How to Apply to Chemistry at Georgia Tech: The School of Chemistry and Biochemistry Offers a B.S. in Chemistry (Biochemistry, Business, Polymers and Materials and Pre-Health Concentrations) and a B.S. in Biochemistry, ACS-Certified, for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Undergraduate chemistry is offered by the School of Chemistry & Biochemistry in the College of Sciences. Here is what you need to know, based on Georgia Tech’s website, organised for US domestic applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students. The specific deadlines, costs and requirements for each type of applicant are on the admissions and financial aid offices’ pages, which were not among the pages read; each such item is marked below. Biology is a separate degree and is not covered here.

1. Degrees and concentrations

• Two B.S. degrees: the undergraduate programs page says the School offers a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. The academics page says about 400 undergraduates are enrolled and about 100 B.S. degrees are expected each academic year; the prospective-student page says about 35 BS CHEM and about 65 BCHM students in each year of the programme.
• Chemistry B.S. concentrations: the website lists Traditional, Pre-Health Science, Biochemistry, Business, and Polymers and Materials, each with an eight-term plan and a curriculum map (PDFs hosted outside the School’s site, not read).
• Biochemistry B.S. concentrations: Traditional, Business and Pre-Health. The website says the degree prepares students for medical, pharmacy, dental, veterinary, physical therapy or graduate school.
• Research and international options: the website says both degrees can add the Research Option or the International Plan; the School’s menu also lists a 5-year BS/MS option, whose conditions were not read.
• Certification: the programs page says the chemistry B.S. (traditional, biochemistry, business, or polymers and materials tracks) is certified by the American Chemical Society (ACS), and the biochemistry B.S. is recommended by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The pre-health science concentration is not named in that sentence.
• Scope of this guide: the biochemistry B.S. sits in the same School as the chemistry B.S., so both are covered here; the biology degree is offered by the School of Biological Sciences and is not covered. Medicine, pharmacy and dentistry on the website are post-graduation routes and outside this guide.
• Course requirements: the requirement lists for each concentration are in the University catalog and are not in the pages read; see the concentration pages and the catalog on the website.
• Teaching and labs: the prospective-student page says first-year chemistry lectures are large, majors-only courses are of modest size, and laboratory sections run from 24 students in first year to 8 in upper-level courses, with a wide range of instrumentation; the academics page gives a faculty-to-student ratio of about 1:9.

2. How admission to the major works, and changing majors

• Naming a major at application: whether applicants apply to the University or directly to chemistry or biochemistry, and whether the College of Sciences has a separate admission line or cap, are not stated in the pages read; check the admissions pages (section 4).
• Moving in after entry: the chemistry page is headed “Major Change and Minors” and the biochemistry page “Major Change”; both ask students to email or make an appointment with the School’s designated advisor. A grade requirement for moving in is not stated in the pages read.

3. Prerequisites and courses

• High school preparation: minimum high school chemistry, physics and mathematics are not stated in the pages read; see the admissions pages.
• AP Chemistry: the School’s AP, SAT II and IB credit page says a 4 or 5 on the AP Chemistry exam provides credit for CHEM 1211K, but taking CHEM 1211K at Georgia Tech is “highly” recommended for students who did not earn a 5 or have minimal laboratory experience. There is no placement exam for CHEM 1212K and credit for it cannot be earned through advanced standing or any placement exam.
• IB and other exams: the page refers to the “Credits, Tests, and Scores” page of the University catalog for score equivalencies in chemistry and many other areas; it was not read, so please check it on the website.
• First-year chemistry: the academics page says first-year chemistry courses enrol about 2,500 students in the current academic year, and the organic chemistry sequence is also needed by pre-health students and majors such as chemical engineering.
• Research: the prospective-student page says nearly all BS CHEM students and the majority of BS BCHM students take part in one or more semesters of on-campus research, including with faculty in biosciences, biomedical engineering and materials science and engineering. The research page says research can be for credit or pay, the course numbers are CHEM 2698, 2699, 4698 and 4699, and a permit request is needed every semester; it mentions President’s Undergraduate Research Awards (PURA), the Bagwell Fellowship for students pursuing research for the first time, travel awards from the School and the College, and Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) teams. For students from other universities the School runs a 10-week summer undergraduate research programme.
• Chemistry competitions: how they are viewed in admission is not stated in the pages read.

4. Deadlines and application materials (first-year)

• Where to apply: the University’s admissions overview sorts applicants into four paths: first-year, international first-year, transfer and international transfer; it also lists a first-year application review criteria page and a first-year deadlines and fees page.
• Deadlines, application fee, essays, recommendations and testing policy: these pages are not among the pages read for this guide, so the details are not published here; please rely on the Office of Undergraduate Admission pages and check that they apply to fall 2027 entry.
• Choosing a major: the pages read do not say whether applicants name a major or whether the major has its own admission line; please confirm on the admissions pages above.

5. US domestic applicants

• Costs and aid: the University’s cost of attendance page is not among the pages read. The difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition, aid and scholarships for domestic students and any priority or guaranteed admission for Georgia residents are not published in the pages read; please check the cost and financial aid pages.
• Testing policy: not published in the pages read; see the first-year application page.

6. International applicants

• Application path: the University has an international first-year admission page. English-language requirements and waivers, transcript and credential requirements, proof of funds and international scholarships are not published in the pages read; please check that page.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: not published in the pages read; check the international first-year page or contact the admissions office.
• Transcripts and school-leaving materials: not published in the pages read; check the international admission page for requirements for the Chinese system.
• International curricula: a 4 or 5 on the AP Chemistry exam earns credit for CHEM 1211K (see the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry page); for other international credentials, see the “Credits, Tests, and Scores” page in the University catalog.

8. Costs, scholarships and outcomes

• Costs: see section 5; the pages read print no figures.
• Research funding in the School: see section 3 (PURA, Bagwell, travel awards); amounts and numbers of awards are not stated in the pages read.
• Outcomes (the website’s own words): the prospective-student page says that in any graduating class 30–40% of students go directly into employment, with the remainder going on to professional school (medical, pharmacy and so on) or a Ph.D., and that most of those entering employment start in laboratory-based occupations. The careers page lists healthcare, pharmaceuticals, materials and polymers, biotechnology and personal care products, and also business, consulting, law and marketing, and says the highest entry-level positions generally require an M.S. or Ph.D.

9. Transfer students

• Application path: the University has a transfer admission page, an international transfer page, transfer admission requirements and transfer deadlines and fees. GPA, prerequisite courses, credit transfer rules and deadlines are not published in the pages read; please check those pages.
• Transfer into chemistry or biochemistry: the pages read do not state conditions for transferring into the chemistry or biochemistry major; please contact the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• Check first-year deadlines, fees and review criteria on the admissions pages; check in-state and out-of-state tuition on the cost page

International applicants (including China):

• Check English-test, transcript and funding requirements on the international first-year page; with AP Chemistry 4 or 5, check CHEM 1211K credit

After entry:

• Choose the chemistry or biochemistry B.S. and a concentration; consider the Research Option, the International Plan and undergraduate research; contact the School’s designated advisor to change major

Transfer students:

• Check requirements and deadlines on the transfer pages; confirm entry into chemistry or biochemistry with the School

Sources: Georgia Institute of Technology, Undergraduate academics; Undergraduate programs; B.S. Chemistry; B.S. Biochemistry; Prospective undergraduates; AP/IB credit; Undergraduate research; Careers; Admissions overview. The detailed pages of the admissions and financial aid offices were not among the pages read; see Georgia Tech’s website for the latest and check that they apply to fall 2027 entry.