Advising
To make an appointment with an academic advisor, please email the appropriate faculty member listed below and be sure to provide as much detail as possible about your situation/question.
Undergraduate Advisors
Dr. Jason Schwans
Professor of Biochemistry
& Undergraduate Biochemistry Advisor
Email: ugrad-biochem.advising@csulb.edu
Phone: 562.985.7778
Office: MLSC-249
Schedule Appointment in Beach Connect
Dr. Paul Buonora
Professor of Chemistry
& Undergraduate Chemistry Advisor
Email: ugrad-chem.advising@csulb.edu
Phone: 562.985.4946
Office: MLSC-319
Schedule Appointment in Beach Connect
Graduate Advisors
Dr. Young-Seok Shon
Professor of Chemistry
& Graduate Chemistry Advisor
Email: YS.Shon@csulb.edu
Phone: 562.985.4466
Office: MLSC-337
Dr. Deepali Bhandari
Professor of Biochemistry
& Graduate Biochemistry Advisor
Email: Deepali.Bhandari@csulb.edu
Phone: 562.985.2053
Office: MLSC-233
Documents and FAQ for Undergraduate Students
- Change of major/minor application (PDF): To add a minor in chemistry, complete this form and submit it via email to one of our undergraduate advisors listed above.
- Freshmen Advising Form (DOCX)
- Transfer Student Advising Form (DOCX)
Most of the department's courses are designated as "Letter Grade A-F Only" in the university catalog. There is no option for "Credit/No Credit" grading in this case. All courses that count toward your degree must have an A-F grade.
As noted in the university catalog, you must achieve a grade of "C" or better in each course required for the major.
As stated on Enrollment Services, to be considered for admission to a major in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, applicants must (a) complete the minimum lower division preparation courses listed below (with a grade of C or better in each) while (b) maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50.
- MATH 122 and 123
- CHEM 111A and 111B
- general education courses in the areas of Written Communication (A1), Oral Communication (A2), and Critical Thinking (A3)
Students will be shifted from the pre-major to the major automatically upon completion of these requirements.
The Minor in Chemistry is available to any non-Chemistry or non-Biochemistry major. Students must earn a "C" or better in every course counted towards the minor.
To add a minor in chemistry, complete the "Change of major/minor application" (linked above) and submit it via email to one of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department undergraduate advisors.
Please consult the CSULB Catalog or contact a Chemistry and Biochemistry Department undergraduate advisor for more information.
Documents and Info for Graduate Students
Fall 2021
- CHEM 521, Physical Organic Chemistry
- CHEM 533, Physical Techniques in Inorganic Chemistry (Li)
- CHEM 541, Biochemistry Core (TBD)
- CHEM 546, Protein Structure and Function (Weers)
Spring 2022
- CHEM 532, Inorganic Materials Chemistry (Derakhshan)
- CHEM 549, Biochemistry of lipids and lipoproteins in health and disease (Narayanaswami)
- CHEM 572, Computational Chemistry (Tapavicza)
Fall 2022
- CHEM 480/580, Biomolecular Modeling and Simulation (Sorin)
- CHEM 523, Synthetic Methods (Nakayama)
- CHEM 541, Biochemistry Core (TBD)
- CHEM 542, Biochemistry of Cellular Stress Responses (Bhandari)
Spring 2023
- CHEM 522, Special Topics (Schwans)
- CHEM 534, Crystal Structure Analysis (Bu)
Fall 2023
- CHEM 521, Physical Organic Chemistry (Schramm)
- CHEM 533, Physical Techniques in Inorganic Chemistry (Li)
- CHEM 541, Biochemistry Core (TBD)
