How to Apply to Chemistry at Marshall University: ACS-Certified Chemistry plus Chemical Sciences, Biochemistry, Forensic Chemistry and Environmental Chemistry BS Degrees in the College of Science, with Admission to the University Counting as Admission to the College, for US, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Marshall University is a public university in Huntington, West Virginia. The chemistry undergraduate program is offered by the Department of Chemistry in the College of Science. This article follows the University’s website and is organised for US applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students. Medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, public health and other health-professions degrees are outside this article—see the website; biology, physics, mathematics and engineering are also not covered. The required-course lists for each degree are in PDFs linked from the department page and in the undergraduate catalog, which were not read for this article, so check details on the website.

1. Degrees and tracks, and how you are admitted

• BS in Chemistry, ACS Certified: the department page says this curriculum meets American Chemical Society (ACS) standards and is recommended for students intending to enter the chemical profession or pursue graduate work in chemistry; students who complete it receive an ACS certificate showing the degree meets the standards of the Committee on Professional Training. If you take Chemistry 423 (Environmental Analytical Chemistry) and Geology 420 (Geochemistry) as electives, the ACS certification will reflect a BS in Environmental Chemistry.
• BS in Chemical Sciences: for students needing a broadly based, flexible science background.
• BS in Biochemistry: the department page says graduates are prepared for careers in biotechnology, forensics, environmental, pharmaceutical, agricultural and medical fields and for graduate study in biochemistry, biotechnology, and genetics and molecular biology, and that it is a good choice for professional training in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, law or engineering.
• BS in Forensic Chemistry: for students pursuing forensics-related careers; the department strongly encourages a forensic-chemistry-related Capstone Experience (CHM 491).
• BS in Environmental Chemistry: prepares students for careers in environmental chemistry, toxicology, environmental policy and consulting, and is a good choice for later professional training in law, safety or industrial hygiene.
• Minor: the chemistry minor requires CHM 211, 212, 217 and 218 plus any two courses from CHM 307, 345, 355, 356, 357, 358 or 448, each with a grade of at least C.
• Credit tables for each degree: in the PDFs linked from the department page and in the undergraduate catalog, which were not read; they are not published on the pages read, so check them on the website.
• When you declare the major and conditions for transferring in: the pages read give no timing, grade condition or quota; the department page only advises all entering chemistry students to contact the department office or their adviser for details of honors, research and special programs.

2. Prerequisites, course layout and research

• High school prerequisites: the department page advises high school students planning to major in chemistry to take one year of high school chemistry, one year of high school physics and at least three years of mathematics (including geometry, algebra and trigonometry). It sets no A-Level, AP or IB subject requirements on the pages read.
• Grade and computing requirements: all chemistry degrees require a GPA of at least 2.0 in required chemistry courses, in all chemistry courses and in required chemistry courses taken at Marshall; students must also show proficiency with computers in chemical applications, by passing the department’s exemption exam each semester, taking CHM 223 or taking a programming course in a scientifically useful language (a student who fails the exemption exam twice must take CHM 223 or an appropriate programming course).
• First-year common courses and course sequence: not published on the pages read; check the undergraduate catalog and the department’s course listing. The College of Science page says students entering any bachelor’s degree in the College must meet the University’s Core Curriculum (general education), and that a full-time College of Science student carries about 16 credit hours a semester to graduate in four years.
• Capstone: the department page says undergraduates must do a collaborative research project with a faculty member as their Capstone Experience (CHM 491); there is also CHM 490 (request for a capstone internship). The detailed requirements are in the department’s guideline documents, and students planning a capstone should try to attend the chemistry seminars.
• Undergraduate research: the department’s research page encourages students to start research projects before senior year, saying it helps problem-solving skills and academic performance; many student researchers co-author publications or present at off-campus meetings. The department also has pages on a Summer Undergraduate Research Program and research funding, whose details were not read.
• Accreditation: the department page says the curriculum and facilities of the Department of Chemistry have been approved by the American Chemical Society’s Committee on Professional Training.
• Departmental scholarships: the department has a scholarships and awards page, but its content dates from 2007 (the winners listed are from 2007), so confirm amounts and conditions with the department.
• Where graduates go: the department page says the degrees prepare students for professional training in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, medical technology, engineering, nursing and other fields, and to be professional chemists; the pages read give no employment-rate or salary data.

