Dept. Eases Chem Major Regulations

Requirements for concentration in Chemistry will undergo substantial liberalization next fall, Leonard K. Nash '39, professor of Chemistry announced Monday.

As in the past, the new regulations will still demand six full courses in chemistry and related subjects for nonhonors concentrators, but no longer will any specific courses be required.

Also, only one and one-half years of laboratory work in chemistry courses numbered higher than Chemistry 6 will be required, as opposed to three required presently. Honors candidates will also be allowed the same latitude in choosing courses.

"Although course content has changed radically since 1935 when I was an undergraduate, the strict sequence of courses now required differs by only one-half course from the ones I took," Nash explained. Students now must take Chemistry 1, 20, 40, 60 and two related courses for non-honors concentration.

"I think we may have lost concentrators in recent years by insisting on a rigid set of requirements. Chemistry is no longer a rigidly definable field. It extends from molecular biology at one extreme to chemical physics at the other, and students intending to pursue different branches of chemistry should be permitted to satisfy concentration requirements with different sets of courses."

The new requirements will enable the concentrator to bypass those courses which he feels are unnecessary, but Nash hastened to add that the change will certainly entail more counseling by the advisors. "Although it may be possible to sneak through with a lopsided program, we hope that the advisors will prevent most of this."