Browse all Chemistry courses →
Red: department · Gray: UW–Madison
GPA and percentages are weighted by recorded letter grades. UW comparisons use the same terms. Cross-listed courses count once within this department and once across UW; department totals should not be added together. Grade counts are not unique students. Offering counts reflect captured records, not a complete historical schedule.
Grades have not been recorded for this term. Historical results remain in the overview above.
Historical grades cover up to five years through the selected term. Grade sorting prioritizes courses with at least 100 letter grades.
CHEMICAL BIOLOGY covers the chemistry and biology of macromolecules and applies organic chemistry to cell biology and biomedicine.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Andrew Buller: The course requires reading papers and completing assignments, characterized as heavy biology with a high difficulty rating.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025This graduate course covers various selected topics in contemporary macromolecular and biophysical chemistry.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The course difficulty is rated as moderate, with a rating of 3 out of 5.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026Covers single molecule approaches to biology, including literature review and research presentations on techniques like fluorescence microscopy and optical trapping.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
A graduate seminar focusing on presentations and discussions of recent chemical biology research.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Fall 2025CHEM 101 is a laboratory course covering general chemistry topics including stoichiometry, bonding, and states of matter.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Bassam Shakhashiri: Exams are described as really easy if students complete all practice problems.
No recorded grade history
General Chemistry II Laboratory covers principles and applications of equilibrium, electrochemistry, thermodynamics, kinetics, and organic chemistry.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
General Chemistry I covers stoichiometry, states of matter, thermochemistry, atomic structure, and bonding.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The course demands substantial homework and pre-class preparation, with exams described as tough and content-heavy, requiring consistent study habits to succeed.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026CHEM 104 covers chemical equilibrium, electrochemistry, kinetics, nuclear chemistry, and introduces organic chemistry and lab skills.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Bertram’s exams are characterized as fair and relatively easy, whereas Trate’s tests are reported as difficult and requiring significant study. Reviewers note that Trate’s regular assignments, such as homework and discussions, can make the material easier to grasp.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026Accelerated general chemistry covering atomic structure, equilibrium, thermodynamics, kinetics, and electrochemistry with lab techniques.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Students report a heavy workload requiring about 10 hours weekly, including frequent exams and extensive textbook reading. The course is fast-paced and difficult, with exams noted as particularly hard and requiring significant study time.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025CHEMICAL PRINCIPLES I explores matter's atomic and molecular view, focusing on quantum theory, structure, and bonding.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Reviewers describe the material as insanely difficult and the workload as heavy, requiring many hours of weekly study and completion of all assignments.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025CHEM 299 is a directed study course involving a mentored research project arranged with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sampleCHEMISTRY ACROSS THE PERIODIC TABLE explores inorganic properties, reactions, and synthesis with emphasis on transition metals and bioinorganic chemistry.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Clark Landis, John Moore, Judith Burstyn, Sam Pazicni: Students report tough labs, medium to hard homework, and varying exam difficulty. Workload includes weekly typed lab reports, problem sets, and lengthy pre-lectures or quizzes under some instructors, making the class super busy.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026CHEM 327 teaches fundamentals of chemical measurement, covering equilibria, spectroscopy, electrochemistry, separations, and quantitative lab techniques.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews indicate the course requires significant time and effort, with some instructors demanding daily engagement and thorough homework completion. Labs are often described as hard or tedious, and exams can be difficult, requiring students to master the material inside and out.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026CHEM 329 teaches fundamentals of chemical measurement, covering equilibria, spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and separations.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Jeanne Hamers, Kyoung-Shin Choi, Linda Zelewski, Lloyd Smith: The project lab is frequently described as time-consuming, confusing, and poorly designed. Homework is also noted as time-consuming, and exams can be difficult.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026CHEM 341 covers core organic chemistry concepts of structure, reactivity, and synthesis for functional groups in commercial and biological substances.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Students report that success requires hard work, specifically completing problem sets and utilizing the many practice exams provided by the instructor.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025Organic Chemistry I covers molecular structure, bonding, and reactivity of common organic functional groups.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The course requires significant effort, with students advised to complete all problem sets and practice exams to succeed. Exams are described as challenging but fair, closely mirroring the provided practice materials, though some students found the workload heavy for the credit value.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026CHEM 344 introduces basic organic synthesis, purification, and characterization techniques, and critical interpretation of experimental data.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The course is extremely demanding, requiring two long labs weekly and extensive post-lab reports. Students report that office hours are essential for success, and the workload is often considered disproportionate to the credit value.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026Organic Chemistry II covers molecular structure and bonding to predict reactivity in aromatic, benzylic, allylic, and carbonyl systems.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Andrew Maza, Jennifer Schomaker: The course demands high standards for comprehension and synthesis, requiring students to stay on top of homework and reading. Learning is hindered if lectures are unclear or if instructors miss class, forcing reliance on self-study or TAs.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026Intermediate Organic Chemistry Laboratory covers multi-step synthesis, advanced techniques like high-vacuum distillation, and independent research.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Tehshik Yoon: The course had a moderate difficulty rating of 3.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025 · limited sampleIntroduces machine learning techniques in chemistry, covering probability, optimization, and applications like generative models and drug discovery.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2025–Spring 2026 · limited sampleCHEM 547 covers advanced principles of synthetic and mechanistic organic chemistry.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Hans Reich, Tehshik Yoon: Reviewers describe the course as intellectually challenging and hard-core. The difficulty ratings are generally high, reflecting the rigorous nature of the material covered in this advanced chemistry course.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025CHEM 561 covers macroscopic theory including thermodynamics, chemical and phase equilibria, and kinetic theory of gases.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The course is described as difficult with hard homework assignments that are intended to set students up for success on exams.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026CHEM 562 covers molecular theory including quantum chemistry, molecular structure, spectra, and statistical mechanics.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Arun Yethiraj, Qiang Cui: Students reported high difficulty with unclear exam preparation. Reviews cited disconnects between homework, lectures, and tests, with some noting exams covered material not taught in class.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026CHEM 563 teaches experimental physical chemistry principles, focusing on acquiring thermodynamic and kinetic data using laboratory equipment and analyzing results.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026CHEM 564 teaches experimental physical chemistry principles for acquiring and interpreting data on molecular structure, dynamics, and macromolecule properties using spectroscopic instrumentation.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Students read handouts and watch videos before class, then complete problems during sessions under Wendt's hands-off guidance.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026CHEM 605 teaches the determination of organic structures and reaction mechanisms using mass spectrometry and NMR techniques.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
One historical review rates the difficulty as moderate, suggesting the course is suitable for those who enjoy organic chemistry.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026 · limited sampleCHEM 608 covers elementary bonding theory, symmetry, and molecular shapes, emphasizing qualitative methods for understanding geometry and reactivity.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025 · limited sampleCHEM 624 covers interfacial electron transfer and mass transport in electrochemistry, applied to electroanalysis, electrodeposition, and separations.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025 · limited sampleCHEM 636 covers the theory and practice of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Students face a heavy weekly workload including homework, quizzes, demos, and in-person experiments, which reviewers say leads to exhaustion by mid-October.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026CHEM 641 covers topics in physical organic chemistry.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025 · limited sampleNo released grades for this term.
Offering snapshots currently cover Fall 2026. Earlier grade records do not provide a complete offering history.