3. How to apply, materials and testing

• Where to apply: the application page groups first-year, transfer, transient, early admission, non-degree, college-graduate and readmitted students under the undergraduate application; international applicants have a separate international application and are told to read the international undergraduate admission requirements first.
• No separate College of Science admission: the College of Science admissions page says regular admission to the University constitutes admission to the College of Science for first-year students and transfers, with no separate process. It also says students with an ACT mathematics score of at least 21 and composite of at least 21, or an SAT math score of at least 530 and composite of at least 1060, are academically best prepared to start a College of Science major and graduate in four years; students with lower scores will need additional preparatory coursework that may delay graduation.
• Testing and conditional admission: the first-year page says applicants who qualify for admission without test scores are reviewed with added emphasis on previous academic performance and offered general, conditional admission to the University; by submitting test scores later they can be considered for admission to the academic program of their choice, for guaranteed merit-based scholarships and for the Honors College. The detailed first-year admission standards (GPA and ACT/SAT thresholds) and domestic application deadlines are in the University’s undergraduate catalog, which was not read for this article; they are not published on the pages read, so check them on the website.
• Application fee: the first-year page mentions submitting an application fee; the amount is not published on the pages read.
• Recommendations, essays and prerequisites: the pages read do not require recommendation letters or an essay, and set no single physics, chemistry or biology grade requirement; the departments’ high school course advice is in section 2.

4. US, international and Chinese applicants

US applicants

• Tuition: the 2026–27 tuition table has three residency tiers. For the College of Science line, a full-time student’s total per semester is $5,004 for West Virginia residents (university tuition $3,982, fees $827, college fee $195), $6,850 for Metro residents and $10,451 for non-residents (university tuition $9,392, fees $827, college fee $232). Per credit hour the totals are $417.50, $571.50 and $871.75. The page says the Metro rate and merit scholarships are offered to residents of 50 neighbouring counties, and the first-year page lists those counties in Kentucky and Ohio. The table on the website governs; check the next year’s table for 2027 entry.
• Scholarships: the John Marshall Scholarship is for incoming first-time freshmen and is based on high school GPA and, where applicable, ACT/SAT, with amounts varying by residency: Level 1 (GPA 3.9 or above, ACT 30 or SAT 1360) $5,500 for West Virginia residents, $8,000 Metro and $14,000 non-resident; Level 2 (GPA 3.8) $3,000, $4,200 and $9,000; Level 3 (GPA 3.5) $2,000, $3,000 and $7,000; Level 4 (GPA 3.0) $1,250, $2,000 and $5,000 (the ACT/SAT column is blank for levels 2 to 4 on the page). The page describes it as a four-year scholarship, renewable if you enrol full-time each semester, complete 30 credit hours each year and keep a cumulative GPA of 2.5 at the end of the first year and 2.75 afterwards, and says it is awarded on a last-dollar basis and may be adjusted for other aid. An Alumni Legacy tuition-reduction program exists for children and grandchildren of Marshall graduates.
• Federal and other financial aid applications and the net price calculator are on the University’s student financial assistance website.

