to KU’s Office of Admissions so it can be posted to your record.

Please be aware, that courses taken at a community college do not transfer as Jr/Sr hours, even if they might satisfy a particular Jr/Sr course requirement. Discussion of possible solutions should be held with one of our advisors.

The most current and accurate list of degree requirements can be found in the Course Catalog. Students should follow the requirements in effect for the year you entered KU, also know as your matriculation year. The department site also has current curriculum information, but changes from year to year to reflect the most current requirements. The College has a time limit policy concerning degree requirements: "Students readmitted 10 years or more after the initial term of degree-seeking admission to KU must fulfill all current requirements (this includes general education, major, minor, and all other related policies) to earn a degree."

There are different math and physics course requirements for the B.A and B.S degrees.

• B.A. majors take business calculus and algebra physics.
• B.S. majors take engineering calculus, calculus physics, and mathematical methods for the chemical sciences.

Please consult the Course Catalog for accurate information that applies to your degree.

Biochemistry is a biology degree that focuses on the structure and function of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids, and encompasses all the chemical processes of organisms.

Chemistry is a branch of physical science that studies the composition, structure, properties and change of matter.

A Chemistry degree with a Biological Chemistry option includes courses in biochemistry, biochem laboratory, and biology electives such as genetics, microbiology, cell function along with the chemistry curriculum. The chemistry department offers both a B.A and B.S. biological chemistry option. Many students interested in the pre-medical professions often select this degree path as it closely follows the required courses needed for entry exams.

We are glad you asked! There are undergraduate research opportunities all over campus and here are some suggestions on how to find a research lab.

1. Plan ahead.

When do you want to start conducting research? Some students start their first year, some wait until their fourth year. In most cases, the earlier the better. If you love research, you may want to pursue a job that will have a research component. If you hate research, you learn that although you may love science, the laboratory is not a likely job for you. This information is important to learn early in your college experience.

Mentors may need up to 6 months notice for taking on a student. So If you are interested in starting in the fall, you should contact professors in the spring. If you are interested in the summer, then contact professors at the end of the fall semester.  Keep in mind that it may take many emails to finally find someone who has an opening.  Just keep trying.

2. Who do you want to work with?

What do you think you are interested in? We encourage students to spend some time on department websites, locating research laboratories that are working on projects that students find interest them the most. There are research labs with a variety of disciplines and interdisciplinary approaches. Talk to your advisor about the different areas of research available,

3. Email the professors you want to work with.

The email should include

• your name
• your year
• the type of commitment you are looking for (credit or paid/unpaid summer research)
• the length of commitment you are looking for (two years, one year, one semester, etc…)
• a statement of interest
• attach an unofficial transcript and/or resume

Statement of Interest: Read the description of the laboratories research on their webpage. Even look up a review or current paper the laboratory has published. (This will probably be too technical for you to understand completely). Find the key terms in this description, look them up in the index of your textbooks and read the relevant sections of the text. Try to get a basic understanding of what the lab does. The more you know about the research the more the professor is likely to take you seriously. Don’t regurgitate the description; explain why the research interests you.

Keep in mind that the professor will be providing:

• Ideas: The professor will discuss the research that is going on in their laboratory and may provide a few suggestions as to projects that would be feasible for a new researcher and that would benefit both the student and the lab. In assigning a project, it usually means that other members of the lab will not be doing the exact same thing. Therefore the professor is depending on you to carry out the project.
• Time: Initially, you will require a lot of supervision to learn the system and master the techniques. Often things may not work right away, and therefore time must be spent by the professor, post-doc, graduate student or technician in training you and troubleshooting the experiments. Although this effort by other members of the lab is helpful training for you, it is also taking away time from their own experiments.
• Space: Space is often at a premium in many labs. In some big labs, people only have a few feet of bench space or work in shifts. Therefore providing a bench to an undergraduate may in turn mean that the lab is not able to provide space to a more experienced or long term researcher such as a graduate student or post-doc.
• Money: In an average molecular biology lab, each researcher (graduate student, post-doc, or technician) will use over $5,000 a year in supplies and reagents. In labs that use expensive reagents such as cell culture media or large quantities of enzymes, this number could easily be over $10,000 a year. Therefore, even working part time in the lab on your research project will easily cost the lab over $2,000 in reagents and supplies during the year.

The Center for Undergraduate Research is an excellent resource, not only for information about research, but for awards, advising and symposiums. CUR provides a helpful video page on its website regarding undergraduate research at KU.

ADV-WELC – First year advising hold. All students in the College receive this hold to assure that students receive at least two semesters of advising. 

ADV-CSRD – Non-declared major hold. Students who have not yet declared a major after 45 credits receive this hold and again at 75 credits for non-declared in a major. The notice will give instructions on how to lift this hold. 

ADV-GRAD – Candidate for Graduation hold. Seniors (90+ h) receive this hold (perhaps every semester until they graduate). Students must read the accompanying Academic Notice in the Kyou Advising Portal to click on a link to an online degree progress assessment. The hold will be removed by a College graduation advisor after the assessment is completed, normally in 1-2 business days.

Information on other holds that may be on your account can be found on the CLAS website.