International applicants

• Deadlines: international applicants must submit all required documents by these dates to guarantee consideration: spring semester 15 October, summer semester 15 March, fall semester 15 June. No year is printed, so check on the website that these apply to fall 2027 entry.
• Freshman documents: official coursework and proof of completion for all secondary school coursework (grades 9–12), which may include transcripts, marksheets and final exam results sent directly from the issuing source; optionally an official NACES or AICE evaluation if the school is outside the US; a minimum GPA of 2.00 (on the US transcript, or converted by the International Admissions Office for coursework outside the US); proof of English proficiency; and “official ACT/SAT scores may be required, depending on your chosen major”. The international page adds that official ACT/SAT scores are only required for direct entry into some programs, giving the College of Science, the College of Engineering and Computer Sciences and Nursing as examples, with details in the undergraduate catalog.
• Application fee: the page says application fees for degree-seeking programs are currently waived for international applicants; if a fee applies to your program it will appear on your checklist.
• English requirement (undergraduate minimum): TOEFL iBT—61 for exams taken before 21 January 2026, and “4.0 or 72” for exams after that date; IELTS Academic 6.0; Duolingo 90; PTE Academic 57; Cambridge English 169; ACT English/Reading 18; SAT ERW 480 (2016 and later); MELAB 79%. Meeting one exemption removes the need for exam scores—for example, completing a US-high-school-equivalent diploma in an approved English-speaking country, one year at a US high school with a C or higher in English, a C or higher in IGCSE or O-Level English First Language, an approved ESL program, or one year of full-time study at a US-accepted university.
• Proof of funds and aid: the international student services page says international students are treated as non-residents for scholarships and links to the undergraduate merit-based scholarships (the non-resident level of the John Marshall Scholarship above) and the transfer scholarships. The specific proof-of-funds requirements are not published on the pages read; ask the International Admissions Office (international@marshall.edu).

Applicants from China

• The international pages read do not single out applicants from China: they do not say whether or how the gaokao is considered, what huikao materials are needed, how a Chinese high school transcript should be formatted, or whether there is any China-specific guidance. The general rule is that official coursework and proof of completion for all secondary school coursework must be sent directly by the issuing source, with an optional NACES/AICE evaluation; ask the International Admissions Office how Chinese credentials should be sent.

5. Transfer students

• Size and credits: the transfer page says you can transfer up to 72 credit hours toward your degree; it prints an average of 53 credits transferred and 760 new transfer students in 2025–26. No more than 72 credit hours from community colleges can transfer. The University has articulation agreements, course equivalency agreements and takes part in the West Virginia Core Coursework Transfer Agreement (the state’s general-education core transfers as a block). Some degree requirements cannot be fulfilled with transfer courses, and the transcript evaluation in the official admission review is authoritative. The transfer overview gives no GPA threshold; transfer admission standards are in the undergraduate catalog, which was not read, so they are not published on the pages read.
• International transfer applicants: the international page requires an official NACES or AICE evaluation of university coursework outside the US (with a cumulative GPA), US college transcripts if applicable, and proof of English proficiency; the minimum GPA is 2.00. Applicants with 30 or more earned university credit hours from an accepted, accredited institution may not need secondary coursework; those with fewer than 30 must meet the freshman requirements. Official ACT/SAT scores may be required depending on the major.
• Transfer scholarships: the scholarships page says full-time transfer students pursuing a first bachelor’s degree can receive transfer scholarships by residency: Tier 1 for a GPA of 3.75 or above with at least 30 transferred credit hours, Tier 2 for a GPA of 3.5 to below 3.75 with at least 30 credit hours; Metro awards of $2,665 and $1,770 per academic year, non-resident awards of $3,000 and $2,000 (the in-state amounts were not read clearly; check the website); renewal needs an overall GPA of 3.0 and 30 credit hours completed at Marshall after the first year.
• GPA and prerequisite expectations for transfers into chemistry or biology are not published on the pages read; ask the department and Undergraduate Admissions.

6. AP/IB credit

The admissions pages read do not describe AP or IB credit tables or how they count toward chemistry or biology courses; this is not published on those pages, so check the undergraduate catalog and Undergraduate Admissions.

Sources: Marshall University, College of Science; chemistry undergraduate degrees; chemistry research; chemistry capstone; chemistry scholarships and awards; College of Science admissions; first-year students; how to apply; transfer students; international undergraduate admissions; international deadlines and documents; English proficiency; international financial information; 2026–27 undergraduate tuition; merit and transfer scholarships. Figures and dates should be checked against the latest website pages.